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Prologue
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2024-12-11 20:52:21I watch as the rain comes down in sheets, battering against the windows, blurring the world beyond. Had this been a different scene, I would say it was beautiful, but that's far from the case. Inside the villa, everything is chaos. The room is a mess—furniture overturned, glass scattered across the floor, and something red that shouldn’t be there, is spread across the marble like a warning. I step over it, barely feeling the cold seep into my shoes.
My hands are shaking and I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I’m frozen, trapped in this moment that feels like it’s dragging on forever. I can hear his breathing, heavy and sharp. He is standing in the center of the room, a shadow of the man I thought I knew. His eyes are wild, watching my hand that's gripping a gun I never thought I would hold, and I’m shaking—terrified of what’s happening, terrified of what I’ve done.
“Renée,” he says, his voice breaking through the silence like a razor. I can’t tell if it’s anger or desperation. Maybe both.
I don’t know what to say. I want to tell him I never meant for it to go this far, that I never wanted this, but the words are trapped inside me. I look at him, my chest aching, and I know—whatever happens now, we’re not the same people we were when we walked into this room. I am not the same person I was, and I don't think I will ever get her back.
“You knew,” he says again, his voice rough, accusing. His eyes are locked on mine, demanding an answer. “You knew what this would cost us.”
What have I done? What have we done?
I shake my head, but it’s not enough to erase the truth from his eyes. The weight of his words is crushing, pulling me under, and all I want is for this nightmare to end. But it won’t. Not now.
“I didn’t have a choice,” I whisper, my voice barely a breath, barely a sound. The words taste like ash in my mouth. I didn’t have a choice. None of us did.
His gaze flickers to the blood staining the floor, the crimson path leading toward the door, and my stomach lurches. I hadn’t wanted any of this to happen, but there’s no turning back. There’s no undoing what’s been done.
The sound of sirens pierces the air, distant but growing closer. I can’t see them, but I can feel them coming, like the weight of inevitability pressing down on me. My pulse is thundering in my ears, and I wonder if I can outrun this, if I can outrun what’s coming for us.
Alessandro steps toward me, and the gun in my hand trembles. His lips are parted, but no words come. I can feel the anger and the betrayal radiating off him, and I know that whatever happens next, it will destroy us both. He’s already lost me.
“Run,” he says, his voice cracking. “Before it’s too late.”
I want to move, to do something, anything to fix this, but I’m rooted to the spot, locked in place by fear and by love. I can’t run. Not from him, not from what’s coming. I can’t outrun this.
I shake my head, "No," My lips tremble as the word comes out.
And when I meet his eyes, I know. I know we’re both in this together, even if it kills us.
###########
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I can hear his voice when I wake up. The sun is peeping in through the window. My eyelids flutter, but he’s talking on the phone, so I keep them closed, pretending to still be asleep. A blanket is draped over my naked body, and it smells faintly of him—clean, woodsy, and familiar.“What do you mean another one of our shipments is delayed?” he asks on the call, and I can’t help but wonder what the shipment is about. Could it be drugs? When I once asked him if he dealt drugs, he only chuckled but never really answered. Then there was that one time I saw Luca using coke at the club, so I don’t know. When I asked if he was into money laundering, he had the same reaction.He’s quiet for a moment, and when he speaks again, I can tell he’s even more pissed. “We’ve been doing business for years. We pay our part, and the cops look the other way. I don’t know why they’re suddenly giving us trouble now,&rdquo
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The jet’s engines hum softly as we land smoothly on the private runway. My body still feels like it’s floating from the ride, the sheer luxury of the experience leaving me a little giddy. This is the most beautiful surprise—exactly what I needed today. I never thought a jet ride could feel this magical, but it does. Alessandro has been quiet during the descent, but his hand never left mine. As he helps me down the stairs, his touch firm and protective, I feel completely fulfilled.I’m expecting a car to be waiting for us, maybe another sleek black vehicle like the ones he always seems to have on hand. Instead, my jaw practically unhinges when I spot a helicopter—a sleek, black beauty with blades shimmering under the faint glow of the runway lights. Its propellers are spinning slowly, as if it’s waiting just for us.“No fucking way,” I say, blinking repeatedly just to convince myself this is real. “Are you serious?&r
The Don's Forbidden Muse Eighty
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The Don's Forbidden Muse Seventy Eight
When I step out of the shower a moment later, my phone is buzzing nonstop. It’s Bella.Shoot. I was supposed to call her and update her on everything—the arrest, us not leaving the country as planned—but I’ve been so caught up in everything that it completely slipped my mind.I tie a bathrobe around me and pick up the call.“Hey, girl. I’m so sorry. I was supposed to call you,” I quickly say before she can get a word in.“It’s okay. Are you okay?” she asks, and I nod, even though she can’t see me.“Yes, I am.”“Dell told me about the arrest. He was the one who called Alessandro and had Maria come to the station. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” she says with concern, and my heart warms at how much they care for me. Even though Dell and I may have had a fallout, he still made sure I got the help I needed.“I am. Thank you for c
