AMELIA The moment Victoria's words hung in the air, time seemed to fracture. My heart raced, a thunderous rhythm that echoed in my ears, drowning out everything except the sudden roar of blood rushing through my veins. I stared at her, my mind struggling to process the accusation, my body frozen in
“Oh I see…” Monica chuckled, I could already imagine her satisfied expression as she spoke. “You've gone silent because you realize you've lost, haven't you?” My brows furrowed, “You think this is a competition? You think this is something to be prideful about?” I scoffed, “You should be advising
The more time passed, the more I worried about Roman. The strange urgency in Dimitri's voice. The way Roman walked out. Oh for fucks sake! I couldn't get a grip. Then I felt it. A pain. Sharp. Unexpected. So intense that it momentarily stole the breath from my lungs and had me doubling over
When I woke up, the world reassembled itself in soft, sterile white and cream. The familiar antiseptic smell. The rhythmic, almost musical beeping of medical equipment creating a strange symphony that sobered me up completely. I was in a hospital, a rather spacious room from what I could see. My e
Jessica's eyes darted between Roman and me, her gaze sharp and calculating. She was dressed in her coat, she looked like she'd just run over without any prior preparation, her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. I looked between her and Roman, mirroring her actions as I wondered if he was the pe
Jessica's face transformed. The stern doctor melted away, replaced by a grin that was pure mischief. "Absofuckinglutely. It is absolutely my duty as godmother to smother this baby with so much love that they'll be thoroughly embarrassed well into their teenage years." The tension in the room dissol
AMELIA The hospital room seemed deathly quiet yet at the same time a certain kind of tension rose slowly as Jessica finally left the room, leaving only Roman and me. I watched as he fiddled, with the image from the scan and then sometimes my fingers, looking he intended to say something but yet k
“I lived up to his expectations and even surpassed it. We were revered, not just in Russia but in other families outside of the country,” His fingers traced nervous patterns on my hospital blanket, creating intricate shapes. "But now," he continued, "now that rumors have spread about my intention
Hi, hope you're doing good and the year has been going well for you? You must've noticed the lack of updates and I sincerely apologize for it. After my grandma's passing, things haven't been the same and I'm sad to admit that I went down a spiral and I had to take a step back for my mental health
That now seemed like a lifetime ago. A lifetime of promises I broke. "I know," I whispered, reaching across the table to take her hand. "And I'm so sorry, Greece. I was wrong, and I was selfish, and there's no excuse for it." She didn't pull away, but her eyes remained full of hurt. "Do you have
Maybe I was foolish, I was too afraid to face Roman and even her… I was a coward, the one thing I told myself I wasn't. I sank into the chair opposite her, hands clasped tightly in my lap to hide their trembling. "It's complicated," I managed, knowing how inadequate the words were. "Complicated,
AMELIA I felt like I'd been punched in the gut, all the air leaving my lungs in one desperate rush. Greece Wellington's presence was like a ghost from my past life, one I'd tried desperately to forget. My fingers tightened around the shopping bags, knuckles turning white as I struggled to maintai
"I swear," she laughed, her voice filling the car with warmth, "if he could bubble-wrap me and the baby, he would." I couldn't help but smile, watching her face light up as she talked about her husband. "He's just nervous. First-time dad and all that." "Oh, speaking of nervous," she grinned, tur
AMELIA Morning sunlight filtered through the thin curtains of my bedroom, casting warm patches across my chilly sheets. I should have felt lighter, triumphant even. The family was finally under control, the threats neutralized, and the Guerrero name secure. Yet as I lay there, staring up at the ce
The color drained from their faces so quickly it was almost comical. Uncle Stefano actually tugged at his collar, while Uncle Paolo seemed to sink further into his chair. "Ricardo made his choice," Uncle Marco said, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity despite his obvious fear. "We are mere
AMELIA The meeting wasn't one I was looking forward to but it was something I had to get done. Something that I hoped would remind me of all the reasons why I was in Italy. All the reasons why I became a completely different person. I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, taking in ho
AMELIA TWO YEARS LATER… I was twenty-seven years old, younger than my mother was when she had me, and five years older than she was when my grandfather entrusted the Guerrero family's responsibility to her. Despite trying my best not to think about her, everything I did, everywhere I walked in It