All Chapters of FORBIDDEN INTIMACY: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

"I have something to tell you.” Luca murmured against my ear I looked up at him, my eyes wide and filled with an intensity, I knew he had something to say, we had to talk “Go on,” I whispered softly, my voice reasurring, urgent. "I'm in the mafia" The world seemed to tilt on its axis. The weight of his words settled on my shoulders, heavy and suffocating. A single tear traced a path down my cheek, leaving a cold trail of fear and confusion. "I'm the Don of the Italian mafia," he continued, his voice low and steady, but I felt a tremor run through him. The air thickened with unspoken tension, the only sound the choked sobs that escaped my lips. I clung to him, his warmth the only comfort in the face of the truth that had crashed down upon me. I wanted to stand, to pull away, to escape the suffocating reality, but I couldn't. I needed to feel him close, to feel the warmth of his presence, to hold on to the last vestiges of normalcy. Why the fuck was I crying? Was he okay? Was he

I couldn't bear staying in the same place as Hazel. I wasn't going to stay in Los Angeles, not with her going back home. But before I left, I needed to give the press something. I had checked my phone earlier, and the headlines weren't doing good things for my company. I needed to control the narrative, to at least appear in control. I arrived at the company, grabbing a few things and doing some work. I could hear the crowd outside, trying to get answers from one of my men, who I had told to act as my personal assistant. I decided to close off the office and get this whole thing over with. I walked out, and there they were, waiting at the front door. I was ready to speak to them. I was tired of this, tired of the whispers and the drama. "Due to the recent allegations made by my fellow businessman, Dmitri," I said, my gaze unwavering. "Rossi Enterprise will be temporarily shutting down while I clear my name and address these claims. To our investors and partners, I understand

I opened the door to Luca's room, and there he was, Lorenzo, the big guy Marco had appointed to watch over me. He was still in front of the door as always, a silent guardian. I felt a strange sense of security around him, almost like he was... well, I wasn't sure how to describe it. But all through, he'd been nice, never threatening, never making me feel uncomfortable. Marco wouldn't have entrusted me to him if he didn't trust him, that much was certain. After all, Marco had sworn that if anything happened to me and Luca came back and found me in pain, Luca was going to kill him. So, he was careful. Very careful.But even with that reassurance, a nagging feeling of unease lingered. There was something about Lorenzo, a vibe, a subtle shift in his presence that made me question his true intentions. It wasn't anything concrete, just a feeling, a prickling at the back of my neck that suggested he wasn't as pure as he seemed. He was just... off. I couldn't quite put my finger on it

Lena's POV The world was a blurry, painful mess. My eyelids felt like lead weights, the pressure of them pushing down on my eyes, but I knew I had to fight to open them. My head throbbed, each beat of pain echoing through my skull. I finally managed to pry them open a sliver, the world coming into focus slowly. Moonlight filtered through a high window, casting long, distorted shadows on the rough stone walls. I was sitting on the cold, hard ground, my legs stretched out in front of me. I tried to move my hands, but I felt a sickening tightness, a binding sensation. Panic began to claw its way up my throat. My wrists were tied, my legs too. A wave of confusion washed over me. Where was I? Why was I tied up? What happened? I remembered being on a walk with Lorenzo,..... And that's when it clicked. Lorenzo had betrayed us together with some other men. He had drugged me and now I was here. Desperation seized me. I tried to wiggle my wrists free, pulling at the ropes with every

Luca's POVThe anger simmered through me, a molten core threatening to erupt. I grabbed Marco’s shirt, my fingers digging into the fabric. "How the fuck did she get kidnapped? Where was she going? Where the fuck were you?"Marco slapped my hand away, his eyes blazing. "Don't fucking touch me. If you hadn't left, or maybe you had the decency to tell any of us where you were going, or carried her along with you to make sure she was safe, she wouldn't have been crying her eyes out and then decided to go for a walk with that fucking traitor, Lorenzo." "What were you doing? Where the fuck were you, Marco? You know how much she fucking means to me."“I don’t know shit. You should own up to your girl and not expect me to do it. Or what the fuck did you expect me to do? Play babysitter and have tea with her? You can't protect what you care about and expect me to do it? You’re fucking crazy,” Marco said, his voice cold and cutting. He shoved past me and headed for the office.I followed him,