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CHAPTER 45
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-28 00:26:30
Bab terkait
SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 46
Alessia Volkov The world kept spinning. Relentless. Unforgiving.And me... I was pretending.Physically, I was fine — or so the doctors said. The bruises had faded. The superficial wounds had healed under the patient touch of time. From the outside, I was Alessia Moretti-Volkov, beautiful and radiant, the perfect wife of a powerful man.Inside, it was a different story.At night, I woke up gasping for air, certain that smoke was filling my lungs. I could still feel the burn of the rope against my wrists. I could still hear Marcello’s screams blending with the crackling flames.Even now, in the overwhelming luxury of the manor, I was never truly alone.The past clung to me like a second skin.And Nikolai... Nikolai wasn’t making it any easier.Since the day I woke up, he had become a constant shadow. Always there. Always close. Always ready to jump at the slightest sound I made.I knew he wanted to help. I knew he thought he was doing the right thing. But sometim
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-29SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 47
Alessia VolkovvWhen Nikolai said he wanted to teach me self-defense, I thought he was joking.Like, genuinely. I even checked if he was smiling. Spoiler: he wasn’t.I should’ve known that marrying a man like him — a Volkov — meant the romantic Sunday morning cooking class would be replaced by private training sessions in a gym that smelled like sweat, leather, and testosterone.And here I am. Barefoot on the tatami mat, wearing black leggings and an oversized T-shirt, standing across from my very intimidating husband.He’s in nothing but sweatpants and a tank top that clings far too perfectly to his muscles for me to focus properly.I tilt my head toward the ceiling and sigh. “Honestly, Volkov, if you wanted to beat me up legally, you could’ve just said so.”He raises an eyebrow, amused.“I’m teaching you how to defend yourself, printsessa. Not how to get beaten.”“Hm. Either way, I still end up on the ground, right?”He shakes his head, that sly little smile tugging at his lip
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-30SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 1
Alessia MorettiLos Angeles 5pmThe night air was thick with the scent of Los Angeles—gasoline, asphalt, and a hint of the ocean breeze that never quite reached our part of the city. My heels clicked against the cracked pavement as I made my way up the worn-out steps of our townhouse, exhaustion pressing heavily against my limbs. The weight of the day—a full schedule of classes, an endless group project, and a midterm looming over my head—made the sight of our familiar blue door almost comforting. Almost.A strange sense of unease curled in my gut as I reached for the handle. Something felt off. The porch light flickered ominously, and the house was eerily silent. Usually, my brother, Luca, would be sprawled on the couch, yelling at some basketball game on TV or complaining about his latest poker hand gone wrong.Tonight, there was nothing.A chill ran down my spine.I pushed open the door, and the scent hit me first—coppery, thick, unmistakable. Blood."Luca?" My voice wavered as I s
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-13SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 2
Alessia Moretti I stood frozen at the doorstep long after Nikolai Volkov had disappeared into the night. My body was stiff, my pulse erratic, my mind caught in an endless loop of disbelief and fury.Future husband.The words rang in my ears like a death sentence.My fingers curled into tight fists at my sides. This cannot be happening.A weak groan from inside the house snapped me out of my trance.Luca.I spun around, slamming the door shut behind me, and rushed back to where my brother was slumped against the couch. His face was pale, his breaths shallow, the bruises already darkening along his skin.“We need to get you to a hospital,” I said, grabbing a damp towel and pressing it gently against his bleeding lip.“No hospitals,” Luca muttered, wincing. “They ask too many questions.”I bit back a frustrated scream. “And what? You’ll just sit here and bleed out?”He offered me a weak smirk. “I’ve had worse.”“Jesus Christ, Luca!” I threw the towel down, pacing the small living room.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-13SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 3
Nikolai Volkov I watched her, amused.Alessia Moretti had stormed into my penthouse like a woman marching to war, her chin high, her posture stiff with defiance. She reeked of desperation, though she was trying—badly—to mask it behind confidence.And now, she stood in front of me, offering terms.A marriage with a deadline.One year.I rolled the whiskey glass between my fingers, studying her. She doesn’t understand the game she’s playing.“You think you can negotiate with me?” I asked, watching her closely.Her brown eyes, warm but filled with fire, didn’t waver. “I know I can.”Interesting.Alessia had always been a contradiction. She despised me, but she was also the only one who had ever dared to challenge me. Even as a child, she’d looked at me with those same defiant eyes, full of hatred, full of fire.And now, here she was, trying to outmaneuver me in my own game.I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, my gaze locked onto hers. “And what makes you think I’d agree to
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-13SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 4
