All Chapters of Shattered Attraction: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Daniella didn’t just take up space—she consumed it. She devoured attention and affection. She basked in the limelight, absorbing every flicker of love until nothing remained for anyone else. Gabriella had spent her life in the periphery, a silhouette cast in her sister’s incandescent glow.For years, she had told herself it didn’t matter. That she could live with being the afterthought, that love, even when rationed, was still love. But what had always puzzled her most was the resentment Daniella harbored toward her. It was a slow-burning, insidious thing, lurking beneath the surface of her sister’s sweet, dimpled smiles. Gabriella could never understand why, when she had always yielded, but Daniella still wanted more.She had been ten when she finally grasped the brutal truth: her mother would never love her the way she loved Daniella. The realization had come not as a whispered suspicion but as a thunderous blow, shattering the last fragile illusions she had clung to as a child.It

I was sitting across from Gabriella, watching as she absentmindedly rolled her fork through her pasta, but barely lifted it to her lips. Her forehead was creased in a frown, and then she let out a soft sigh, it was so quiet that I almost missed it.She had not taken a single bite of her food since it had been served. I shouldn't have cared. I should’ve ignored it and focused on my own meal. But something about the way she sat there, looking lost in thought, made me speak before I could stop myself.“What’s wrong, wife? Don’t you like the food?” I asked, my voice neutral as I reached for the tray of fresh bread.She hesitated, it was very obvious that there was something on her mind as her fingers tightened slightly around the handle of her fork. Then, in a soft voice, she asked, “Can I make use of your cell phone later?”I paused, my grip on the bread knife tightening slightly. We had been having lunch together for days now, a routine that had somehow formed without me realizing it. A

The restaurant was humming with stillness and the air was permeated with the comforting aromas of roasted coffee and warm pastries. Two other patrons barely occupied the space, clinking their beverages without a murmur.The soft clink of ceramic cups against saucers broke the silence, a gentle reminder of the mundane world outside the storm of emotions brewing within Gabriella. At a small table near the window she sat stiffly, fingers curled around the cool rim of an untouched cup of coffee. The aroma, rich and bittersweet, curled upward, but she hardly noticed.Beneath her skin, her nerves crackled like static electricity, while she waited for Bella. Rico stood behind her like a sentry, his rigid posture was like an unspoken reminder of Dante’s omniscient gaze.She could tell the waitresses were gossiping about her. She felt their passing gazes, heard their whispers hovering around her but they were never close enough for her to actually hear what they were saying. She was never allo

DanteI smirked as I watched Rafe through the hidden camera feed in his warehouse. The grainy footage did little to soften the sheer fury etched into his face. Two days ago, my men and I had intercepted his shipment—several million dollars worth of coke, gone up in smoke. He was beyond pissed. Good.Payback was a bitch and she was mine to collect.I leaned back in my chair, fingers steepled under my chin as I watched him pace like a caged animal. He ran his hand over his slicked-back hair, muttering curses under his breath. Then, without warning, he pulled his gun. His movements were so fast that I barely saw them before two loud bangs echoed through the air.The guards on duty fell to the ground, screaming as blood spread beneath them. Their knees were gone—blown out in one swift, merciless motion. My stomach didn't so much as clench at the sight. In our world, men didn’t just inherit power or money. They inherited grudges, vendettas, and wars. Those guards had chosen their allegianc

DanteThe bathroom door banged shut, and I finally let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding.When Matteo stepped out, dressed in a loose hospital gown, he looked different—weary, smaller somehow. His usual arrogance, the sharp edge of defiance in his eyes, was dulled. He wasn’t just tired. He was broken.He took a slow, deliberate step toward the hospital bed and sank onto the edge with a heavy sigh.“Fra…” His voice was rough, worn down like sandpaper. “I don’t want to go back.”I met his gaze. The shadows under his eyes, the tightness in his jaw—Matteo had seen hell these past two weeks. And hell had changed him.“Let me come home, please,” he murmured. “I promise I will behave.”Part of me wanted to make him beg a little longer, to remind him of the mess he’d made, the blood he’d spilled, the risks he’d taken without thinking. Finding this once-proud man slouched down before me now — defeated — I knew he had already been punished plenty.I nodded. “You can come home, M