Adriana’s POVIsabella stiffened slightly the way she always did around him but it wasn’t as bad as before. I knew why. The doctors had told her that he was the one who ordered her surgery, that he ensured she got the best care. And now she wasn’t as mad at him as she was before. I hated that. Because he had no right to send men with guns to go get her from the house. Ever since she’s been scared and only Anna could make her think clearly in this tower he has decided to imprison us. I will have to come to some agreement with him about Isabella. She cannot be locked in here. She should hate him. She should be furious at the bastard who threatened me and the one who used her life as leverage against me. But instead, she looked at him with something too close to reluctant gratitude. I hate that I wasn’t able to afford the surgery we had needed and someone wicked did now she is grateful. "How are you feeling?" Rafael asked with his voice quiet but firm as if he doesn’t know which one
Rafael’s POVThe city blurred past me as I gripped the wheel, my foot pressing harder on the gas pedal than necessary. I haven’t driven myself in a while. The sleek black car cut through the streets like a blade slicing through the night with recklessness. The warehouse was only minutes away, tucked in the outskirrs where men like me conducted business away from the prying eyes of law enforcement and civilians who had no idea how the real world operated. Nathan sat beside me as calm as ever but his presence grounding me when my mind felt like a storm of rage and bitter memories. His fingers drummed lazily against his thigh, his gaze fixed ahead but I knew he was watching me from the corner of his eye and keeping an eye on my temper. I wasn’t in the mood for words and thank fucking God he isn’t someone that likes talking either. My knuckles ached from how tightly I gripped the wheel and my mind replaying the moment Marco had accepted the invitation to this meeting. The audacity o
Rafael’s POVMarco's eyes widened with disbelief and confusion warring in his expression as he stared at me like he was seeing a ghots. But I wasn’t a ghost. I was flesh and blood standing right in front of him. the man he had unknowingly crossed paths with years ago. The same man he had stolen everything from. His breaths turned shallow, his jaw tightening as if forcing himself to believe this was some kind of mistake. That I was some kind of mistake. But I wasn’t. I leaned closer, close enough to feel the heat of his anger and to watch the subtle tremor in his fingers as realization dawned along with the the weight of my presence that settled over him like a noose tightening around his neck. "No words Marco?" I mused in my exaggerating calm voicebut there was nothing calm about the way my blood burned beneath my skin. The warehouse was silent except for the steady rhythm of Marco’s breathing that is now uneven and a little too fast and panicked. He finally understood. This wasn’
Adriana’s POVAnna insisted I rest in that firm voice of her that was laced with concern as she sat beside Isabella’s bed. I had spent every waking moment hovering over my daughter and my body is now stiff from exhaustion, my mind running itself into the ground with worry. I didn’t want to leave or step away even for a moment but Anna wouldn’t let up. “You’ll collapse at this rate. Go. Sleep. If you don’t, you won’t be any help to her when she wakes up.” She warned, giving me a hard look.She was right. I knew she was right. But that didn’t make it any easier. I hesitated by the door glancing back at Isabella’s small fragile form on the bed. Her little chest rose and fell steady now which was a a stark contrast to how lifeless she had looked when I first found her in Rafael’s clutches just days ago. The image of her unconscious body had been burned into my mind like a nightmare I couldn't shake no matter how many times I reassured myself that she was safe now. My stomach twisted
Adriana’s POVI swallowed hard, the lump in my throat thick with frustration and disgust. Disgust at myself for letting Rafael corner me like this and for feeling so helpless in his game yet again. My hands clenched into fists at my sides while my body stiffened as I forced myself to blink away the tears clouding my vision. I couldn’t let myself break. Not in front of anyone. Not even in front of this damn guard. But when my vision cleared, I realized he was still standing there and watching me. His expression had softened. It was no longer the blank or emotionless mask of a man simply following orders. There was something else there, something almost… sympathetic and human. I hated it. I hated that he had seen me cry and had a meltydown. I hated that he was looking at me like I was some fragile thing in need of pity. My lips parted to let out sharp words already forming in my head and ready to snap at him to mind his own damn business but before I could get a single word out
Adriana’s POVIt was four years ago. The memory slammed into me like a hurricane in all its violent and mercilens glory dragging me back to a time I wished I could forget. To one of the many dark memories and the start of my crude marriage life. I could still hear the clatter of the expensive china plate as it shattered against the tiled floor work the pieces scattering like tiny shards of my dignity. The sound had barely finished echoing before Marco’s voice sliced through the air, thick with anger and disgust. "How fucking useless can you be?" His tone was sharp and cutting straight to the bone with each word laced with its own venom. He sat at the grand dining table in his perfectly pressed suit, his hair styled with the kind of effortless charm that had once fooled me into thinking he was a good man. A man capable of love. But there was nothing loving about the way he looked at me now. Nothing kind in his cold silvery eyes as he stared down at me like I was something he had sc
