ANTONIOI racked my brain on my way to the Moretti mansion, trying to think of what Roberto needed my help for, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t come up with anything. But what I did know was that whatever it was, it was really important, possibly a life-or-death matter; if not, the pride-ridden Roberto I knew wouldn’t have asked for my help. “How’s Rosa? And Carlo?” That was the first question he asked me when I entered his office. “Oh, thank you for gracing my invitation.” I drew the visitor’s seat and settled on it. “That should have been the first thing you said to me.”He sighed. “Thank you for coming, Antonio.”A wicked smile flashed on my lips. “You’re welcome.”“So, how’s my daughter and my grandson?” He asked, making a steeple with his fingers.“They are perfect,” I said. He didn’t need to know about the whole Rebecca situation. “So…” I planted both elbows on the table, looking directly into his eyes. “Why did you call me here?”“I have a problem.” He pressed his l
ROSALINDAHe embodied the archetype of typical mafia bosses, exploiting women for their selfish needs and discarding them at will, like dirt bags. I only knew of Rebecca, but I was sure there was a lot more. Antonio was everything I was against, everything I vowed to never condone, everything about the mafia. Yet, here I was, betraying my own principles and compromising my moral compass. Despite what he did to Rebecca, I didn’t stop loving him. I loved him as much as I loved myself—even more. Now, I was convinced that there was nothing he could do that could ever diminish my love for him. He was my everything. I had fallen so deeply that I could never be saved—I didn’t want to be saved. I woke up to the sound of splattering water from the bathroom, signifying that Antonio had returned home. I had slept off while thinking of him and waiting for him to return. I wondered where he went.Getting out of bed, I walked towards the bathroom to see him, only to stop in my tracks when my gaze
ROSALINDA Dressed in a hot pink tube dress, with my hair packed up in a tight bun, I grabbed the key to one of Antonio’s cars and made my way to it.Antonio left the house after our argument—to heaven knows where—and he'd be damned if he thought I was going to stay home and wallow in sadness. The men by the gate stopped me when I drove towards them, and as I wound down the window, I plastered the sweetest smile on my lips. “We’re going clubbing. He’s just two minutes away from here, and he asked me to meet up with him.” I told the man who came up to me. He raised a sceptical brow as he leaned in. “Are you sure?”I shrugged slightly, seeming so confident about my lies. “You could call him if you want.”He stared at me for a second before sighing and straightening back up. “No. You wouldn’t lie. You can go.“That was exactly what I did. I lied.I curled my lips into another sweet smile before winding the glass back up. And as he signalled for the other men to open the gates, I drove
ROSALINDA Antonio grabbed my hand and dragged me outside. I had the strong urge to protest, but I didn’t because I knew whatever I did would have been useless. He would never leave me there, and we would only end up causing a scene. “Why the fuck did you come out here alone, Rosalinda?” He groaned once we were outside, his furious eyes staring intently at me. “And don’t tell me you took alcohol with your condition.”I folded my arms over my chest, casting my gaze away as I retorted. “I only took sparkling water, and you are not the only one allowed to leave the house after a fight.”“Does that mean you should endanger your life?” He fired back. “I don’t care whatever danger surrounds you, but she is an adult and could make her own decisions.” Ruby suddenly chimed in, her voice filled with irritation. He drew his brows together, his frown deepening as he turned his attention to her. “Really? I’m starting to wonder if they used you to lure her out so that they could kidnap and harm
ROSALINDA Who said dreams were unattainable? Whoever said that bluffed because Sofia defied that claim. The dream she thought was out of reach was coming to pass. It’s been two months since she had the emergency surgery; she and the twins—Isabella and Alessia—were healthy and out of the hospital. Today was her wedding day. She was getting married to the love of her life, and I couldn’t be more happy about her finally getting her happy ending. She deserved it, they both deserved it. I had asked Antonio to wait a bit more before we got married, and he agreed without protest, even though I knew he wasn’t so happy about it. He just wanted to do right by me. He had been the perfect man ever, and I couldn’t even imagine my life with any other man. I didn’t even know why I had delayed the marriage, but anyway, that was the least of my problems at the moment. The dress I had on was. I turned around to look at my reflection in the mirror, and Goddamn it, I captivated myself. The thigh-hig
ROSALINDAThe very next day after Sofia’s wedding, our own wedding preparation began. Antonio called Papà over the phone to inform him of our plan, while I, on the other hand, planned to tell Mama, Sofia, Matteo, and Giovanni in person—that is, if Papà hadn’t already told them before we got to the mansion. Antonio and I planned to go to my parent’s place today. We had a lot on our schedule, but the first place we visited was the hospital. I had an appointment with the sonographer to get the baby’s ultrasound done. “She’s so healthy.” The sonographer said, smiling as she moved the transducer around my belly. This wasn’t the first time I saw my baby girl, but each time I heard the whooshing sound of her heartbeat, I felt an unexplainable warmth radiate through my entire being. I couldn’t wait to hold her in my arms. “She’s so cute.” Antonio said, a small smile on his face. “I bet she’d look like me.” “She’d definitely be my carbon copy.” I countered. He chuckled softly. “We’ll find
ROSALINDA My head was banging so much that it felt like it was going to explode. For how long have I been sleeping? I wondered, as I tried to open my eyes, only to abruptly close them back due to the blinding light. After a few seconds, I tried again, but this time, slowly, until my eyes adapted to the light. Suddenly, I caught sight of a familiar face sitting on a sofa not so far from the bed, and I jerked up in perplexity. “What are you doing here?” I demanded. “You’re awake.” Liam grinned, and just then, reality sank in. I looked around the room, fear crawling through me as everything that happened rushed back in. I remembered everything—how I was kidnapped from the gas station and drugged until I was knocked out.“Liam. What the hell is this?” I demanded fiercely, hiding the fear crawling through me. “What do you think it is?” He raised a brow, expecting a response from me. And when he didn’t get any, he continued. “I told you, Rosalinda, that I adore you. And whatever I wan
ANTONIO My men and I had tried every possible means to look for Rosalinda, but there was no cue. Nothing at all. I was frustrated, scared of losing her. Even the thought of it blocked my airways, making it difficult to breathe. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to get my woman back. Nothing at all. Vito and I had just finished looking through the footage from the security camera from all the buildings around the gas station, but we got nothing. My phone started ringing, and I picked it up, hoping it was one of my men calling me to give me positive feedback, but I drew a long hiss when I realised it was Sofia calling. She had been buzzing my phone for over an hour now, demanding to speak with Rosalinda. I had told her that she was fine and was only sleeping, but she wouldn’t buy it. Fuck! She was fucking adding to my frustration with her persistent calls. “Don’t you think you should tell her the truth?” Vito suggested, as I rejected the call. “She’d tell Roberto, and I don’t want hi