Claire's POV I woke up to water pouring on my face as well as my body. I was on the hard floor of my cell, in a pool of my blood and water. I tried to move but pain shot all through my body, threatening to paralyze me. I was hurting, from my eyes to my arms, to my legs. Basically, everywhere. It felt like I was placed on nails and pins which had been knocked into a board and had been made to face upwards. “And the bitch is finally awake” Salvatore said as he neared where I lay “You dare not die on me, you hear me?” I didn't say anything. I was too weak to speak. My lips trembled as I shook with silent sobs. “I. asked. a. question” He said through gritted teeth as he yanked my hair. I managed to mutter a reply as more pain spiraled throughout my body. “Get her up. She needs a shower” A man grabbed my arm and pulled me up. For a moment, my knees felt like jelly and my steps wobbled, but he paid no attention to that and roughly pulled me along with him.I adjusted the thin sleeve
Claire's POV I remained suspended, my wrists and ankles tied by thick ropes. I struggled and kicked, but it was no use.Salvatore stood before me, "You should have just listened, Claire," he said, With a flick of his wrist, Salvatore signaled to his men. They sprang into action, setting up a large stone fireplace in the center of the courtyard.Even when I was dangling upside down, my eyes widened in horror as I realized what was happening. "No, please," I begged, but Salvatore just laughed."It's too late for mercy, Claire," he said. "You're going to make a wonderful addition"They arranged firewood and charcoals. Next they pour gasoline on it and throw in a matchstick. The fire starts burning. Slowly, it heated up and grew into a large fire which scalded me. Soon it caught some part of my hair and then part of my body that was already filled with the denatured alcohol and that was when I screamed out loud and begged Salvatore to release me."You know what to do to get released, C
Claire’s POV I sat in the darkness of my cell, the cold stone floor causing me to shiver. I felt better, better than the last time. Two weeks had passed since Salvatore's men had brought me here, leaving me in this dark, small space like trash.At first, I was horrified by what would happen to me. I had expected Salvatore to return, to punish me like he used to. But as the days turned into weeks, I began to think that he had forgotten about me.Or so I thought.The sound of footsteps echoed outside my cell, growing louder. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized the heavy sound of Salvatore's boots.Salvatore entered the dungeon and I shrank, wrapping myself.Salvatore took a step closer, his eyes never leaving mine. "I've been thinking, Claire. Perhaps it's time we... renegotiate your terms of imprisonment."I swallowed hard, my mind racing with possibilities. What did he want from me? And what would I have to do to survive?I hated that he was back. I was already excited that my wo
Claire's POV The door to the room I was in creaked open with so much force, making me jump in fright. Salvatore barged in angrily. It was the morning of our flight to Chicago and I was still not dressed yet. My hands flew to shield my bare breasts. The only thing I had on me was a pair of black lace panties. The tip of my hair dropped some water. I had just gotten out of the bathroom and I had not blow-dried it yet. “The fuck, Claire!” He expounded “You're still not dressed yet?” I opened my mouth to talk but I couldn't form any words. “For fuck’s sake, we have a flight to catch in minutes and you're just in panties?” His forehead was creased in annoyance as he reached out and grabbed my left arm. His fingers dug into my flesh and it felt like I was clawed by an animal. My right hand still struggled to shield my breasts. “You jumped scared me, Salvatore. I just finished taking a shower” I replied, with pleading eyes “Do I look like I give two hoots about that? Hell, what do you
Salvatore's PovComing back to Chicago was blissful. This was my home, the real Salvatore's life. Getting back into what I had been doing previously before hearing about Luciano's death was my goal now. I had to put my life on a little pause to get revenge for Luciano's death and I was glad it was a successful mission. I might have lost the people that were truly close to me, but I was on the winning side. I killed some of Don's men and Don was dead also, by the way, his wife was with me and she would start her stripping classes.Just like how Luciano used her, I was going to use her for business also, till I was satisfied. I needed to stop torturing her for days, so her wounds would heal and she would be good for business. She did see it as good luck, but trust me to have better…or worse plans.I had kept her in the room next to mine for proper monitoring but there were more reasons for keeping her in there.As I faced my reflection in the mirror, naked. I had just taken a bath. I ad
Claire's POV I watched as Megan filed her nails at one end of the living room. I had a question to ask her but we had never really talked. I didn’t know what it was like conversing with her, but she was the only person I could think of who could give me an answer. My palms were sweaty as I debated on how to approach her. Start a conversation with her, then throw in the question or just ask the question straight up at once? I wasn't sure exactly which one was going to work. She happened to see someone in the room with her because she raised her head. Our eyes met and I averted my gaze. When I looked at her again, she had returned to filing her nails. “How may I help you? You seem like you need something” She said, not taking her focus off her nails “Oh, ohm….I….I have a question to ask” “Okay?” She arched a brow at me, my cue to go ahead and ask my question “So, I want to know what Salvatore's favorite food is” “And why would I tell you that?” She paused her filing and stared
