I sit on the bathroom floor, speechless and paralyzed.“Nana,” is all I can whisper.Why was all this happening to me?I rack my head, trying to remember what the 17th was supposed to be. My hand, trembling, rests against my lips.I hold my breath, clinging to my last sliver of hope. “Nana, did you come alone?” My voice is barely above a whisper. I shut my eyes tight, praying she truly came alone.“No, stupid, of course I’m not alone. Lucas was supposed to come back home to Vivian, but we haven’t heard from either of you. We’ve both been very worried, so we came along with the children. I thought it’d be fun to return to the big city for a while,” Nana giggles into the phone like she just shared some kind of secret—while I feel like I’m falling apart.She has no idea what she just did. I should’ve called to cancel her treatment.Nana is a mother figure to both Lucas and me, and a grandmother to the children. She was diagnosed with ischemic cardiomyopathy—a heart disease—and she’s in de
“Get her now.” one of the large men behind me roars heavily but I don't stop running, I can hear the erratic thumping of my heart in my ears. I hide behind a tree in the woods.“Make sure you find the bitch, we cannot afford to lose her today.” Another deep voice says. I look towards the bleeding in my stomach and hiss at the amount of blood I'm losing, and by the time I realize the bleeding must have left a trail behind me, my left ear rings loudly and I fall to the ground groaning.“Fucking bitch, so the is where you were hiding.” The man says with a dark smirk. I crawl across the ground in a hurry and when he bends to reach for my shoulders, I land a heavy blow to his nose. “You will pay for that.” The man screams, dragging me by my hair.“Matteo, get your hands off her, boss wants her unscathed.” another well built man in a suit says calmly.Matteo hisses angrily before roughly putting me over his shoulders and I begin to scream his ears off.“Put me down you bastard.” I bang my
I wake up from another deep slumber, I’ve been feeling drowsy lately, the wound on my stomach has been cared for by some woman and the dead nurse and anything of her existence in this room has been cleared up except for the memory stuck in my head, I've been here for days waiting for Rino to show up but no amount of preparation could make me feel better, and it wasn't until I heard his voice that I realized there was another soul with me in the room, he always had that skill.“You wanted to see me, wife.” There he was, regally seated right across from me with his legs crossed, staring directly at me with those same hazel eyes that mostly looked at me with coldness more than they did with warmth in the years that I knew him. I knew that I would feel a lot of things when I would see him but what striked me the most was the relief that I felt, I had never felt so relieved to see his face. I spent so much time only fearing him, so the foreign emotion was a blur and shock.“Speak.” His har
“Eat.” I ignore him, twirling my spoon. His face twists and he looks me dead in the eye.“Feed yourself out of your own free will or I will make you.” He stresses out clenching his jaw. I didn't need a second later to begin to eat because I knew he wouldn't hesitate to cause me pain if he wanted to.A few minutes later, there's a loud chatter from the living room and an elegant woman with dark black bangs emerges and charges straight for me.“You fucking bitch, how dare you have no shame and show up now of all times.” I recognize her loud annoying voice as belonging to my sister in law. Before anyone blinks she throws my glass of drink all over me and grabs my hair from behind.“You must have some nerve abandoning my brother for years and returning when he's this close to my moving on, you whore.” She yells in my face, demonstrating with her fingers before slapping me hard across my cheek.Anger, that's all I feel, all the pent of frustration of being back here against my will and the
The whole mansion has been tense, I've been here alone for more than a week and I badly needed out, none of the Garcia family has been seen since I woke up and I've healed quite alright, the pain is now just a slight ache.Not that I want to see Rino or anything but he mentioned something about Grace the other day and I've been curious to ask what that was about. If there was someone I know Rino loved it would be Grace. Grace was also like a mother to me. She was both a housekeeper and a mother to us all and I quickly became close to her daughter Anna, who was also like a sister to Rino. But I haven't seen either of them since I arrived, I really wanted to see Anna.Someone cleared their behind me and it's Anna. I scream out in joy as I run to hug her.“Anna, I was just thinking about you.” I say happily with tears running down my face, I grab her hands tightly.“Anna how have you been, I really missed you.” I hug again but she doesn't move or react, she stands so stiffly with red rim
“Mrs Garcia, Mr. Garcia is here to see you.” I turn to look at Mrs. Willow standing at the door. I stand up and head downstairs, I literally have nothing to do here, I have tried non stop to speak to Anna again but she wouldn't let me see her and Rino hasn't been back to his room since so I'm surprised to have him call for me now, what could he possibly want from me now, I'm frustrated enough and it makes me nervous. I found an old, frail man standing by the window side holding a walking stick and my heart skips, he turns to look at me the moment he hears my footsteps and I do everything to hold myself back but I cannot as I run into his arms crying hysterically. We don't speak for a long time, all he does is pat my back gently.“I missed you.” I sniff, pulling back a little to look at his face.“It has been very tough on you hasn't it.” He asks brushing my hair back lovingly like a good father would.I nod “it doesn't excuse me leaving without any notice like that, I shouldn't have,
I feel myself floating for a while, and my eyes remain tightly shut, afraid of the outcome of the shots fired."Freya!? Freya!?" I hear the panicked voice from above me, and the voice is enough indication that he is not Rino.The call and the gunshots have left me so shaken, I lie waiting for the full brace of pain from being shot twice to fill me, but I feel nothing.I didn't get shot?If this were any other situation, I'd be tempted to leave Louis panicking for a little longer, but it isn't. Something is desperately wrong; I can feel it deep in my bones.I peel my eyes open and look up at Louis. "I'm fine," I murmur. He breathes out a great sigh of relief."You damned woman, you've only been here for bloody less than a week, and you already caused so much trouble," Louis remarks, rubbing his hands against his face in exhaustion."Well, you'll have to take that one up with your brother," I inform him, pushing myself up from the floor to realize we have horrified onlookers watching us.