Alessia Moretti I should have been used to walking into a room and feeling like prey.Growing up as a Moretti meant constantly being watched—by allies, by enemies, by people who wanted something from you. But this? This was different.This was suffocating.Everywhere I turned, another pair of eyes lingered on me. Some with curiosity, others with envy, but most with satisfaction. Like they were enjoying the spectacle of my downfall.Because that’s what this was.An arranged engagement. A forced marriage. A cage.And I was the perfect little bird trapped inside it.I stood next to Nikolai, my soon-to-be husband—God, even thinking about it made me want to scream—as we walked through the extravagant engagement party he had thrown. It was a spectacle of wealth and power, full of people who knew exactly who Nikolai Volkov was and what he was capable of.Every time someone approached us, I had to force a smile, pretending I wasn’t silently plotting ways to ruin this man.Nikolai had been pl
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-13SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 5
Nikolai Volkov Power wasn’t given. It was taken. Earned through blood, fear, and ruthless decisions.I had learned that lesson early in life, watching my father build an empire from nothing but brutality and intelligence. He had no patience for weakness. No tolerance for mistakes. And he made sure I understood that if I wanted to survive—if I wanted to rule—I had to be worse than my enemies.Now, as I stood in my office, overlooking the city I controlled from the shadows, I knew I had succeeded.The skyline of Los Angeles stretched before me, an ocean of lights and opportunities. A kingdom built on financial schemes, underground dealings, and the silent threats that kept my competitors in line.This city didn’t belong to the politicians or the businessmen who thought they ran it. It belonged to me.And yet, for the first time in years, my mind wasn’t consumed by business.It was consumed by her.Alessia Moretti.The woman I had wanted for as long as I could remember. The woman who no
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-13SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 6
Alessia MorettiThe silence in the Moretti household had never felt this heavy.My fingers hesitated on the zipper of my suitcase, trembling slightly as I tried to force order into chaos—both in the bag and in my heart. My room looked like a storm had torn through it: clothes scattered across the bed, boxes half-filled, memories strewn across every corner of the space I had once called mine. Now, it was just a room. A temporary shell I was abandoning. I inhaled deeply and folded a soft ivory blouse, laying it neatly on top of a stack of carefully chosen outfits. Clothes I would wear in **his** house. Nikolai Volkov. I still hadn’t fully wrapped my head around the reality that I was going to live under the same roof as that arrogant, ruthless man. The man who had cornered my family into a deal disguised as marriage. The man I had hated since childhood—and somehow now, the man I was supposed to **belong to**. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. A sharp knock on my d
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-18
Bab terbaru
SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 47
Alessia VolkovvWhen Nikolai said he wanted to teach me self-defense, I thought he was joking.Like, genuinely. I even checked if he was smiling. Spoiler: he wasn’t.I should’ve known that marrying a man like him — a Volkov — meant the romantic Sunday morning cooking class would be replaced by private training sessions in a gym that smelled like sweat, leather, and testosterone.And here I am. Barefoot on the tatami mat, wearing black leggings and an oversized T-shirt, standing across from my very intimidating husband.He’s in nothing but sweatpants and a tank top that clings far too perfectly to his muscles for me to focus properly.I tilt my head toward the ceiling and sigh. “Honestly, Volkov, if you wanted to beat me up legally, you could’ve just said so.”He raises an eyebrow, amused.“I’m teaching you how to defend yourself, printsessa. Not how to get beaten.”“Hm. Either way, I still end up on the ground, right?”He shakes his head, that sly little smile tugging at his lip
SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 46
Alessia Volkov The world kept spinning. Relentless. Unforgiving.And me... I was pretending.Physically, I was fine — or so the doctors said. The bruises had faded. The superficial wounds had healed under the patient touch of time. From the outside, I was Alessia Moretti-Volkov, beautiful and radiant, the perfect wife of a powerful man.Inside, it was a different story.At night, I woke up gasping for air, certain that smoke was filling my lungs. I could still feel the burn of the rope against my wrists. I could still hear Marcello’s screams blending with the crackling flames.Even now, in the overwhelming luxury of the manor, I was never truly alone.The past clung to me like a second skin.And Nikolai... Nikolai wasn’t making it any easier.Since the day I woke up, he had become a constant shadow. Always there. Always close. Always ready to jump at the slightest sound I made.I knew he wanted to help. I knew he thought he was doing the right thing. But sometim
SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 45
Nikolai Volkov Two days.Two whole days I had lived in a silent, private hell, sitting by her side and watching every painful breath that escaped her cracked lips. She was so still. Too still.In all my life, I'd witnessed bloodbaths, executions, betrayal... I had faced the barrel of a gun more times than I could count. But nothing — nothing — had ever scared me like seeing Alessia's body lying unconscious in my bed.And this was my bed. My manor. My rules. My protection. Or so I had thought.I had failed her. I failed her in the worst possible way.The guilt was a constant roar beneath my skin, louder than my own heartbeat. Every minute she didn’t open her eyes, I felt like I was slipping deeper into madness.I sat in the heavy leather chair beside her, hunched forward, hands locked together so tightly my knuckles were bloodless. My eyes burned from lack of sleep. My body ached from tension. But none of it mattered.Nothing mattered except the slow, steady rise and
SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 44
