JESSICA“Will you be attending the funeral?”Amelia stared down at her feet with a conflicted expression, looking like she couldn't decide. Her skin had become quite pale, she was sick. I noticed she's been from the past few days but she claims it's something she ate. I think otherwise. “I really don't know,” She finally managed, leaning back on the sofa in my apartment with a heavy sigh. “I had thought that I wouldn't feel anything if he died you know…” She sighed, “I guess I was wrong,”I shrugged, “He was your grandfather, no matter how complicated the situation was, it'll definitely bother you,”“Ugh…” She groaned for the nth time in the hour, reaching for the glass of water in front of her and emptying it. Again. “My head hurts…Alexander has been pestering the hell out of me,”Right. Alexander. Hearing his name alone was enough to make me tense up. For some reason, he had that effect on me, even without being here. “You should go to the hospital and get some tests done, Am
JESSICA What do you do when faced with a man who has plagued your dreams for months, a man whose face has consumed your waking moments and even your attempts to sleep. I let him in. I knew I shouldn't have, but he looked so goddamn pitiful! He looked…vulnerable. But then again, every drunk man looks like a child that needs their parent. He on the other hand. I watched as his chest rose and fell steadily, he was sprawled on my couch which I once considered big but seeing how his large frame struggled to find comfort in it I began to think otherwise. Why is he here? Why is he drunk? That's were the questions I would've asked if he didn't just walk in and lay on my couch like he was only here for it. I let out a low, even breath, watching him with countless conflicting emotions swirling in my chest. I wanted to move closer, see every detail of his face because I feared after this time a few more months would pass again before I can get a glimpse. But I opted to stand
AMELIAI looked down at the test results with shaky hands. At that moment, I was emotionally and physically a mess. I hadn't eaten breakfast and the strong scent of the hospital seemed to upset my stomach, making me throw up a few times which of course added to the throbbing pain in my head that hasn't gone away for the past week. “I'm…pregnant?”And now these test results were saying the reason I've been feeling like shit for the past two weeks isn't because my brain damage had worsened but because–“Oh God, I'm going to be sick,”Jessica immediately reached for the trash can in the corner and handed it over to me as I emptied the contents of my stomach into it. Over and over again until there was nothing left but liquid and a bitter taste on my tongue. “Oh God…” I gasped, my knees trembling and my stomach feeling like it had done a backflip a few times. Everywhere was spinning and my ears were ringing so loudly that I could barely hear my panicked thoughts. Pregnant. Me? “Ta
AMELIAAt first, the words were at the top of my tongue. He felt so warm, so perfect holding me and in that moment that was all that mattered and I was going to tell him, I really was. But then I remembered how we parted and I went still in his arms, unable to look him in the eyes. “Did you manage to do everything you wanted to?” I responded with a question of my own, taking a few steps away from him, my tone more distant than I'd intended. I noticed the change in his expression, the confusion of my sudden mood change and then realization darkened his features. “Are you still mad at me, Amy?”“That depends,” I crossed my arms over my chest, “Are you going to tell me why you went to Russia and barely communicated with me for two whole weeks?”There it was. The chill in his expression I had now grown used to. What exactly was I to him? His wife? Or just another obligation to add to his list of responsibilities? A heavy silence descended between us and Roman let out a frustrated s
I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, running my fingers over my still-flat stomach. A part of me still had doubts but the three pregnancy tests hidden in my makeup bag, all positive said otherwise, and I still couldn't quite believe it. What I now realized was morning sickness among other things, had started weeks ago and I was constantly thinking I had a big or something My hand trembled slightly as I applied my mascara. Today would be perfect to tell him, after the meeting with his parents of course. I would tell him everything and we would figure it out together. Right? But something held me back, a nagging uncertainty that made my stomach clench with more than just morning sickness. Roman appeared in the doorway, looking unfairly handsome in his tailored black suit. His hair was still slightly damp from his shower, and he smelled of that expensive cologne I loved so much. But there was tension in his shoulders, a tightness around his eyes that made me hesit