Salvatore's PovAs I looked at the caller ID. It wasn't something I could ignore. Do I move to a distance to answer the call? I cursed under my breath at the distraction. "Hello…" a sound of displeasing."Boss, I'm sorry to disturb you." She said."Be sorry. What is the matter?" I wiped up some of Claire's juice from my lips."It's Davidson. He is screaming and crying.""And why is that?" I asked, a little bit concerned "He is talking of visiting you and even broke his window trying to escape.","And where were you when all of this was happening? Didn't I pay you to watch him!" I yelled and the silence on the phone lasted for a while."I was in the… kitchen" her voice shook."I'm sorry, Mr Salvatore.""Well, make the boy understand that he can not come to visit me and I am doing enough by coming to see him!""I'll do that" she quickly responded."And give him all the prescribed pills and just get him to sleep somehow. You know the consequences of leaving this bit to yourself and I wo
Claire's POV My reflection stared back at me through the mirror. My face had been contoured and my cheekbones had been heightened, courtesy of the make-up artist, a talented male cross-dresser named Sasha. “Oh my, oh my” He exclaimed as he clasped his hands on his chest, in the manner that most effeminate men would “Claire to the world! They wouldn't know what hit them!” A plastic smile spread across my lips. He had done a good job but I wasn't interested in that. I didn't like the fact that I was being forced into doing something against my wish, but I had no choice. “We're good to go, girl. Get up, let's look at you” Sasha said after he had adjusted my wig and tucked strands of hair behind my ears I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror, in all my stripper glory. I was dressed to the nines, with my extremely high heels, fishnet stockings, and a flashy blonde wig that cascaded down my back.Sasha grabbed the makeup brush and quickly dabbed different portions of my face, hy
Claire's POV"I'm so excited for the baby shower," Elyse said, looking up at me with a smile. "We need to start planning the details. What's your theme? Have you thought about games and food?"Elyse and I were resting on the couch in the penthouse, enjoying a lazy afternoon together. We'd just finished lunch, and Elyse couldn't get over her excitement about the baby shower I was planning.I laughed. "Slow down, Elyse. I've barely had time to think about it. But I do know I want something simple and intimate. Maybe just close friends and family."I was almost due…oh, I could feel this baby coming and I was excited at the thought of going into labor and birthing Don's son.Elyse nodded. "That sounds perfect. And I've already started thinking about baby names. I have a few favorites for a boy."I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What are they?"Elyse grinned "Well, I think 'Atticus' is a great name. Or maybe 'Ethan'?"I chuckled. "Those are both nice names. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. W
Claire's POV The ringing doorbell interrupted my movie, causing me to wonder how it was, but I felt too lazy to stand up. Maybe it was my pregnancy after all. The doorbell rang again almost immediately but I didn't see any sign of anyone else coming to answer it. I took that as my cue to answer it. But just as I was about to stand up, Elyse appeared in the living room. “I'll answer it, don't worry” Elyse said I turned to the door when Elyse opened it, and I was greeted by the sight of Romano standing there, with a warm smile on his face. He looked just as handsome as I remembered, with his tousled hair and charming eyes. “Heyyyy” he drawled, stepping forward to wrap her in a hug. I could see the delight on her face as she embraced him. It was a sweet moment, one that made my heart swell and miss Don . I suddenly wished he were here. Damn you, Salvatore! I cursed inwardly. “Heyyy” She replied back “It's so good to see you” Elyse said, pulling back from the hug but keeping her han
Romano’s POV I walked into the room of one of my underground houses set aside as a ward for Don’s healing and recovery. It all came as a flashback, rushing into my memories. How I had been tracking Don for hours, following the clues. I knew Salvatore's men were closing in on him, and I had to act fast if I was going to save his life.From a distance, I had seen Don sprinting towards the river, Salvatore's men drew their guns, aiming at Don who had just jumped into the river. I had to act fast, but I didn't have a choice till they weren't watching and I had stopped shooting. A few minutes after they had gone, I sprinted towards the water's edge, scanning the river for any sign of Don. That's when I saw him, his body in the water as he tried to swim away from the riverbank.But he was hurt, badly. I could see the blood spreading through the water, and I knew I had to get to him, fast. I dove into the river and I swam towards Don. As I reached him, I wrapped my arm around his chest, h
