Sofia.
Warm fingers traced lazy circles on my bare shoulder, pulling me from the delicate balance between sleep and wakefulness. I sighed, snuggling deeper into the warmth surrounding me, pressing my cheek against the firm chest beneath me.
"Kotyonok?" Nikolai's sleep-rough voice sent a pleasant shiver down my spine. The gruffness of his tone stirred Nadei and Nial awake. "Where do you think you're going off to so soon?"
I hummed, stretching slightly, only for an arm to tighten around my waist, pulling me back. Nadei was behind me, his breath soft against the back of my neck, his arm possessively slung over my stomach. Nial was in front, his leg tangled with mine, his fingers skimming my thigh beneath the sheets.
I was wrapped in them.
Surrounded. Sheltered. It felt like a cocoon—like something I could sink into and never leave.
“I should get up,” I whispered.
Nadei made a soft sound of disapproval. &ld
Sofia.The air between us was thick with tension as Arsen walked away, his figure melting into the shadows of the dimly lit restaurant. I could feel all three of their eyes on me, waiting for some kind of explanation.I could feel Nikolai’s hand still resting on mine, his fingers slowly squeezing as though grounding himself, trying to stay calm. But I knew it was a struggle. I cleared my throat, trying to find the right words. “It’s not what you think.”Nial’s thumb stroked my wrist gently, his gaze soft yet insistent. “Then what is it, Love?”I took a steadying breath, trying to calm the rapid beat of my heart. “Arsen is... complicated. We’ve been through a lot together, but it’s not like that anymore.” My voice softened, remembering the time before. "He’s just—he's always been protective of me. I think that’s why he can’t let go."Nadei, ever the direct one,
Sofia.The world outside ceased to exist the moment they laid me down. I was surrounded—by heat, by hands, by lips that mapped every inch of my body with a devotion so fierce it stole my breath. I could feel my pussy pulse with need. I could cry from how much I craved their cocks in me.Gods, it's been a while since they have fucked me.Nikolai was the first to move, his hands gripping my thighs as he settled between them, his hazel eyes dark with unspoken promises. “Look at you,” he murmured, his voice like silk laced with fire. “Already so desperate for us. Spread your legs open for us, Kitten. Let us see that gorgeous pussy.”I was beyond desperate.Nadei hovered over me, his jade-green eyes locking onto mine as his fingers traced my collarbone, down between my breasts, down to my heat, teasing me, testing me. “You’re always so responsive, kotyonok,” he mused, his lips curving into something wicked
Nadei.The soft light of dawn filtered through the curtains, casting a golden glow over the bed. The air was thick with the remnants of last night—passion still clinging to our skin, the scent of her still on my hands, my mouth. I was never going to get enough of her. Not in this lifetime, not in any.Sofia lay sprawled between us, her body relaxed, her breathing steady. She was a fucking masterpiece. Marked. Claimed. Her skin bore the evidence of our hands, our mouths, our need.But it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.I propped myself on my elbow, my fingers tracing lazy patterns over her bare back. Her skin was warm, soft, and I watched as she stirred, blinking up at me with sleep-heavy eyes. Nikolai was curled around her from behind, his face buried in her hair, and Nial’s arm was draped possessively over her waist, his grip firm even in sleep.She was completely ours.I pressed my lips to her shoulder, fee
Sofia.I adjusted the coat around my shoulders, feeling the familiar knot of tension settle in my stomach as I stepped into the quiet café. This place was almost a regular place for me and Arsen. It was small, tucked away from the chaos of the busy streets, and dimly lit. It should’ve been comforting, but something about it felt off—like a weight hanging in the air that I couldn’t quite place.When I spotted Arsen, sitting in a booth near the back with a young boy beside him, I couldn’t help the sharp inhale that caught in my throat. The child—he looked so much like his father. Dark curls, big, curious brown eyes that seemed to take in everything around him, and a quiet kind of wariness that made my heart twist in ways I didn’t expect.“Belle Mia,” Arsen greeted, standing up as I approached. His voice was warm, though there was an edge to it. A tension I couldn’t ignore. I was never wrong about this ki
Sofia.The car ride was silent, save for the low hum of the engine and the rhythmic drumming of my fingers against my thigh. My mind was a battlefield of thoughts, each one sharper than the last. I knew that they were pissed. The way they had pulled me out of that café like I was some damsel in distress made my skin itch. I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t some fragile thing they needed to protect. Gosh, how many freaking times did they want me to spell that out for them!But I also wasn’t stupid.Someone had set this up. Someone wanted Arsen dead and I gone. And that meant one thing—there were more secrets lurking beneath the surface than I realized.Nikolai’s grip on the steering wheel was tight, his knuckles turning white. “What the hell were you thinking?” he finally snapped, his voice controlled but laced with fury. ''You had security details for a reason. You should never leave the house without them. How fucking hard was that to understand?!''“I was thinking that I was going to meet him,
