All Chapters of Shattered Attraction: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

DanteThe air in the lounge was thick with tension. Rafe’s men had their guns drawn, their fingers twitching over the triggers. But Rafe wasn’t hiding behind them—no, he was right in my face, gripping my collar so tightly I could feel his breath against my skin. “I could kill you right now and take that video,” he growled, his eyes locked onto mine. I let out a sharp, amused laugh. “You haven’t changed a bit, Rafe. Still predictable. Still incapable of thinking outside the box.” I yanked myself free from his grasp, straightening my suit with deliberate ease. “And that, my friend, will always be your weakness.” I finished.I let the words sink in before raising a brow. “Do you really think that’s the only copy?” My smirk widened as I watched his jaw clench. “This is evidence you don’t want getting out.” Rafe’s knuckles went white as he gripped the table, his eyes burning with rage, but he didn’t say a word. “So, this is how you do business now?” he finally ground out, gestur

The man tugged his baseball cap low over his face, while steadily avoiding the cameras. He looked down the corridor to make sure there was no one around before slipping into the room.The hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor. Nonna lay still, her eyes closed with a tube in her mouth. The lights were dim which casted soft shadows across the sterile white walls.He stood by the bed, his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his dark coat. Minutes ticked by as he kept watching her, almost refusing to let go. The woman who had raised him when no one else had cared to.The woman who had wiped his tears when he was a child, she had taught him how to say his prayers and how to survive in a world that had no softness for people like them. And now she was here, trapped in a bed, her frail body covered in tubes and wires. A ventilator forced air into her lungs with an unnatural hiss. Her chest rose and fell, but it wasn’t real breathing. Machines were k

DanteMy jaw tightened as I looked back at my wife. “Stay here and don’t move,” I said.She opened her mouth to argue, but the look I gave her must have silenced her. “Dante, wait—”“Gabriella.” I started, my tone firm, leaving no room for discussion. “I mean it. Stay here.” I immediately turned towards the exit, meeting Rico at the front door.“Boss!” his tone was sharp and urgent. “It’s your brother” he finished.“What has Matteo done this time?” I groaned in frustration, rubbing my hand down my face.Rico hesitated for a fraction of a second, then said, “He was drunk… almost raped Hannah’s little girl.”A cold wave crashed over me. “Che cazzo?” I stopped in my tracks, my pulse hammering. “Where is he now? And what was that gunshot about?”“Well, Enzo stepped in. Tried to stop him.” Rico exhaled through his nose. “Matteo shot him. He’s in the boathouse.”I let out a stream of expletives as we walked towards the boathouse. The door was slightly ajar, and light filtered through the op

He was ten years old, and Matteo had been six.“Matteo!” their father’s voice thundered through the thin walls, shaking the air in the room. It was always like this. Dante groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. All their father does is yell. He had thought as he rolled in on the mat.Dante didn't need to check the time. The sky outside was still dark, which meant their father had been drinking through the night again. That spelled trouble. It was not even day break yet and his father was already drunk as a skunk. The old, worn-out staircase creaked under his father’s weight as he staggered up the stairs.His heart leaped to his throat as he turned to Matteo. His little brother was sprawled out on their shared mat, limbs tangled in the thin, tattered blanket. He slept so deeply it was like waking the dead. Sometimes, Dante thought the only way to get him up would be to throw him into a bucket of ice water. But there was no time for that now.“Matteo, wake up!” Dante whispered urgently, shak

GabriellaHe looked out of character. Like he was reliving memories he had no intention of ever reliving. He clenched his jaw as his fingers tapped the edge of the table unconsciously. His eyes which were normally sharp and focused were now glazed, as if they were lost in a place I couldn’t reach.“Dante…” I called, trying my best to bring him back to the present. But he was not budging. My brows furrowed as I tapped him softly on the arm. He moved on reflex, taking hold of my arm. His grip was tight, strong—too strong. But at least his eyes no longer had that glazed, faraway look.“I’m sorry.” He said, blinking very rapidly, as if he had finally realized where he was. He released my arm abruptly as a heavy sigh left his lips, rubbing his face in agitation and then leaning back in his seat. He cleared his throat, trying to mask the momentary loss of control. But before I could say anything, a loud ringing filled the air.It took me a second to realize it was his phone.“Oh, shit!” he