My throat dried, and I tried to push myself upward on the bed as he climbed between my legs. I bled on the wedding night, but I was still a virgin. There had been nothing thicker or longer than his two fingers inserted inside my vagina. So how was I supposed to take his . . . cock? My fearful eyes
MARIELLA I walked into the kitchen after freshening up and cleaning myself, my nerves completely out of control. Every memory from last night was burnt in my head like a late-night hallucination, but it wasn’t a hallucination. I had woken up in Eros’s bed in nothing but a comforter covering my bod
“Hey, you okay?” I asked, knocking on the door. She jerked at the sound and quickly nodded, rubbing her chest. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry for the jumpiness.” “It’s okay. I can tell something’s bothering you. Care to tell me what?” She sighed. “Just family drama. You know how they are. Fights happen b
“She thinks of me as the culprit here. But what choice did I have?” He sounded as though it was obvious. “Why are you asking me? I was one of those people who didn’t know about this shit.” His brows dug deep. “For good reason. So why does it sound like you’re blaming me, too?” “Oh, am I now?” I r
MARIELLA By the time we returned home, it was almost a quarter to midnight. After the long day we’d had at the Vitale mansion, I doubted I could stay awake for long. Bella and Adonis had barely talked even after their deal. But the only person I felt awful for was Alessia. Her parents kept pretend
“How was she like?” He tilted his head in confusion, so I clarified, “Ira. Did you like her?” “Like her? No. Like the sex? Yes.” I averted my eyes to the buttons of his shirt. Eros had said he enjoyed having sex with me, but despite that, I couldn’t make Ira’s words disappear from my head. What if
“Every little thing that your body does to touches makes me want to come back for more.” His guttural voice reached my ears. Those words were like a treasure to me. “You’re worried about not being good enough for me.” He snorted, moving his fingers in and out of me slowly. “I’m worried about how I’l
MARIELLA I jerked against Eros’s stiff chest as he looped his hands around my stomach. “You scared me,” I said, trying to step away, but he didn’t budge. Resting his head on my shoulder, he said, “I really don’t want to go to work.” I shook my head. “I think you should. You—a woman who had been p
I walked toward Ella’s bed and sat down beside her. She pulled herself up with much difficulty and looked down at our daughter. “She’s so small,” I said, my eyes filling with tears. The wait, the pain and everything were worth this—this joy and the deep love I felt in my heart. I met Ella’s gaze a
[FOUR YEARS LATER] EROS I was panicking more than Ella was. But I couldn’t take her screams, let alone look at her. She was covered in sweat from head to toe and her entire body was shuddering. This was partially my fault, I could say. She buried her head back on the pillow and let out another lo
Even in my absence, I had been sure that Mariella was okay. She was upset, which was understandable, but she was safe. Adonis had ensured it. I hurried into my wing and up to my room, unable to control the burdening feeling in my chest. I needed to let out all that I had been holding inside, to tel
Both Mom and Adonis scanned the room. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t have a good feeling about this. Ella was running away. Or perhaps hiding something from me. I sincerely wished it was the prior. Adonis took a deep breath and spoke. “Ma, I need to speak to Eros.” I was dumbfounded. I widened my
EROS With all the men guarding me, I felt like a child being carried to the principal’s office. Every fucking one of them had a brooding look on their face. And I had been seeing them every day for the past two months. No more. I was finally returning home. To my family. To my wife. I wondered ho
As I pushed the door, I noticed the girl sitting on the ground, holding a grey shirt to her chest. Eros’s shirt. Had she been holding onto him in this manner? Crying herself to sleep holding that one shirt? Consoling herself that he was alright? “Mariella?” Her eyes widened and snapped toward me.
ADONIS I couldn’t stand the sight of people who pretended as though my world hadn’t completely changed. Many people greeted me as I walked out to the main wing. Danilo, his wife and younger daughter. Terenzio and Fabiola. Niana Galasso and the idiot who got Danilo’s daughter pregnant. My wife and
“My sister has a habit of meddling in other people’s matters. I’m sorry for that.” She probably didn’t know who I was, either. Her expressions suddenly fell, and she said with an apologetic look on her face, “I’m sorry if I sound rude, but my coming here wasn’t really a coincidence.” I frowned. “I h
Eros leaned down and whispered something into his niece’s ears that made Alessia smile bigger. Letting go of his hands, she motioned toward her father. Eros, the matchmaker, was back in the room. He wanted nothing more than what I did and that was to see this little family of ours be happy and one