Sofia.The weight of their words still lingered in the air as the car sped down the darkened road, the tension between us thick, charged with an unspoken decision. We all knew what had to be done. Nikolai was the first to break the damning silence, his voice low and resolute. “We need to meet with him.”I snapped my gaze to him. “What?”“You heard me, Malyshka,” he said without looking away from the road. “This isn’t just your problem. It’s all of ours now and we need to handle it as soon as we can.”I frowned, shifting in my seat. “I don’t see how dragging him into this any more than he already is, is going to help.”Nial, sitting beside me, exhaled sharply. “We’re not dragging him into anything. He’s already in it. That café attack wasn’t just a message to you—it was a message to him. His son is a target, too, We aren't about to be caught in the crossfire not knowing whose on our side and who isn't.”A chill ran down my spine. Alexei.He was a fucking kid, he hadn't done a damn thin
Author's POV.The moment Sofia and her husbands left- fuck, he hated that word. Husbands. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, and it wasn't fair to him. He wanted to be the man for her. He desereved that title, but she chose them, not him, he reminded himself - silence settled over the room like a thick fog, suffocating and heavy. Arsen exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face before gripping the edge of the table. The tension in his shoulders had coiled so tight he thought he might snap.He should have expected this. From the second he locked eyes with those five men in the café, he knew this moment would come. The past had never been the kind to stay buried, not for people like them. Not for men who lived in the shadows of power and blood.Sofia was different now. He had seen it in the steel of her gaze, the way she held herself—not just as a mother, not just as the girl he used to know, but as something else entirely. A woman carved by war and loss, by survival. The Bratva’s
Arsen.I had always known my past would come back for me. But I never thought it would come like this—like a blade pressing against my throat, like a storm tearing apart everything in its wake. Like my heart was going to be ripped away from my ribbcage.Sitting in that dimly lit room, my jaw still aching from the blond dickhead's punch, I could feel the weight of my next words before they even left my mouth. I had their attention now. The three men who owned Sofia’s heart. The men who would kill me without hesitation if they thought I was a danger to her.And maybe I was.I exhaled sharply, pushing down the bitterness that always threatened to surface when I thought about what could have been. What should have been. I wasn’t here for that. I was here because I had answers. And they needed them."The people after Sofia? They aren’t just old enemies," I began, my voice even, controlled, despite the storm raging inside me. "They’re the remnants of something much worse. Something that nev
Nikolai.The sun was beginning its slow descent, drenching the estate in a thick, golden haze. The gardens looked like they belonged in a painting, every blade of grass and stone path lit up like someone had dipped them in honey.The air had that crisp, early evening bite to it—the kind that hinted at colder nights ahead, the kind that made your breath puff out in little clouds if you waited long enough.It was the kind of quiet that settled not just around you, but inside you.I hadn’t realized how bad I needed that silence until I was drowning in it.Not the fake kind you get in the middle of chaos when your brain just...short-circuits.No, this was real silence.Healing silence.Aurelio sat next to me on the stone steps, hunched forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees. His hand curled loosely around the iron railing beside him, fingertips absently tracing the cold metal. His gaze was fixed out past the gardens, past the trees, locked on some point on the horizon only he could
Nikolai.The sun had just started its lazy climb when I stepped outside, coffee mugs in hand and sleep still clinging to the corners of my mind.The estate grounds were soaked in golden light, the grass jeweled with dew like nature had cried a little last night but decided to make the best of it this morning. A breeze swept through the lemon trees, carrying that light citrusy scent Sofia always said reminded her of summers in Italy. The air felt warm but not heavy, peaceful but not silent—alive in a way that made my ribs loosen.It smelled like hope.And after everything we’d survived—everything we were still clawing our way through—I wasn’t going to waste that. Peace like this was rare in our world. You had to hold it tight, two hands and all heart.Across the lawn, I spotted her first.Sofia sat on a picnic blanket under the olive tree—her olive tree, the one she’d stubbornly refused to let the gardeners trim because “It has character, shut up.” Lorelai was perched between her legs,
Sofia.The house was quiet again. Not the warm hush of family sleep like before—this was different. Tense. Coiled.I closed the door to the master bedroom behind me with shaking fingers. They weren’t here. I’d kissed them all goodnight. Told them I loved them. And then I’d said what none of us had ever dared to say aloud.“I want to be with him tonight too. I want Arsen.”There’d been silence. Tight jaws. Clenched fists. But they’d nodded , nevertheless. Not because they wanted to, but because they respected it. Me. Him.And now I was in the hallway, heart thudding like a warning bell.His door was open.The room was barely lit—moonlight spilling across the bed where he sat, shirtless, head bowed, tattoos twisting over his arms and shoulders like shadows, his scars full on display. He didn’t look up. “Are you going to come in,” he said, voice low, “Or are you just staying and leaving a second after?”My throat tightened. I walked in.He still didn’t move.“I'm sorry I couldn't stay wi
