Matteo's PovWhat the fuck are they still doing locked up in that room?Why isn't she coming out?Fuck!Shit!I'm going insane!I will rather die than lay around like a pathetic little bitch while another man unravels my wife. My woman. Mine.Okay. . .be smart here, Matteo, we don't want to give her any more reasons to hate us more than she already does.My subconscious cautions. I shudder.Hysteric laughter bubbles out of me whilst I toss and turn in bed. When did I become this person? When did I learn to stay this calm even when my insides are being ripped apart? When did I learn to share?Mirabella belongs to me.She is mine.My property.My obsession.Mine to touch. Mine to kiss. Mine to fuck. My wife. The mother of my children. She belongs to me as much as I belong to her and I'll do whatever it takes to win her back. I'll win back her trust and loyalty. I'll make sure she realizes where she belongs and in order to succeed at my endeavors, every threat and distractions must me eli
Matteo's Pov"Fuck! Matteo! How the fuck did you get into my bathroom?"My eyes darken at the sight of erect nipple poking through her silk nightdress. "And here I was thinking that you've become very aware of your surroundings." I mumble as I motion towards her. She mirrors my action by taking a step back with each step I take forward until she's trapped between the wall and my body."Matteo what are—""Shut up." I growl. "Look over there Mirabella." I whisper, pointing to the left and the moment her head whips towards the left, I encircle my leather belt around her neck, tightening it enough to apply the needed pressure."Matt—""Shut up." I push my front into her, groaning at the melodious sound that elicits her lips. "Tell me, Mirabella, tell me that you consent to this. Say yes."She breathes out a, "no." And I tighten the belt around her neck with a growl like moan. "Wrong answer. Try again.""Matteo," she whispers, her tone coming out torn and I push my front into her one more t
Matteo's PovI've come to terms with the fact that some days might be good and some days bad, but right now, in this moment when my eyes flutter open to my wife's face scrunched up in pleasure and her pussy suffocating my dick, I can bet everything I have that it's going to be a splendid day today.How the fuck did I end up shoving my dick into my wife's pussy whilst we were asleep?Where the hell are the kids?How the hell is my wife enjoying sex when she's half awake?My thrusts are halted, my brain running in circles as I desperately attempt to fully decipher the events of this morning that might have led to this.Mirabella mumbles. "Matteo. . . Don't stop. Please, don't stop.""El? Baby? Are you asleep?" I murmur, grunting almost immediately when she rotates her hips, pushing herself forward to take all of me with a whimper.Her pussy tightens around my dick suffocatingly and I hiss, burrowing my head into the crook of her neck, moaning her name."Mirabella, please wake up. You mi
Mirabella's PovWhen Matteo and I heard the crash downstairs and took to our heels, I was hoping that it wouldn't be anything serious. Going on downstairs, I prayed in my heart that it'd just be the kids playing and thrashing the furniture but that doesn't seem to be the case.Not when my daughter's lips are spread wide in a toothy smile with blood smeared all over her face, and my son's features stoic, a better part of his body is soaked in blood.Time suddenly slows down, my legs coming to an abrupt stop, leaving me rooted in a spot as harsh pants escape my parted lips.Slowly, I whip my head around, immediately locking eyes with my husband who seems to be having the same thought as I. The situation isn't making any sense to me and I'm trying really hard to have a better understanding but my brain seems to be in a fog.My eyes widen even more, my brows furrowing so hard that my temple hurts. My daughter smiles even bigger, looking up at her father and I. My son still as quiet as he
Mirabella's PovAm I truly living? Or am I yearning for death in order to truly live?Is a question that I've continuously asked myself for years.I live because death is promised.Through the promise of death, I breathe.Through the promise of death, I yearn for the ability to truly live.When I'm faced with death, I expect it to be the happiest day of my life. Almost like finally seeing your long, lost friend.I hope for death's embrace to be soft and warm, to make me feel like I'm at home—the home I've always been in search of for as long as I can remember.Sincerely, I've become very impatient as I await death's call upon me. So, I remind myself with each passing day that I am one day closer to being faced with death.And today is that day.When against all opposition, I'm adorned in a leather body tight jumpsuit, fully strapped with guns and blades, ready to take on the bastards who were brave enough to abduct my daughter.We all file out—men and women trained for war.It's with h
Mirabella's Pov"No." I state my answer with a tone of finality. My husband scoffs, his head bobbing a few times. His tongues darts out and swipes across his teeth."Till death do us part."Those are the words that flow through the air before another side to my husband is activated. He runs through the rain of bullets, doing his very best to protect himself until he's gotten to our daughter.With one swift motion, he sweeps her off her feet and with the same speed, he runs like his life depends on how fast his legs move.It does, technically.A smile coats my lips when they reach me, a choked sob escaping the back of my throat when my princess hugs into me.I bask in the joy of having my daughter back in my arms that I don't realize my husband has walked back into the battlefield, this time without his vest nor his guns.He throws his hands into the air in a surrender, as if inviting death.I push my daughter aside and stumble, repeated screams escaping my throat."No! No! No! No! No