Nikolai Voplkov The days bled into each other with a maddening, colorless monotony. I had never felt this helpless, not even during the bloodiest days of my life. Two endless days had passed since I brought Alessia back to the manor—*my* manor—not the sterile corridors of a hospital where strangers could touch her. She was safest here, under my watch, under my roof. I sat beside her, hour after hour, watching her fragile frame lie motionless against the sheets. Machines beeped softly around her, keeping a cadence that was both a mockery and a comfort. My mind was a battlefield, a storm raging with guilt, rage, and something far more dangerous: fear.I wiped a damp cloth across her forehead, careful not to disturb the small bruises and cuts that marred her beautiful skin. Every mark on her body felt like a brand on my soul, a glaring testament to my failure."You weren't supposed to be touched," I murmured against the silence, my hand wrapping around her much smaller one.Her fingers
SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 43
Nikolai Volkov I’ve seen death. I’ve caused it. Provoked it. Orchestrated it. But nothing—not a single execution or shootout—has ever left me this shaken. This wrecked. This on edge. Alessia’s still unconscious. And it’s eating me alive. They say silence can be peaceful. But not tonight. Tonight, silence is a scream—loud and suffocating. It’s in the way Alessia lies unconscious in the bed across from me, pale and bruised, her chest rising in shallow, erratic motions. It’s in the way my fists clench every time I think about how close I was to losing her. She’s here, in my home—*our* home now. After what she went through, I refused to have her anywhere else but under my roof, where my men patrol every hallway, where I can personally oversee every goddamn lock and camera feed. Hospitals might be sterile and professional, but they’re not safe. Not for Alessia. The medical team I’ve hired works in hushed whispers, moving swiftly. They’ve converted one of the guest suites into a full
SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 42
Alessia VolkovThe smoke thickened.It coiled around my lungs like a snake, suffocating, biting, cruel. Each breath was a battle, each second stretching longer than the last. My eyes burned as the flames crept closer, dancing in a cruel rhythm that matched the pounding of my heart.Marcello…He was burning.Burning alive.His screams pierced through the roar of the fire, a haunting sound that etched itself into my soul. I’d never heard pain like that. Rage, betrayal, and utter madness tangled in those cries. For a moment, I forgot he’d been my stalker. My tormentor. He had just been a boy once—someone I’d cared about, someone who’d whispered promises in my ear and brushed his fingers down my spine as if I was everything.Now he was engulfed in flames, writhing like a devil caught in hellfire.I turned my head away, bile rising in my throat. It didn’t matter that he deserved it. No one should burn like that.The fire surged, a hot, pulsing wave of destruction, and panic finally seized
SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 41
Alessia volkovMy legs burned with every step I took, lungs heaving and heart pounding in my chest like a war drum. The cold night air stung my skin, and the uneven gravel beneath my feet bit into my soles, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. I had no plan, no direction—just one thought echoing through me like a desperate prayer:Run.I had made it out. I had struck him. I had escaped. But freedom had never felt so fleeting.Behind me, I could hear him.Marcello.Screaming. Cursing. Unhinged.His rage echoed off the metal walls of the warehouse like a beast unleashed from the depths of hell.My body ached, still sore and stiff from being bound. I stumbled through the overgrowth that surrounded the building, each branch clawing at my skin like nature itself was trying to pull me back into the nightmare I was trying to escape.Just a little farther, I told myself. Just a little more—A sharp yank on my arm pulled me backward.He had caught me.A scream burst from my lips, but it was cut shor
SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 40
Alessia Volkov The first thing I felt was cold.It seeped into my bones, clinging to my skin like a wet second layer. The air was damp, thick with mildew and rot. My head throbbed, every heartbeat pounding like a drum behind my temples. I groaned, trying to move, but my arms felt like lead.I was lying on concrete. Hard. Wet. My cheek pressed against it, and I could feel tiny stones biting into my skin. My wrists ached. Something dug into them—plastic? Zip ties. Panic fluttered in my chest, not full-blown yet, but creeping in around the edges.Where am I?Why can’t I move?And then it hit me—everything. The long day with Stassie. The drive home. The headlights in my mirror. The panic. The crash.And then—nothing.Until now.My eyes fluttered open, but I saw almost nothing. Darkness. Deep, suffocating darkness. The only light was a faint glimmer far off, like a single dying candle in the shadows. My entire body screamed for answers.A sound.Footsteps.Steady, calm, unhurried.My brea
SHADOW OF VOW'S CHAPTER 39
Nikolai Volkov She was late.And Alessia Volkov was never late.I stood in the middle of the penthouse, phone glued to my ear, heart hammering in a way I hadn’t felt since my father taught me what it meant to bleed for power. The Los Angeles skyline blinked mockingly through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind me, a cruel reminder that in this city of gods and monsters, people vanished every day.But Alessia wasn’t just anyone.She was my wife.She was my responsibility.And she wasn’t answering her goddamn phone.“Come on, pick up,” I muttered, pacing the length of the living room like a lion in a cage. Her call went to voicemail again. I ended it with a growl and immediately dialed Stassie.She picked up on the second ring. “Nikolai?”“Where is she?” My voice was sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care. Fear was a poison in my veins, and I was already overdosing.“What? I—wait, Alessia?” Her voice cracked. I could hear music in the background. People. Laughter. It sounded like s