Adriana’s POVThe past had a cruel way of creeping up on me and wrapping around my throat like a nooose threatening to suffocate me with memories I had no control over. But I refused to let it win. Not this time and Not ever again because these fucking men don’t deserve that. With a deep shuddering breath, I wiped at my face with the back of my hand feeling the dampness of my tears smear across my skin. I hated that I had cried. Hated that Marco even in the form of a memory, still had the power to make me feel so fucking small. I had spent too many years like that. I was trapped under the weight of his words, of his disdain, of the belief that I was nothing without him. But I wasn't that woman anymore. I wouldn’t be that woman again either. If Rafael thinks I don’t want him hurt because of Isabella then it’s all for the better. Marco doesn’t deserve my protection but I’ll give it to him for the sake of my daughter if I have to. I straightened my spine, forcing my hands to still wh
Rafael’s POVNathan’s stare lingered on me longer than usual with his brows furrowing just slightly, his jaw tight as if he was waiting for me to change my mind and to realize the absurdity of what I was asking. And maybe if I were anyone else, I would have. Maybe I’d have questioned myself and wondered if I had finally lost it or if the years of blood and violence had finally corroded whatever shred of sanity remained inside me. Because this? This was not how things were done. It had never been how things were done. Anyone who came into this warehouse tied up never walked out of it again. That was the unspoken rule and the law carved into the foundaation of this place also one that had been followed without exception for years. But Marco was different. Not because he deserved mercy -NO that bastard deserved every agony imaginable but because death was too easy. Death was a release and a way out and he hadn’t earned that privilege yet. Not by a fucking long shot and one thing I know
Rafael’s POVI found her again that afternoon in the west wing near the tall windows that overlooked the garden maze. She was sitting on the windowsill with her knees hugged to her chest and a worn book pressed against her lap bur clearly forgotten. Her little face was tilted toward the light and dark lashes casting shadows on her cheeks and her silence filled the hallway like a quiet melody. I didn’t say anything at first. I just stood there, watching her because this small, thoughtful girl with the same gray eyes as me that made me stop breathing every damn time she looked at me. She noticed me eventually because she always always did. Isabella turned her head slowly and gave me a half smile all shy and guardes like she wasn’t sure if I was the same man who snapped at people for breathing too loud or the man who gave her strawberry ice cream when no one was looking. I didn’t return the smile (I never did) but I stepped closer and held out a small black velvet box. She blinked th
Rafael’s POVI watched her from the balcony, the late morning sun casting a soft sheen across her skin. She sat in the garden alone, cross legged on the blanket Anna must have brought out for her work eyes closed as though meditating. Her lips were parted slightly,her hair messy from sleep falling in strands around her face like some untamed halo. She looked so delicate that it pissed me off.She was soft again. Softer than I wanted her to be and softer than I could afford to let her be. The tenderness wrapped around her made me clench my jaw. She’d healed far too much and too fast. Not physically but I still caught the slight stiffness in the way she moved sometimes, the flinch she tried to hide when she twisted too sharply but emotionally. The pain I had dealt out had faded from her eyes. She was beginning to breathe freely again. That would not do. She was mine and i want her still broken and stilm needing fixing.I called in the doctor before I could talk myself out of it. I want
Rafael’s POVI knew she was coming before the door evem opened. It was in the way the air shifted. The way something electric rolled across the room making the hairs on my arms rise like a storm was about to hit. And then Adriana appeared.And she was wearing the shortest dress imaginable like it was her personal declaration of war. It was emerald green (a color I told her was made fucking for her) it was bold and sharp and fucking gorgeous. The former Rafael would have been on his knees kissing the floor she was walking on. The way I had worshipped the ground she used to walk on!The fabric clung to every sinful curve of her body dipping over one shoulder and leaving the other bare while intentionally exposing the side without her healing wound like she knew exactly what she was doing. The neckline swept low almost dangerously so while revealing a teasing swell of her breasts that had my gaze caught for far too long. The dress ended mid-thigh and her legs long and glowing under the
