ROSA’S PoVI stepped into the bedroom as Vincenzo had ordered. The door clicked softly behind me, and I stood still for a moment, letting the quiet wash over me. The faint smell of his cologne lingered in the air, reminding me of the many nights we had spent tangled in each other, our bodies moving together like a melody neither of us could resist. I had missed him. Leaving him had been the toughest decision of my life and I still couldn’t get over it.My mind wandered to the letter that Bianca had handed to him. I thought of how close she had been to him. It was like we had switched roles.“You’re a lucky woman, Rosalinda,” it was Bianca. Four years ago when everything had seemed right with the world.I giggled like a schoolgirl. “Really? Why? Because a pretty boy loves me?”I sighed now at the fleeting memory. Vicenzo had always been a pretty boy but now that he was tough and rough on the edges, he was more handsome. And it was starting to seem like Bianca was the lucky one. But why
VICENZO’S PoVThe way Bianca shouted her question sent ripples through me. Her audacity seemed to be growing by the minute and I was pissed off. The limo had grown quiet but it wasn’t peaceful. It was the kind of silence that pressed down, thick and heavy, waiting to snap. I didn’t say anything. Just sat there, let it stretch. Ten long seconds. I could feel Mateo’s eyes flicker toward me, then away. He knew. He was waiting. He could tell that I was pissed off. I flexed my fists just to calm myself and tried to take sharp breaths. Bianca wasn’t stupid. I sucked my teeth loudly, the sharp sound cutting through the air. “Watch your tone.” It was a simple sentence but I hoped it would deliver the rage I was feeling fully to Bianca.Bianca’s scoff was instant, sharp and dismissive. “Oh, fuck off, Vincenzo. You let that manipulative bitch walk back into your life and I’m supposed to stay quiet? She’s playing you like she always has…how the fuck does she have a child? How so convenient…”I
VICENZO’S POVI could feel unbearable pain shooting up my arm but I was glad that I was alive. The world was still ringing from the aftermath of the gunfire. Smoke curled through the air, thick with the stench of blood and burnt rubber. Bodies littered the ground, bodies of Bianchi’s men, some of mine. But the fight was over. We had won.I stood there, my breath coming fast, the dull ache in my shoulder flaring every time I moved. Blood—mine and others’—streaked down my arm, soaking into my already ruined shirt. Mateo was at my side in an instant his eyes scanning me.“What’s the loss?” I asked, my words coming out in gasps. “Minimal compared to theirs,” he said. “You need a doctor.”It was a declaration of fact but I rolled my shoulder, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through me. “I need a drink.”Mateo exhaled, shaking his head, but he didn’t argue.The rest of my men were already gathering what was left of our forces, dragging the bodies away, clearing the scene before the cop
ROSA’S POVThe second I stepped into the bathroom, I was confronted with a scene that made memories flood into my head. There had been a hit. Bianchi?Vincenzo stood in front of the sink, his hands braced against the marble countertop, head bowed. Blood dripped from his fingers, staining the white porcelain. His white singlet clung to him, damp from the water running down his arms, and his shorts hung low on his hips. The harsh glow of the overhead light cast shadows across his face, deepening the sharp lines of his jaw, the hollow beneath his cheekbones. He looked lethal, devastating.And all I could think about was how much I needed his help.I felt frozen, like my body had locked up. The stench of blood was thick in the air, mixing with the sharp tang of antiseptic. I was standing here, desperate, reeling from the doctor’s words about Sofia, but how could I even begin to say it when he was like this?He must have heard my uneven breathing because his head lifted. Our eyes met throu
VICENZO’S POVI don’t like hospitals and I try to avoid them as often as possible.They remind me of things I’d rather forget. The walls are always too white, too clean. The air smells sharp, like chemicals and silence. And death.Sofia was lying there, so small under the blanket. I couldn’t stop staring at her. She was a beautiful little angel and lying there, she looked like perfection. There was something about the way her tiny fingers curled, even in sleep. Something that tugged at my chest.I turned to Rosa. She looked like hell. I could see tiredness and worry written all over her face but at least I hadn’t taken a weight off her shoulders. She hadn’t sat down once since we came in.“You should go home,” I said. “Get some sleep. I’ll stay with her tonight.”She looked at me like I’d lost my mind.“You’re joking, right?” she said. “You’re injured. And I am not leaving my daughter, Vicenzo.”I sighed. Rosa was always so stubborn and liked things done her way.“It’s not that bad.”