Mirabella's Pov"Because I loved you, dinnazione!"It's a declaration. One made with a strained voice, staggered breath, and a hesitant heart.Time stills. I blink, my blink slow—too slow, as though my grip on sanity is lost.Certain events are impossible to prevent.For years, decades even, it has been a known fact. Certain events cannot be prevented, but a knowing of its occurrence ensures that we are properly prepared for when those events does occur.With Ares, my eyes were opened wide, my ears listening, intent to comprehend the signs by observation.The manner at which he stared at me, smiled at me, took care of me, provided me with companionship—I wanted to comprehend.Foolish of me to assume.I was too much of a coward to have demanded clarity.He was too much of a coward to have come forward, and clean about how he truly felt.And now, we're put in a difficult situation.Now, I'm in disbelief.When did it happen?How did it happen?How possible was it that Ares harbored feeli
Mirabella's PovI did it.I won, didn't I?Then why do I feel so hollow? Why do I feel like I've lost? Why do I feel like a failure?Have I truly won, or have I dug the dark hole deeper than it was?I have always gotten love like poison, even from my own family. With my mother, loving me even when she couldn't love herself. Holding my hands even when she couldn't hold her own hand. Saving my life even when she couldn't save herself.Her love was poison.Then my sister. It would be better if we remained enemies, it would be better if she died my rival, but no, she had to show me a weakness. She showed me that in all of her hatred, there was still love for me, stored somewhere in her heart.In her last minutes, I witnessed that love. And that love too, was poison.With my family, their love is a poison of guilt. The guilt, like venom, seeps into my bloodstreams, taking hostage every breath, every blink, every word, every emotion—the entirety of my being.My inability to properly look my
Alejandro’s PovThis anxiety—I’ve never felt anything like it before. My nerves are all over the place, my skin trembling. I kiss Mariana again for the millionth time in a handful of hours.She smiles at me. The smile is distant, almost like it doesn’t reach her eyes. I smile back and pull her closer, holding her as tight as I can, fearful that this might be the last chance I get at holding her this close to me.And no, this has nothing to do with her winning the fight or dying in that cage because as long as I breathe, Mariana will walk out of that cage alive and well.But I’m afraid of the responsibilities that come with the position she’ll occupy. I’m afraid that she might forget our love and become intoxicated with power.All of this might just happen in a few hours.“The way you’re holding me, Alejandro, one might think I’m about to die from a terminal disease.”She says.Is she trying to make a joke? Does this seem like a joke to her?I open my mouth to speak but a knock on the
Mariana’s Pov“I will fight in her place. . .”The world around me goes completely silent the moment Alejandro blurts those words. When I planned to use him as my human shield in chaotic times like this, I didn’t expect to fall for him so ridiculously hard that I’m unable to imagine him getting hurt for my sake.Love is a strange and terrifying thing. I never imagined feeling it this deeply, this intensely. Not for Alejandro. Not for a man who was supposed to be my shield, my weapon. And now, the very thought of him stepping into that cage for me… it’s unbearable.The second reason?It’s pride. It’s survival. These men already think I’m weak. They see me as nothing but a woman—Radimr’s wife and mother of his son. If Alejandro steps into that cage in my stead, I will be proving them right, I will become that which they think I am.Weak.Unworthy.And then, everything I’ve clawed my way toward will crumble before my eyes. I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen. So, no. Aleja
Mariana’s PovOne word.Fuckers.No, let’s make it two words.Misogynistic fuckers.They’ve kept me in here for hours, scrutinizing me, digging into my soul in their fruitless attempt at finding the truth of what truly happened to my husband.Alejandro too is seated here as a high ranking made man and a member of this family. Surprisingly, my father, mother and brother are here too. Not inside the parliament room, but they’re right outside the door, waiting for when the chaos escalates so they can stand in for me.It warms my heart.“Let’s go through it again,” one of the elders says, “what did you say happen to your husband? Tell us that story again, in detail.”“I. . .” I open my mouth to speak but Alejandro’s thick, aggravated voice resounds, cutting me short. “I believe she has told that story more times than we all can count.”“Yes, we know that,” another elder says, his russian accent thick. “But we need to hear it again.”“Why?” Alejandro asks, “why are you poking a woman wh