Adriana’s POVI didn’t need a formal request to join Rafael for breakfast anymore. I’ve wallowed in my memories long enough to push them away and decided to take control of my life now. After a week of waking up to Anna’s too sweet smile and Rafael’s clipped orders echoing through the halls like daily gospel, it had become routine and automatic even. Like breathing or blinking or nursing a wound you no longer had the energy to dress. My shoulder duh. This morning, I ignored the fancy dresses Anna had so lovingly arranged on the edge of my bed and the pastel colors and soft silk making my stomach twist. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a plain shirt instead. It was not too tight or too glamorous. Just simple and clean because I was tired of pretending to be something I wasn’t. Tired of sitting at the dining table like some pretty little puppet in designer clothing while Rafael played king and I… I played quiet. Or the prey in this case really. I descended the staircase slowly while
Adriana’s POVFew months ago….The mall smelled like cinnamon rolls and expensive perfume. I was standing behind the counter of a kids’ clothing store folding a stack of tiny pastel sweaters anz trying to ignore the ache in my lower back and the tightness in my chest that hadn’t really gone away since everything fell apart.It had been eight months since the divorce. Eight long, humiliating ans exhausting months. Marco kept everything including the house, car and ven avings. All I walked away with was my daughter and a few suitcases of clothes and even those felt too heavy to carry some days. No alimony. No help. Nothing.I was working two jobs. This was one of them. Part time retail, minimum wage and dealing with rude customers who snapped their fingers when I didn’t fold fast enough or asked if I could iron out the onesies because “they looked wrinkled.” I was surviving and barely. But I was proud of that.I didn’t see her at first. It wasn’t until I straightened up, reaching for th
Adriana’s POVOne year ago…The rain had just started when I stepped out of the cab and it was soft and slow like the sky wasn’t sure if it wanted to cry with me or just watch me suffer. My steps were heavy as i walked toward the familiar building, the one I used to visit almost every week when things were still… normal. Back when Marco was still mine. Back when Lily was just the sweet younger girl next door with all big green eyes and soft giggles, showing up with banana bread and claiming Isabella was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. Claiming to be her auntie though we are not blood related. We used to sit in my living room and drink cheap wine while she played with my daughter like she was her own. People always said we looked like sisters. Same eyes. Same shape. Back then, her hair was brunette but she started dyeing it blonde. I thought it was flattering. I thought she admired me. I used to dye my red hair blonde because Marco likes them like rthat. God I was such a fool. I k
Adriana’s POVThe sun hadn’t risen yet and thw ghostly grey still hung over the house like a veil, dulling everything it touched. My body was awake but my mind refused to settle. I couldn’t sleep not deeply and not peacefully as i want to. Not with this strange itch under my skin and this pressure in my chest like something was trying to claw its way out.I moved quietly through the room even though I was alone. There was somerhing about moving around when the world hasn’t completely risen. I didn’t know where i was going or what I was searching for only that something was calling me. Tugging at me and It led me to the closet.The corner I didn’t want to touched from my old apartment. The old, ignored part of the wardrobe where forgotten scarves, broken jewelry, baby clothes and timeworn boxes lived untouched. I hadn’t dared toich them in years but they were brought here by Rafael’s men. I found it beneath a velvet scarf I used to wear in winter. A transparent plastic storage bin wit
Rafael’s POVThe air in the study was thick with tension and its the kind that clung to your skin and made breathing just a bit harder than usual. My elbows rested on the dark mahogany desk, fingers steepled under my chin as I listened to Anthony’s low casual voice cut through the silence like a blade.“She’s adjusting pretty fast considering everything.” He said, leaning against the wall witj arms crossed like he had no care in the world. “I even caught her humming while helping Isabella with her puzzle.”I didn’t say anything at first. I could feel Nathan’s presence before he spoke which was a colder kind of silence and the type that didn’t invite conversation. He stood by the window, staring out with the same blank look he’d worn since the day Adriana took that bullet for him. A look I once saw as indifferent. Now I realized it was calculation… and maybe guilt. Anthony didn’t seem to notice or didn’t care. He pushed on, adding with a teasing lilt. “Kinda weird, huh? Never thought
Adriana’s POVThe morning breeze drifted into my room lifting the edge of the curtain and brushing against my face as if trying to wake me up gently. But I hadn’t been asleep. I’d been tossing in bed for what felt like forever, unable to get comfortable with my thoughts racing and heart pounding even though the house was quiet. It had been like that all night thinking about last evening, the way Rafael had pulled me into his lap like I was some toy he owned and the way his lips had touched my skin so slowly and deliberately like he knew what it would do to me. And the worst part? My body had responded to him like it always did. Like it was betraying me. I didn’t know what to feel anymore. I was tired of myself and tired of feeling. Because he has teased me fucking enough now. Somewhere between trying to close my eyes and giving up, I ended up walking to the balcony dragging the curtain back and stepping out barefoot witj my arms hugging my body because the air still held that early