“What?” Roman's eyes narrowed as he looked at his parents. Victoria seemed to be more shaken than she was surprised which meant that she knew about this decision. Roman, on the other hand, looked lost. His fists that rested on the dining table clenched tightly and I noticed how his breathing had slowed. Of all the things I expected Yaakov to say, this was not it. “I understand it came as a shock but…your mother and I have come to this decision after much deliberation,” Yaakov explained firmly, looking unfazed by his mind shattering announcement. Victoria scoffed, her lips twisting into a disdainful frown, “Did we both come to the decision or did you and your new cock sucker decide on it?”I'd never heard such vulgarity from Victoria before. She looked so pissed, face red with anger like she was about to explode. Yaakov's expression darkened when he heard her words and he turned abruptly to face her. For a moment I thought he was going to hit her but instead he slammed his fist do
The moment we stepped through our front door, the tension from the disastrous lunch seemed to melt away. Roman's hands found my waist, and before I could even set my purse down, he pulled me into a kiss that made my knees weak. His fingers traced delicate patterns on my face, thumbs brushing my cheeks with such tenderness that I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the underlying warmth that was uniquely him enveloped me, making me feel safe, and warm all over. His tongue traced my bottom lip before slowly entangling with mine and reached for his hair instinctively, burying my fingers in his silky locks and deepening our kiss. He pulled away slowly, his breathing was steady and his eyes were so intense I'd almost looked away. "I can't believe you kept this from me," he murmured against my lips. His blue eyes, still rimmed with residual emotion from our earlier confrontation with his parents, now held a different kind of intensity
The Carlton merger meeting had dragged on longer than expected, but we'd finally reached an agreement that satisfied all parties involved. As the board members gathered their papers and began filing out of the conference room, my phone buzzed against the polished mahogany table. Roman's name flashed across the screen, right on time as promised. A smile tugged at my lips as I reached for it, already imagining his impatient tone asking where I was.It was time to leave, I realized. We were supposed to have dinner. I'd been too lost in my thoughts and constant feeling of dread along with the meeting to remember our plans. But he did. I felt sort of bad. I could feel the weight of scrutinizing gazes from the remaining board members. They'd always viewed me with a mix of skepticism and barely concealed disdain, after all I had stopped letting my father control all of my decisions and I took charge of my position, dismissing Bertha when it was proven she could barely handle her role pr
Hi! Its me Dchenemi but you already know that lol. I want to thank you for sticking with this book this far and answer a few questions. Firstly O would like to apologize for the lack of updates, I have ongoing exams and I'm unable to focus on writing while the pressure of getting good grades are breathing down on my neck ahah.Secondly, this arc of the book will be over and after that there'll be one last arc to round up everything and then The Forgotten Marriage will be done and Roman and Amelia's story will give way to other books in the Volkov's Series. Thirdly, daily updates will resume first of February without fail and I promise to give you a satisfying ending. Lastly, thank you for sticking around and coming this far, I hope you have a great week ahead and I'll see you in February. Best, Dchenemi. P.S. You can find me on FB @Divine Chenemi to learn more about the upcoming series or get a sneak peek at oncoming chapters or if you have suggestions or anything you wish to ta
AMELIA My mother had always told me I was destined for great things, and at some point in my life, I thought it was being a well-established painter or perhaps a tycoon like she wished to be. But now I realized what she truly meant. No matter how much she had tried to escape it, her past still caught up with her. Just like my grandfather had said, one could not fully leave such a life except through death, and now... I had become one of them. Due to the things I had said and done behind Isabella's back, she had sent me into those rooms to be abused by those men, but what I came out with was power—one that I couldn't ever tell Roman about. The things I had said... and done, just to convince those men... "Amelia, how could you do such a thing without consulting me?!" Alexander whisper-yelled. He stood a few steps away from me, practically trembling from the shock and rage of what I had just told him. I interlocked my fingers and let out a soft sigh, not fazed one bit by his agitatio
AMELIAI cried myself back to sleep, my body was far too exhausted to do anything else. When I came to, Roman wasn't in the bedroom with me. Our bedroom. I was back home. It felt surreal seeing the familiar walls, the sheets, the scents. Everything made my eyes prickle with tears and the irony wasn't lost on me. Not too long ago I had wished to be out of here for good with no reason to return yet, here I was…happy to be back within three walls. My limbs felt heavy, like they didn't belong to me and my head felt like it wasn't a part of my body. I still felt out of it…a strange feeling that spread to my chest. Like I was out of place, like I didn't belong. For some reason, I half expected Marcus would open that door and walk in, sit right next to me and continue the torture I've been in for the past two weeks. It was possible. What did Roman do with him? I sat up slowly, my whole body groaning in protest. My vision spun and it took a few seconds for me to get my head in order.
