Chapter 22%
Darius stiffened. “You’re drunk “B
I laughed softly, tilting my head. “So?”
His jaw clenched. “I won’t take advantage of you.”
“You’re not,” I murmured, my lips brushing against his jaw. “I want this ”
Darius cursed under his breath.
“Valeria-”
I silenced him by pulling him down, capturing his lips with mine.!!
For a second, he didn’t move.
Then he gave in.
The kiss turned desperate.
His hands tangled in my hair, his body pressing against mine, heat consuming every inch of me. I needed this
Needed to feel something other than pain.
I pulled at his shirt, dragging him down with me as we sank into the mattress.
Darius groaned, his breath hot against my skin.!!
“You’re going to regret this,” he muttered.8
I smirked, wrapping my legs around him. “Then make it worth regretting.”
His control snapped.
And then there was no going back.
The moment I woke up, something felt wrong.
The sheets were cold beside me. Darius was gone.
I groaned, pressing a hand to my throbbing temple. My mouth was dry, my body aching in ways I didn’t want to acknowledge. Hangover.
Damn it.2
Flashes of last night assaulted me, unfiltered and cruel. Darius’s hands gripping my waist, his lips searing against my skin, the rough, heated way he claimed me. The way I had begged for more.
Four times.
He claimed me four times.
Shame curled in my stomach, sharp and nauseating. What the hell was I thinking?!
I pushed myself out of bed, wincing as my sore muscles protested. I was naked, the evidence of my recklessness written all over my skin in light bruises and faded bite marks. My reflection in the floor–length mirror mocked me–tousled hair, swollen lips, the ghost of Darius lingering in every detail.!!
I hated myself. Hated how weak I had been, Hated how, for a moment, I had let myself forget.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
He wasn’t supposed to happen.
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, desperate for a distraction, for anything to ground me back in reality.
A single notification blinked on my screen.
Unknown Number: You should’ve died with your daughter.
I stared at it, my mind blank.
Then, I laughed.
A bitter, hollow sound that didn’t belong to me.!!
I wasn’t even surprised
Death threats weren’t new. I had lost count of how many I had received over the years being wife of Lorenzo before. Some were empty threats Some weren’t
It didn’t matter.
They could come for me E
They could try
They had no idea how many times I had already wished for death myself.
I tossed my phone onto the bed and stepped into the bathroom. The cold water did little to wash away my regrets, but it was enough reset myself, to shove everything deep inside where it couldn’t suffocate me.
By the time I got dressed–sleek black dress, stilettos, perfect makeup–I looked the part of Victoria Moretti again. Cold. Untouchable Unfazed.
I needed coffee
The fine–dining restaurant was nearly empty, the scent of freshly baked pastries and roasted coffee filling the air. I sat by ordering an espresso and eggs benedict, my fingers drumming against the table as I waited.
Outside, the city was alive–people moving on with their lives, laughing, working, rushing from one place to another. Like nothing had changed.
Like Amara had never existed.
I exhaled sharply, pushing the thought away before it could take root
Then, a small hand touched my arm.
I tumed, and my breath caught X
A little girl stood beside me.
Petite, delicate. The same slender frame as Amara
Her dark, silky hair was styled exactly like my daughter’s.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.!!
It’s not her.
The girl held out a single red rose.
A note was attached to the stem.
the window.
My fingers trembled as I took it. The handwriting was elegant, familiar in a way
that sent a chill down my spine.
“Enjoy your peace, Victoria Moretti… or should I say, Valeria De Luca. Your time is running out.“?
My blood turned to ice.
1 froze.
My head snapped up, searching the restaurant, my pulse thundering in my ears.
But the girl-”
She was gone.
I shot to my feet, my chair scraping against the polished floor. My gaze swept the room, the entrance, the street outside. Nothing.
No trace of her
The restaurant manager approached me hesitantly. “Is everything alright, ma’am?”
I forced my breathing to slow, clenching the note so tightly it crumpled in my palm. “Did you see the little girl who was just here?“% He blinked, “Little girl?”
“She gave me this.” I held up the rose, my voice sharp.
The man frowned, glancing at the rose as if it meant nothing. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but no child has been inside the restaurant.” I felt my stomach drop.
“No,” I snapped. “She was just here. Small, black hair, she-”
“Ma’am,” he cut in gently “There has been no child in this restaurant today.”
! stood there, frozen, the weight of his statement pressing down on me.!!
No child E
my throat dry. My fingers tightened around the note, my
mind racing.}
I swallowed, my
Someone was playing a game with me.”
A cruel, calculated game.