ROSA’S POVDamn! Damn! Vicenzo was looking at me and I was at a loss for words. I knew the look in Vicenzo’s eyes, it was a look that demanded answers.The moment Sofia rattled off her pasta order like she was reading it off his soul, I knew.I knew what he was thinking because I’d thought it too. A thousand times. How could she be alike to someone she had never lived with? Someone she didn’t know? How could she eat pasta like a man who’d never cooked pasta for her? How did she acquire his taste?When Sofia was born, I prayed her eyes wouldn’t turn blue. When they did, I told myself blue was a common color. When she started to yawn like him, stretch like him, and speak with that same quiet confidence… I told myself I was overthinking.But hearing her talk about pasta that way? That exact way?It scared me.Vicenzo turned to me with those sharp, questioning eyes. I forced a laugh, trying to keep my voice light.“She’s a picky eater,” I said, my voice shaky. “Always has a new preferenc
ROSA’S POVMy heart was beating rapidly against my chest as I prepared for sleep. How did Bianca know I have a child? This changes everything, my mind screamed at me. I needed to leave this city; I never should have come back.I tried to fall asleep but sleep refused to find me. My mind kept spinning in circles, running from one dark thought to another like a mouse trapped in a cage.Bianca’s voice still echoed in my ears, sharp and cold.“No matter what, I won’t let Vicenzo claim your bastard.”I was furious. She had called my daughter a bastard and I hadn’t been able to get a word in, my helplessness annoyed me. After two hours of tossing and tossing in bed, I finally decided to call Liana. My fingers shook as I dialed Liana’s number. It was past midnight but I didn’t care. She picked on the second ring, sounding sleepy.“Rosa?”“I’m scared,” I whispered, feeling my chest tighten. “Liana, I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m going back to where I started… back to that dark plac
VICENZO’S POVI woke up the next morning in a bright mood. It didn’t matter that the newspaper headlines today would scream about the death of another mafia boss and there would speculations on what had actually happened. All that mattered to me was that I was going to see Sofia. And Rosalinda. My Rosalinda. I stopped at a mall on my way to her house and purchased the fanciest toys I could get and headed to her house with much gusto.The door opened before I even knocked a second time.And there she was.Rosa. My Rosalinda. It hit me harder than it should, how beautiful she was. Not in the loud, polished way most women in my world aimed for. No heavy makeup. No designer labels screaming for attention. No rehearsed poses for the camera.Just her.Real. Barefaced. Italian beauty in its rawest form.Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, a few dark strands falling over her cheekbone like they belonged there. And those eyes… God, those eyes. No camera could ever catch them right.One gre
ROSA’S POVHow had I gone from being an independent woman struggling to pay my daughter’s hospital bills to his? Vicenzo’s mistress? How had everything fallen apart so fast? I should have known. Should have known the minute I decided to return that I would bump into him.The new apartment was nice. Too nice. The floors were polished, the walls pristine white, and furnished with sleek furniture that had probably never been touched. It had no soul. No warmth. Just the echo of Vicenzo’s control in every detail. Nothing to suggest that it was a home.He’d picked it, no doubt. Had his people furnish it, stock the fridge, arrange the security. I had wanted to do it but he claimed it was too dangerous for me to walk around the city and only he and his men knew the safe places in the city. I hated it all but here I was, trying to settle in with Sofia while pretending this wasn’t just another gilded cage. Sofia was in her room, playing quietly w
VICENZO’S POV“I am not your bloody mistress, Enzo,” she yelled at me. “I am worth more than that!”I stared at Rosa across the kitchen counter. The rose she brought back from the ball still sat there, proud and red like it meant something.“You are.” I said without missing a beat. “If I can’t have you, no one else will.”She wouldn’t look at me now. She stood with her arms crossed, the calm fire in her eyes daring me to argue again.“I’ll get you the apartment,” I said finally, my voice low. “But there will be rules.”She blinked, wary. “Rules?”I stepped closer. “Only I come to visit. No one else. And when I call, you answer. When I come, you open the door. You still belong to me, Rosa. I won’t have another man breathing the same air as you.”Her jaw tensed, but she didn’t speak. Just nodded once, slowly. Maybe it was compromise. Maybe it was defeat. I couldn’t tell.“And you will do what I say,” I ad