AMELIAA FEW DAYS LATER… Isabella had kept her word. After the meeting with Mr. Rossi and a few others who Isabella failed to mention, she didn't send me back to the building I was locked up in. She gave me two flight tickets and told me to make a choice, one sent me back home and the other…was to Sicily. To the heart of all our family's operations. She gave me a choice, once she knew would make my mind heavy with thoughts. An opportunity at power. But I already had my own plans…one I intended to execute once I was out of her grasp. I was supposed to be boarding a plane going back home before Marcus got to me, probably angry that Isabella didn't keep her end of whatever it was their bargain was. I suspected it was me. I barely remembered what happened after that, I was pumped full of whatever it was Marcus spent the last few days injecting me with. I could barely keep my eyes open, I couldn't walk and my thoughts were muddled even as panic gripped me. Fear that I had been doub
AMELIAOver a week had passed since I'd first woken in this goddamn bedroom, though time had begun to lose all meaning. The hope I'd initially clung to – that Roman would find me, that someone would notice my absence and come to my rescue – had slowly withered away like flowers left too long without water. I'd spent countless hours staring out at the skyline, watching the sun rise and set over ancient buildings that had witnessed centuries of human suffering. Now they were witnessing mine.My heart ached each time I saw people pass by, moving freely without knowing just how grateful they should be that they could. Marcus hadn't kissed a day of his visits, his constant torture and each day that passed brought me closer to the day he would finally act on his obvious urges that he's been talking about. He's going to start hurting me, not just mentally but physically. The got of it alone got him off. I'd seen him massage his dick a few times with his eyes on me, fantasizing of a day
ROMAN The mining complex loomed before us in the early morning light, a hulking mass of concrete and rusted metal that seemed to devour the shadows around it. I crouched behind a piece of machinery, my body coiled tight with anticipation as I watched the guards make their rounds through my scope. "Three on the perimeter, two at each entrance," Nikolai's voice came through my earpiece, soft but crystal clear. Even from his position in the command vehicle half a mile away, he somehow knew exactly what was happening. "They're rotating every fifteen minutes, clockwork precision. Military training, just like our informant said." "How many inside?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Heat signatures show twelve moving bodies on the main level, four in the lower sections." There was a pause, then, "One signature in the deepest part of the complex. Isolated. That's her, Roman." My fingers tightened on my rifle. "You're sure?" "The body temperature is slightly elevated, consistent
ROMAN My finger tightened instinctively on the trigger as I studied my cousin, but something in his relaxed posture made me hesitate. He moved with an uncanny grace as he stepped closer, his cane barely touching the ground, more an accessory than a necessity. When he removed his sunglasses, I understood why – behind them, white orbs stared unseeingly ahead, yet somehow I felt more seen than I had in years. "The great Roman Volkov," Nikolai mused, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "Always so quick to reach for your weapon. Some things never change, cousin." He moved past me with the confidence of someone who could see every obstacle, his cane making soft taps against the marble floor. "Though I must say, your taste in interior design has improved significantly." He spoke like we were close, but I'd only met the man once when I was younger…two years younger than me, a strange child that had no innocence left in him. There was an attack that left both his eyes damaged beyond repai
ROMAN FOUR DAYS AGO… The sketch in my hand trembled as realization crashed over me like a wave of ice water. Those familiar features, that seemingly warm smile that had never quite reached his eyes – Vincent. Pierce! Our fucking neighbor?! The man who had wormed his way into our lives after her accident despite being our neighbor for years. He got so close to Amelia…the way he looked at her, the way he tried to get closer every fucking time. How could I have been so blind? How could I have been so stupid?! My grip tightened until the paper crumpled between my fingers, fury coursing through my veins like molten lead. "Dimitri," I barked, my voice cutting through the tension-filled air of the cabin. "Watch her. If she so much as breathes wrong, handle it." My eyes locked onto Bertha's terrified face, watching as the blood drained from her cheeks. "You helped him get close to my wife again. Remember that when you're lying awake tonight." I rose to my feet, “For every scratc
AMELIAFive days. One hundred and twenty hours of being trapped in this prison, each minute stretching into an eternity of helpless desperation. The room, with its elegant Italian furniture and sweeping views of Rome, had become my personal hell. They had taken off the covers from the furniture, told me it was once my mother's bedroom. I was in Guerrero manor, a family house in a fucking skyscraper. The highest room, a place my mother probably sought solace and now it was my cell. I'd tried every door, every window, even searched for hidden passages like some character in a gothic novel, but found nothing. The doors were sealed tight, the windows reinforced with something that wouldn't break no matter how hard I struck them. Even the beautiful crystal vase I'd hurled in desperation had merely bounced off, leaving not so much as a scratch.From my perch high above the city, I watched life continue below with a sense of surreal detachment. People moved through the streets like tiny d