Alejandro’s PovDon’t sleep tonight.I’ve thought about those words in every way possible, imagined every possible scenario that’ll make Mariana ask me to stay awake tonight, and yet, I’ve found none.Or maybe I haven’t thought about it as deeply as I should.I wanted to hold her, to ask her more, but the presence of her husband made that impossible. And now, hours have ticked by, and I’m still unable to get my answers.Wait—is tonight the night? Is her plan unfolding tonight?Truth is, I don’t even know what her plan is, but I strongly suspect it has everything to do with ending Radimr. So, if she’s asked me to stay awake tonight, it might mean she needs me close.I pull open my room’s door and step out into the hallway. The manor is too quiet. Everyone is asleep, and those who aren’t are standing guard outside of the house.My stomach twists with a warning that chaos is brewing tonight, but I push it aside and start walking. I make a turn towards the stairs and start moving up the s
Mariana’s PovTime flies when happiness fills your days.It’s been two months since I gave birth to my Angel. Two months since my heart swelled with love so pure and overwhelming, I thought I might drown in it.I love my son.I love him for coming into my life and unraveling a part of me I never knew existed. For being my light in the darkness.But most of all, I love him for arriving exactly when I needed him—as though sent by the universe itself to give me a way out.Because today, after weeks of persuasion, my husband has finally done what I’ve been waiting for. He has presented my son to the elders of his family, naming him as his successor should anything happen to him.It’s tradition, a ritual of power. To the outside world, it’s a declaration of legacy. To me, it’s the final piece of the puzzle.I know Angel is too young to be entangled in this messy, bloody business, but I had to secure his place in this world before setting my plans into motion.Plans that have been months in
Alejandro’s PovThis is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. For the first time, it feels like I have a complete family—no, I know I have a complete family.In the last three months, the universe has granted me a gift I never expected: uninterrupted time with the woman I love and the child she carries. Our son. Every morning, I wake up beside her, wrapped in the warmth of her presence. I feel my son’s first kick as the sun rises, and his tiny, eager movements as the night falls. I’ve stayed awake with them, laughed with them, cried with them, fallen sick with them, and loved them. I’ve been a father and a lover in every way that matters.Why? Because Radimr’s travels somehow stretched from days into weeks, and weeks into months.“Something else has come up, and I’ll need to stay another week. . .” That’s been his excuse for three months.On the phone, Mariana plays the part of the concerned wife. She sighs and murmurs her disappointment, as though his absence truly pains her. But
Mariana’s PovWhen my eyes open, I’m met with the most beautiful sight I’ve seen in days. Alejandro, sleeping peacefully, his lashes fluttering, arms still wrapped around me.Wow!How did we fall asleep?I lean in and smack a kiss on his lips, causing him to stir a bit, groaning, his arms tightening firmer around me. I kiss him again, this time longer.It doesn’t take seconds before his mouth parts, his lips fusing with mine. I moan just as a groan vibrates throughout his body.His eyes flutter open, just a tiny slit, the lazy gaze holding mine. It’s like realization dawns on him and he retrieves his lips from mine in a swift motion. “Mariana. . .” He whispers groggily.“Make love to me,” I declare.His brows pull into a furrow, lips formed into a pout. “I. . .” He starts and I cut him off.“Please,” I hush, my lips ghosting over his.His resolve falters. And he’s staring at me with adoration as well as restraint.Then there’s the feral desire burning in his eyes. In mine too. The ris
Mariana’s PovTime seems to slow down when things aren’t really going your way.Maybe I pushed too hard, too far the other night. Far enough that Alejandro has been completely ignoring me for days now. Far enough that Radimr has become ware of me, always staring at me with suspicious eyes. Far enough that the maids in this house seem to avoid me as often as they can.To simply put, I’ve been living an isolated life for the past seven days.Just me, and my heavy fucking stomach. It’s dreadful just as much as it is comforting.I’m pulled out of the daze when a towering figure stands in front of me and wraps his hand around me. “Don’t look so sad, I’m just going to be away for just a few weeks, my love,” Radimr whispers as he hugs me. I thin my lips into a smile. “I’ll miss you.”His smile is radiant when he replies, “I’ll miss you too. Please don’t over work yourself. . .or get to upset while I’m gone. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my son.” Stupid fucker.I scoff. “I’m a big g
Mariana’s Pov“Look at that,” Alejandro says, his voice low, the smirk on his lips sharp enough to cut. “How easy it is to lure you out here and break your heart into a million pieces.”The words land like a blow. He doesn’t even try to soften them. And I know exactly what he means. When he came into my room, kneeling by my bed, whispering the words I had been desperate to hear for months, he knew. He knew I was awake, knew I’d hear every word and cling to the hope they offered.It wasn’t an accident. He said them to draw me here. To break me just as much as I’ve broken him.Petty bastard.But it’s not the cruelty of his intention that stings the most—it’s how he chose to do it. By humiliating me in front of someone else. Bringing her into a room that should have been our sanctuary, our safe haven.My lips tremble as I force out the question. “What is that supposed to mean?”Alejandro steps forward, his movements slow and deliberate, his smirk twisting with mockery. “What are you doin