Elyse's POV Just as I settled into the couch for a movie on Netflix with a tube of Pringles and a glass of lemon squash, my phone beeped and a notification came in. It was a message from Romano. My heart skipped three beats. I abandoned my movie for his text. ‘I can't wait to see you in the dress. Sign and collect ASAP. And no, I'm not spilling the location’ Wait, what? This could only mean one thing. Romano was taking me out. He was asking me out on a date. A proper, restaurant date. We hadn't done this before, although we had a lot of chemistry. I liked Romano a lot and he liked me right back, so there was no way I was going to say no or stand him up. The doorbell rang immediately and I answered it. A face–capped man with a package, clipboard and pen stood, waiting for me. I wrote my signature hastily, got the package and dashed back inside.I didn't even bother exiting Netflix, I just grabbed my phone and sprinted up the stairs. I got into the shower right as I got into my roo
Claire's POV Today was the day of baby Nolan's baptism, and I couldn't wait to celebrate this special moment with our little family.I noticed the bodyguards stationed outside our door. A reminder that I still needed to be protected from that monster, Salvatore.The chapel was beautiful, it had been a long time. It had never felt that far. It was so good to be home. Madam Desideria, Elyse, and I took our seats, surrounded by our securities The ceremony was lovely, with baby Nolan looking adorable in his tiny white outfit.As the priest poured the holy water over Nolan's head, I felt a lump form in my throat. And although Don might not admit or it might not seem like it, this baby had brought so much joy into our lives, and I was grateful to be a part of his journey.As we stepped forward, Madam Desideria, Elyse, and I walked over to the front steps of the cathedral, where we knelt on the stone floor."Let us pray," Madam Desideria said, in her soothing voice.We bowed our heads, and
Claire's POV I watched as Elyse and Romano said their goodbyes. He gave her a long peck on her right cheek as they hugged. “Alright guys, let's get going now” I signalled to them. The sun was getting brighter and I wanted us to get to the penthouse before late afternoon. I looked at the wall on the clock. The time read 09:10 am. “Take care, Elyse, I'll miss you” Romano smiled at her “I'll miss you too” She smiled back Our bags were hauled by some bodyguards to the trunks of the two vehicles taking us. When they were done, we said our final goodbyes to Romano, waving and smiling. We boarded the vehicles and soon, we were speeding down the road. It was going to be a long ride so I decided to keep myself busy. I plugged in my earphones and selected a movie –Disney’s Mufasa– to watch. Baby Nolan on the other hand was enjoying Cocomelon which was playing on the mini television in the car. I wasn't sure exactly how long we took but we were at the underground penthouse already. We ali
Claire's POV "Let's take a moment to remember…" I held back more tears, even when my face was red and swollen. "…a mentor, a brave man, a brother, ...a husband" I couldn't control it anymore.Romano came to my side, rubbing me by the side as he comforted me. Elyse sat at a side, her expression numb, she said no word nor did I hear a sob, but her face watered.I wanted to tell her again that I was sorry. That this was entirely my fault. How would I be able to live through this guilt? Staying in the same house knowing that I pulled the trigger and even made no effort to find his body for a proper burial."Don was everything…to me, ..to us" I continue, in between my sobs. "I love you, Don." I kissed the flowers, as I placed them on the little pavement around our former house, where Don and I spent most of our memories.Since there was no corpse to mourn, I thought it was only proper to pay tribute to his property. This wasn't a mode to move on. Never, could I move on from this. But ra
Claire's POV Tears streamed down our cheeks as I returned to hug my late husband’s sister. If only she knew how her brother died. I sighed. We remained in the embrace for God knows how long. After a while, Elyse slowly pulled away, first wiping her tears before she wiped mine. “That's okay, Claire, that's okay. Enough with the tears” She wiped under my eyes “What matters right now is that you're back, hale and hearty” “I know, right “ I replied, my eyes still teary “I'm so glad to be home, Elyse. You don't know how much I've missed you guys” I broke down into fresh tears. My outburst lasted for quite a while and Elyse did nothing but be patient with me, while rubbing my back and saying soothing words to me. I calmed down after a while, only shaking with silent sobs. “Come right in. Sorry we left you at the door” Elyse ushered me into the house “It's fine. You all were surprised to see me” I replied as I sat on a couch. I looked around the house, taking in everything. I had miss
Claire's Pov"Hey, Bambina" the soft voice of Don, like a wind had brought it and taken it away too. "Bambina, you look so good…spreading out your fucking legs like that" The voice suddenly changed into Salvatore's voice and I sprang up from the bed, waking up from a terrible nightmare.The switch from my sweet Don to Salvatore the monster had startled me. It was like Salvatore kept interrupting every moment I wanted to have with Don, even in my dreams.I rolled on the bed, cuddling the pillow to my chest as I resumed crying. I had cried all through the night and had begun again this morning. The feeling of being in New York is all of Don's memories and I thought I was ready, but I was not.I went on my knees beside the bed, in prayer mode. "I am sorry Don, please forgive me." I sobbed. "You were my literal existence and I took that life from you. I hate myself right now. I am so sorry, Don" I cried."I love you, my husband. I do"After more confessions, like Don's spirit was beside m