Sofia.The house had settled into sleep. Deep, contented sleep—the kind that comes after too much food, too much laughter, and just enough wine to make your muscles hum. I’d tucked Lorelai in with Aurelio, kissed her goodnight, and left them curled up like something sacred. It made my chest ache in the best way.But now…Now I was tiptoeing back into the room I shared with my husbands.The lights were low, golden and soft like candlelight, spilling across skin and sheets. Nadei was sprawled on the bed like he’d been sculpted there—shirtless, his long legs tangled in the duvet, green eyes glinting as he scrolled through his phone. Nikolai stood at the mirror adjusting his watch strap, because even undressing was apparently a production with him. Nial was at the foot of the bed, all quiet storm in his black tee and sweatpants, sipping his herbal tea from a mug like he wasn’t watching me like prey.My mouth went dry.“Hi,” I said, breath catching a little.Nadei grinned, stretching like
Author’s POV.The house had quieted down into that soft, post-dinner lull—where even the shadows on the walls seemed to breathe slower. Distant murmurs echoed from the living room, where the others were watching some awful old mafia film Luca claimed was “a classic.” Someone was already asleep on the couch. Probably Renzo. He always passed out after too much pasta like some kind of carb-loaded bear who was getting ready to hibrenate.Aurelio wasn’t with them.He was in the hallway upstairs, sitting at the edge of his old bedroom—the one he hadn’t dared sleep in yet. Too many pieces of him still scattered like glass inside it. Too many ghosts watching from the corners.He stared at the room like it might bite him.The bed was made. The same comforter. Same shelves. Someone had even fixed the frame of the photo he’d apparently shattered during one of his more violent post-surgery episodes. A picture of the five of them—Sofia in the middle, arms folded, eyes rolling. Him grinning with an
Author's POV. The dining room buzzed with the strange, delicate noise of almost normal. Silverware clinked. Someone—probably Valentino—had already cracked a joke that made Sofia roll her eyes but smile anyway. The scent of roasted garlic and marinara filled the air like nostalgia on steroids. Aurelio sat at the long table—not at the head, but somewhere in the middle—flanked by people who were supposed to be his family. Despite their warmth, their laughter, the endless attempts to make him feel at home, he still felt like the odd man out. But he noticed things. Like how Nial grumbled at his overcooked chicken while quietly passing napkins like he was trying not to breathe too loud. Arsen sat at the far end, balancing Alexei on his lap, slicing soft bread one-handed while talking to Sofia, who had Jade snuggled against her side. They were so, in their element. In their nature. Then— “Uncle Liooo!” A high-pitched squeal cut through the hum of conversation. A tiny bolt of cur
Aurelio.The toy soldier hadn’t moved.It still sat like a goddamn sentinel on my nightstand. Plastic. Ugly. Important.I don’t know why I hadn’t thrown it out the window.Maybe because it felt like it belonged more than I did.Jade had curled up next to me earlier, warm and trusting like he didn’t know I was broken. And even after he left the room—pulled away by his father—I could still feel the ghost of his tiny arms around my waist. And that? That shook something loose inside me more than any punch ever could.-Later in the day.I was in another room, arms up against Nial as we circled each other. We were sparring. That was their fucked up version of making me remember, it wasn't conventional. Wasn't something in one's right mind would do but I was willing to try as long as it meant they wouldnt look at me in that empathetic way they all did. I was going to try to find me.Whoever that was.“Stop thinking.”Nial’s voice snapped like a whip. Cruel and unforgiving.He was circling
Aurelio.The name was just a sound. Letters. Noise.But the weight behind it? That wasn’t noise.That was pressure. Gravity. Like I’d been dropped into a life that expected me to perform, to remember, to be this person they were mourning like he was already dead.Aurelio Verticolli.Everyone in this room knew who he was.Except me.And the worst part?I felt like I was disappointing them just by existing.Sofia hadn’t let go of my hand. Her grip was gentle, but I could feel the tension in her fingertips—like she was holding onto hope with every fiber of her being, and the second she let go, she’d fall apart.That made my chest ache.Even if I couldn’t remember her.I studied her profile—soft lines drawn tight with exhaustion. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Weeks, maybe. Her eyes were red-rimmed but fierce. Protective. She was a fighter. I didn’t need memories to know that.Sofia Verticolli. My sister.“Why are you all still here?” I asked suddenly, voice rough, a little cra
Aurelio.The man on the other side of the glass had a smirk that felt like it belonged to someone I should know. Someone important. Someone close.But I didn’t know him.I didn’t know myself.I clenched my jaw, something burning in my chest—frustration, maybe. Anger. A gnawing sense of wrongness that had been there since I woke up.The name they kept calling me—Aurelio Verticolli—felt like a suit that didn’t fit. Too tight in some places, too loose in others.I should recognize it. I should recognize them.But when I searched my mind, it was just… nothing. blank.Like looking into a fogged-up mirror and knowing there was a reflection behind it, but never being able to see it clearly.The man at the window tilted his head, still watching me like he was waiting for something.“You ready to remember who the fuck you are?”The words scraped against something raw inside me.Was I?I didn’t answer.He smirked again, but there was something sharper behind it. “Don’t worry. We’ll remind you.”