ROSA’S POVThe air changed before I saw him. I noticed people in the crowd start to whisper and stare at usand I knew that Enzo was about to do something crazy.I turned my head just slightly and there he was, cutting across the dance floor like he owned theroom. His eyes locked on mine, but they weren’t soft. They burned. And they were aimed at DonSalvatore.“May I cut in?” Vicenzo asked, his voice sharp beneath the smoothness. He didn’t try to maskthe disdain on his face.Salvatore didn’t flinch. He merely smiled, charming to the last second, and released me with agentleman’s grace. “Of course, Signor Moretti,” he said, inclining his head. “Though I fearyou’ve interrupted a very good story.”“I’m sure she’ll remember it,” Vicenzo said coolly, already placing his hand at the small of myback. His touch sent a rush up my spine, but I stiffened.Salvatore’s eyes lingered on me for a moment longer. “Ti rivedrò Rosa,” he said in perfectItalian, "I'll see you again, Rosa. Soon.”I
VICENZO’S POVHer breath hitched under me as her fingers tangled in my hair. Her skin was fever-warm and flushed beneath my mouth. I was high on lust and wanted to consume every part of her as my mouth latched into her nipples, hard and erect. She was beneath me but she wasn’t small. She never had been. She met every kiss, every graze of my teeth with something wilder. Her legs wrapped around me, her back arching, her lips parting with a gasp that made my blood thrum.“Enzo…” she whispered, voice wrecked, pulling me deeper, like she couldn’t get close enough.
ROSA’S POVI needed a distraction. I was yet to recover from my interaction with Vicenzo in his study and I didn’t think I would be able to face him so I kept busy. That’s what I told myself.I poured cereal for Sofia, wiped down the counter that didn’t need wiping, folded the same towel three times just to have something to do with my hands. I hadn’t seen Vicenzo since last night. Not really. But I felt him, I felt him everywhere.He was a shadow at the edge of the kitchen when I turned too fast. A weight in the hallway when I passed by the study. His presence pulled at me like a thread I didn’t want to tug but couldn’t stop reaching for. U was dro
VICENZO’S POVI needed to know, I needed her to say it, to clear every doubt in my heart because I wanted to lay in her arms forever. Rosa was my heartbeat, cuore mio.She flinched instead and I saw a shadow pass over her face; my shoulders drooped. “Don’t,” she whispered. “Please don’t ask me that.”I frowned. “Why not? It’s a simple question and the answer
ROSA’S POVI didn’t answer his question. I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t tell him everything. Not yet. There was so much that he didn’t know and I wasn’t sure I could say them…yet. Vicenzo’s voice was rough with confusion, anger, and something else I couldn’t name but I couldn’t give him the truth. Not like this.“It’s nothing,” I said quietly, brushing past him. “Forget it.”He stepped into my space, towering, dark eyes scanning my face like he could force out every
VICENZO’S POVMateo had told me that they had found them and they were bringing them to the penthouse but I was restless and couldn’t wait to lay my eyes on her. Yesterday afternoon when I was making love to her seemed like a lifetime ago now. I heard the soft shuffle of feet hit the marble floor, and I turned just as the door opened and there she was.Rosalinda, pale and silent, with Sofia curled against her shoulder, fast asleep. Her tiny hand clung to Rosa’s shirt like she was afraid the world might split open again. I took one step forward, but Rosa didn’t move. She looked exhausted. Haunted. She wouldn’t even meet my eyes.
VICENZO’S POVI didn’t say a word because I was boiling inside of me and I knew that saying something to Bianca in that state would catapult her into depression. I just stood there staring at her like the ground had shifted underneath us.Pregnant.Her arms were folded over her bare stomach, but I could see the tremble in her hands. The way her lower lip wobbled, just slightly. She was scared. Not of me—Bianca was strong and didn’t scare easy—but of losing.“You’re lying,” I finally said quietly.&nbs