It takes me a moment to gather myself together before blowing out a heavy breath.“I want a divorce,” I announce, ignoring his previous words as shocking as they might have sounded.I watch as Rino's eyes darken even further. My biggest mistake before running away was that I am unable to secure my divorce, but this time, I'll make sure no marriage binds us together before leaving.“No,” he growls out.“You cannot hold me hostage for too long,” I yell angrily at him, a heavy current of tension filling the room.“I already am,” Rino mutters calmly, regaining control of his emotions and backing away from me like us standing that close disgusts him.I ignore the once familiar hurt in my chest.“I don't get it. What is your deal really about? You can pick any other woman to birth your child, so why do you choose to hold on so tightly to me and suffocate me?” I cry out, feeling helpless and powerless.“Just let me go,” I resort to begging. I really need to go back home. This place, Rino—it
I sit on the bathroom floor, speechless and paralyzed.“Nana,” is all I can whisper.Why was all this happening to me?I rack my head, trying to remember what the 17th was supposed to be. My hand, trembling, rests against my lips.I hold my breath, clinging to my last sliver of hope. “Nana, did you come alone?” My voice is barely above a whisper. I shut my eyes tight, praying she truly came alone.“No, stupid, of course I’m not alone. Lucas was supposed to come back home to Vivian, but we haven’t heard from either of you. We’ve both been very worried, so we came along with the children. I thought it’d be fun to return to the big city for a while,” Nana giggles into the phone like she just shared some kind of secret—while I feel like I’m falling apart.She has no idea what she just did. I should’ve called to cancel her treatment.Nana is a mother figure to both Lucas and me, and a grandmother to the children. She was diagnosed with ischemic cardiomyopathy—a heart disease—and she’s in de
I watch as Angelo recoils further into himself for a second before he tries to shake off the uncertainty of the man in front of him—but I already caught a glimpse of his weakness.And in that moment, I discovered that Angelo was scared of Rino, even with all his bluff on the phone.“K-King,” Angelo mutters, calling Rino by his title.I straighten my spine against Rino, realizing I’ve been holding my breath since he got here.They know each other?“I didn’t think you’d be attending.” The statement sits between a question and a declaration, his voice cold, empty, and detached.“Fabiano sends his apologies for not being present. He sends his congratulations and a gift to both you and your wife.” Angelo’s voice sounds stuffy, like it’s filled with sand.Rino waves off his words without lifting a hand. With my back still against my husband, I can feel the tension bristling within him—but I’m too wrapped in my own anxious breathing to fully process it.I feel Rino’s eyes dip toward me, scann
The screeching of my chair interrupts his lawyers from announcing her congratulations to a well-signed deal. There is nothing worth a congratulations to me, and I’m not going to wait around and pretend.I feel his heated gaze on my back as I walk out of the room, an unsettling feeling gnawing at the bottom of my chest at his mention of Nana and my brother's family. I chew on my bottom lip, a deep bubble of worry sitting in my soul for my brother. I know that his sworn allegiance lies with me, but what amount of torture could they have inflicted upon him to get this information? And if he didn’t tell Rino, then how did Rino know?Somehow, I begin to feel like my world is starting to close in around me, and I need to sort this all out one after the other.The first thing on my mind is to get a lead on reaching my brother in time, but that would mean having to speak to Rino—and my hatred for him burns harsher in this moment than ever before, after his indirect threat to take away the chil
Rino nods at him before leading me out of the hall and into a different room.My heart hammers beneath my chest, knowing I’m about to seal my soul even tighter to Rino's.We walk into the room to find six professionals, all clad in black suits—two women and four men.I glance at Rino, wondering why everything seems so organized and serious for a contract. The last time we did this, only three people were present: myself, Rino, and Mario.Uneasiness creeps in, especially with the unreadable and withdrawn look Rino wears—a stark contrast to the man he's been all day.“Rino?” I call out pathetically, my voice barely above a whisper.A flicker passes through his eyes, but it’s gone before I can decipher what it means.Rino takes a seat on the opposite side of the table, and the rest of his supposed lawyers follow suit.“Please sit, Mrs. Garcia,” one of the men says with a charming smile. It does nothing to calm my nerves.I tell myself it’s just a simple gathering—the process is just bein
