That day when Don left, I felt like he took a piece of me with him because all of a sudden, I felt myself and my resolve crumble all at once. Everything felt so unreal. I woke up a few times in the middle of the night after he left and willed myself to believe that his coming here was just a nightmare and that what transpired between us didn’t happen at all.His smell was everywhere in my room and it left a lingering feeling to stir inside of me.As much as I found Don Dada controlling and manipulative, I couldn’t deny the pull I had to him ever since the first night I met him. The desire had been present right from that night and I couldn’t deny my attraction towards him.I couldn’t deny it and yet I couldn’t admit it to his face when he made his own desires clear to me.I couldn’t deny it but it scared me. It scared the hell out of me in ways that’s more than just one.First off, I have never felt that way with anyone. The giddy feeling, the flip-flops of your belly, the supposed b
“What do you want?”I fired at Luciano.Just the sight of him makes my stomach turn. And the fact that it’s all his fault I had to go meet with Don and now he won’t leave me alone, annoys me. Yet he just shows up by the road where I and Nick stood waiting to call a cab, in a fancy car. It’s the first time I’ve seen him outside of my apartment after all these years. And it made me wonder what caused the sudden change of him appearing in a car and stopping by me at the side of the road.Beside me, I could feel the rage and anger that radiated off Nick’s body. Nick has only seen him a few times and he never ceases to get crazily mad at him each time. I can even say he hates his guts more than I do. But Luciano as expected wasn’t moved by both our glares that was pinned on him. His eyes was trained on me.“Hello to you , Claire”He said ignoring my question from earlier. I rolled my eyes at him. I didn’t know what it was that he wanted from me but deep down, I hope it doesn’t involve wan
"Ha bambina, I thought you'd never come""So? Aren't you happy I did? It's what you want isn't it? To take advantage of my desperation".I fired at him.He might not be the current cause of my misfortune and I should probably direct my anger and frustration somewhere else but he was the only one I could think of firing and directing all of my anger at.My heart was full of so much hatred and hurt that I didn't know who else to take them out on. And since he's no better than the devil who did this to me, then he might as well be at the receiving part of my anger.He shook his head, still unmoving from his seat."Questa Ragazza, always having ideas in your head. You've got it all wrong Bambina. I didn't force you to come here though I contemplated it when you didn't show up for days" he stopped and chuckled."But once again, Gattino, I am a very patient man. My patience paid off". He stretched a hand to gesture towards me. "Here you are, on your own" *(Questa Ragazza means "this girl")
I really wished we could just get it over with. I would even wished I was rather drugged to sleep so I would not experience those thrusting and release. The thought of another man apart from Luciano as usual, coming unto me disgusted me for some unknown reasons.I walked out of the VIP room Don Dada was in and was met with those huge guys running after me earlier. Their faces were scowling and I did the same. What the heck! I would never be intimidated by dogs.I shot them a deadly glare, communicating to them that they should move out of my way. Since their boss did not have complaints, they probably thought it was fine to let me go and so they moved out of my way.I strode down to the area where music was blasting. The stench of alcohol was so strong in the air and I somehow felt pleased with it. I moved towards the bar counter and reached out to the bartender."A shot of Tequila." I ordered and he brought my order immediately. I was not even properly dressed for a night club, I was
I did not bother to branch at Nick's apartment and just headed straight to mine. I was pretty sure he would be boiling with so much fury about what happened with Luciano earlier so I decided to let him be. Besides, it was already late into the night and I also needed some restless rest.I got into my apartment and sank into the couch, with Don's thick cologne still in the air. He smelt so damning nice but that was not even the issue now. A part of me felt quite good that things would eventually work out with my revenge and the other part of me was torn and angry.Of course, selling myself in exchange for revenge against Luciano was the least I could do but then I was scared for myself. I started to think, if I eventually get my freedom from Luciano what would I do with my life?I was not sure my dignity and pride as a woman was still intact so I would literally still go out into the world and live as a shadow of myself. No academic qualifications whatsoever, no hidden riches anywhere
I was so curious about what Don Dada had said to Alex that made him release me so easily without even asking. Alex looked like a total gentleman when he rarely wasn't and I know so well what Mafia Dons are capable of. Could he have threatened him? Or bought him off? I did not know. The sudden park of a car in front of me jolted me out of my thoughts. I pushed the thoughts aside to focus on the physical.I realized the car that parked in front of me was a Rolls Royce. Waiting patiently for the person in it to come out, I remained standing. "Don said to bring you." A man in a black suit came out of the car and said. He definitely looked like a guard and I did not think twice before getting into the back seat of the car.Neither the driver nor the guy said any word to me as they just remained focused on the road till we got to the supposed place where they took me to. I did not need anyone to tell me that it was a house, a mansion at that. Driving into the premises, I realized this
I did not understand what Don Dada said until some ladies in uniform came around and took me. Finally, I was seeing females for the first time since I stepped into that house. We entered the elevator and I watched one of the three ladies set the elevator to take us to the second floor.I was led to a room as soon as we stepped out of the ride. The funniest part was that I was not even arguing or anything. The ladies seemed to be of few words and I was not interested in talking too. I just wanted to know why Don Dada was doing all these.A night with me was what he needed but now he was making strange moves. In all of these, I prayed so earnestly that Luciano would not find out about this. There was no way I would return to that red torture room or that dreadful cliff and be thrown down, not even when I had not executed my revenge plan."We will be taking off your clothes now." One of the ladies stepped forward and said. I furrowed my brows out of realization, this was what Don Dada me
My mind went off for a second and then started functioning again. Birthday? Whose? He noticed the reaction on my face and then said, "Bambino, it's too bad if you don't even remember your own birthday." What is he talking about? I thought as I just stared at him, looking clueless. Then his amused expression turned into a serious one. "You are not serious right now, Claire." He said. That was the first time he would be calling my name, maybe that was meant to jolt me back to my memories but I had no idea.His eyes darkened as he stared at me. I was seeing pain and anger in his eyes literally as our eyes were locked in each other's. "I ran a background check on you and your birthday is supposed to be today, come to your senses Claire!" He raised his voice a bit, having me feel a bit intimidated.My birthday? I did not even remember what date it was. It was the least of the least of my problems because for fifteen good years, I was under the terrible control of Luciano. I spent twelv
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