Rino continues to lead me past the large crowd of reporters with their massive cameras.There's a round of applause welcoming us into the hall, along with loud whispers from people whose faces I can’t see—tucked as I am against Rino’s side.“Are you alright?” Rino’s voice, reverberating so close to my neck, sends a shiver down my spine.I nod in answer. We stop right in front of his family as bright lights flicker on and point directly at us, highlighting our features.Rino stands stoic and rigid, like he’s preparing to defend us from an attack. If he’s this uncomfortable, then why go through all the trouble of hosting this event? I hiss inwardly.“Freya.”Mario’s voice calls to me tenderly, leaning on his walking cane.I haven’t been able to look in his direction since my visit to the hospital. I’m afraid I’ll see loathing in his eyes—loathing that I hid his grandchild and lied. I don’t think I’d be able to handle that look.“Mario,” I greet stiffly, reluctantly peeling myself away f
“You look breathtaking, Mrs. Garcia,” Mrs. Willow says with a warm smile as I step carefully down the flight of stairs.“Thank you,” I murmur, plastering a small smile onto my face.I place my hands over my white dress and onto my belly. I don't know if I look as she's described, but I hope I don't look too nervous. I feel out of place—like this house and family have always reminded me to feel—that I am nothing more than an outsider.“Freya.”The sound of his voice makes me grow stiff and tense.My fingers grip my dress as I slowly turn to face him. He looks dashing in his deep blue tux, but he won't be hearing that from me. I haven’t seen him in the last week since our last encounter with Micah and Riley.“Rino,” I say firmly, meeting his eyes. Rino’s gaze moves all over my form, lingering on my lips before he speaks again.The tone of his voice sends a deep shiver down my spine, and I have to hold back a tremble.“It’s time,” he says, barely above a whisper, before bringing his hand
Riley looks at a loss for words, and Rino doesn't say anything—only stands there watching me with a look in his eyes that I can't quite place.I could easily let it go because it shouldn't matter, but seeing Riley leaves a pinch of reminder on my soul. I remember how miserable I was back then, never really knowing what my husband was up to or who he was with.I saw her from afar always. Micah was hellbent on replacing me with one of her friends. It was my marriage, but I was always forced to watch from the sidelines. I feel stuffy just recollecting how helpless and hurt I had always felt in my marriage.“Our wedding night? Second-year anniversary? The night before I left?” I list, deciding to help bring back his memory since he continues to stare at me like I'm speaking gibberish.“T-that's... I-it’s not what you think, Mrs. Garcia,” Riley says, blowing air through her nose, her entire face turning red.She has no problem dropping very tiny indications here and there to show she had s
I expect to land on a hard surface, and I wait for my entire body to be engulfed with pain, but I feel no physical pain—just the shock of my body being thrown from the thankfully short distance—and I realize there are hands gripping onto me for dear life.I peel my eyes open to find the hardened eyes of none other than my dear husband, Rino. His chest rises and falls in sharp, controlled breaths, as if each inhale is a struggle not to explode. A vein pulses in his temple like a ticking bomb.When did he get here?I'm annoyed that I feel glad he saved me from hurting myself. Rino sets me onto the ground like a child, and my feet can barely hold me up as I wobble before getting a grip of myself. I feel quite lightheaded as I try to grasp onto my surroundings.Rino bulldozes into my personal space, just staring—unblinking, unreadable—and the tension in his posture screams louder than words.The sound of Louis groaning catches all of our attention. I turn to find him on all fours on the f
“Yes, darling, I've missed you so much.” I can feel my skin prickle from the sound of his voice. I pull my lips open to let air into my lungs.I can't speak, I can't feel, I can't breathe. I can only listen breathlessly.“Wow, you're sure one difficult bitch to find, aren't you?” Angelo chuckles, and then his humor takes a darker turn. “I guess I did train you well.”“I've spent the last ten years working hard to find you, and then I find out you had been hiding right under my nose?” Angelo chuckles darkly. “Married to the fucking King? That's impressive. I brought you into the freaking country and then he grabs you—catches you first. It's not exactly fair now, is it?” Angelo says, deliberately slurring his words.“W-w-what do you m-mean?” I barely manage to say out loud, my mind reeling.“Umm, that's a story for another day, my sweet. I'll tell you how I found out you were hiding the King's heir from him when you come to me yourself,” Angelo says, now sounding beyond amused.“Shut yo