Chapter: Chapter Fifty-fiveAvery’s POV.The wagon jolted and rattled over every uneven patch of ground. I stayed silent, at least verbally. My teeth chattered the entire way as the freezing night air leaked through the wooden slats. The thin gown the rogues had forced on me after the inspection did nothing to keep out the cold, leaving me shivering uncontrollably.One of the guards riding in the back finally grunted in irritation. "Shut that noise up. You're driving me mad.” He tossed a coarse, filthy blanket over me. It smelled of sweat and mold, but I pulled it tighter anyway, trying to trap what little warmth I could.I shot him a cold glare instead of thanking him. Then, I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders and focused on breathing through the pain. Every second that passed took me farther from Lucian and closer to whatever fresh hell Raith had prepared.The wagon finally slowed. Dread settled deep in my gut. I steeled my spine and waited as both men climbed out of the wagon, the doors slamming
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-08-01
Chapter: Chapter Fifty-fourAvery’s POV. The stocky rogue grabbed the chains connecting my wrists, pulling me upward. My legs were stiff, and my steps were heavy as he led me toward the main hall. The sound of a large, restless crowd grew louder with every step, a low rumble of voices, and the clinking of glasses. We passed through a heavy curtain, and the sudden light from dozens of torches made my eyes sting. The grand chamber was filled with hooded figures and travelers from the outlands, all gathered around a central platform. The rogue shoved me onto the wooden stage. I caught my balance, scanning the sea of greedy eyes. I expected to see Raith’s hungry smirk in the front row, the murdered wife’s family waiting, ready to tear me apart for what Lucian had done. That was what I had overheard in the wagon. Raith wants her warm and obedient in his bed. The family wants her broken on the stones as revenge. They were supposed to be here. But as my gaze swept across the front rows of the bidding pit, I rea
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-29
Chapter: Chapter Fifty-threeLucian’s POV.I stood in the center of my chambers, gripping my cane very tightly. The fire crackled in the hearth, but its warmth did nothing to chase away the cold void where Avery should have been. Her scent of vanilla still lingered faintly in the air, a cruel, mocking reminder of what had been ripped away from me.I had let her go.I had permitted her to walk into the lower sectors, knowing full well the dangers that lurked beyond my walls. Fool.My fist flew into the mirror, nearly shattering it with one hit. Tiny shards rained down, slicing into my knuckles as they hit the floor. It imitated exactly what my soul felt like. Completely shattered.Snarling, I pulled back and drove my fist into the remaining pieces again. Over and over. The mirror cracked and splintered under my blind fury until only jagged edges remained, the sound of breaking glass feeding the storm inside me.I dropped to my knees, fingers sweeping across the floor, cutting deeper into my palms as I searched f
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-27
Chapter: Chapter Fifty-twoAvery’s POV. How am I going to die? The thought looped in my head like a sick chant as the rogues dragged me down the narrow corridor. Would it be quick? A knife to the throat or slowly. Would the suffering Raith or the wife’s family melt out on me to watch Lucian’s second-fated mate break in front of them be worse than what I have had to endure? I had seen death in Lucian’s manor. I had felt its breath on my neck more times than I could count. But this felt different. This was greed—men who saw me as nothing but a tool to hurt the monster who owned me. My bare feet scraped against the rough stone, the thin gown clinging to my still-damp skin. The stocky rogue’s grip on my arm was bruising, his fingers digging into the fresh marks he’d left earlier. They shoved me through a heavy wooden door into a dimly lit holding room. I stumbled forward, chains rattling, my knees giving out entirely as I hit the ground. I expected the cold embrace of concrete, but instead, my hands sank int
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-25
Chapter: Chapter Fifty-oneAvery’s POV I tried to stand, but he lunged again, his fingers locking into my shirt and dragging me back down. I rolled onto my back and wrapped my legs around his waist, yanking him down with me. My arm hooked around his neck in a desperate chokehold from the bottom.I squeezed with everything I had left, burying my elbow under his chin, trying to crush his trachea. He thrashed like a wild animal, his fist slamming blindly into my ribs, cracking the bone. I gasped, but I didn’t let go. I held on, staring into his maddened, bloodshot eyes as his breathing turned into a desperate wheeze.Suddenly, a heavy, metallic thud cut through the sound of our grunting, and something flooded over my face, pouring into my eyes.Then he went completely rigid. His eyes rolled back, the life draining out of them in an instant as his jaw slumped open. He toppled sideways off me, slumping onto the concrete floor like a sack of wet flour. I scrambled backward against the cold wall, chest heaving as I
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-24
Chapter: Chapter FiftyAvery’s POV. A rough hand shook my shoulder, sending fresh spikes of pain all through my body. “Wake up, girl. I can get you out of here.” My body felt like it was floating in nothing as the hand gripped my arm, jostling me again and again until my teeth rattled. A fissure of light cracked through the never- ending darkness. I focused entirely on that light as the person continued to jolt my broken body. “ There's no time. Wake up if you want to live.” He shook me once more, the harsh movement finally jerking me fully awake. My eyes snapped open, my heart beating completely out of my chest, pounding against my ribs. A scarred, filthy face with brown eyes stared at me, only a few inches away from my face. The reek of sweat and cheap ale hit me. I shrank back against the thin mattress, staring at him in pain and confusion. Within seconds, reality came crashing down. I was choked out and kidnapped by three hooded rogues. And the man currently in my face, staring at me with a despe
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-23
Chapter: Chapter Forty-threeThe smell of Frank's fresh blood on the kitchen floor was a harsh reminder that our victory over Elena had come at a terrible cost. With the help of Marco and Darius, we managed to carry Frank back upstairs. By the time the first light of dawn slipped through the heavy curtains of his bedroom, Elena's sleek black sedan had already disappeared down the gravel driveway, leaving the house entirely ours. Frank drifted in and out of a restless sleep, caught between fever and exhaustion. His skin burned beneath my touch, yet his body shook with violent chills every few minutes. The stitches I had carefully sewn only hours earlier had torn open, leaking blood and clear fluid onto the fresh sheets. “Jane...” His voice was weak, his eyes fluttering beneath heavy lids. He tried to turn onto his side, but the movement pulled at his wound, and a sharp gasp of pain escaped him. "Don't move, Frank. Please, just stay still," I begged, my bare knees dug into the edge of the mattress as I pressed
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-09
Chapter: Chapter Forty-twoFrank had finally fallen into a fitful, shallow sleep. His fever was rising, his broad shoulders twitching every few minutes as his body fought the trauma of the twenty lashes. I had used up the last of the ice in his room, trying to keep his temperature down.Leaving him wrapped in clean sheets, I quietly slipped through his bedroom door, clutching the empty silver ice bucket against my chest like a shield.I kept my bare feet silent against the cold stairs, heading toward the kitchen. All I wanted was ice, a glass of water, and a single moment to breathe without the weight of Frank’s agonizing groans crashing down on me.I pushed open the heavy swinging door to the kitchen. The room was dark, illuminated only by the silver moonlight cutting through the arched windows."You walk through these halls as if you belong here." A voice sliced through the darkness. I flinched, nearly dropping the ice bucket. Elena sat at the massive marble island, a half-empty crystal glass of amber liquid
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-07
Chapter: Chapter forty-oneThe sound of the fifth strike tore through the study, and with it, a piece of my own soul felt like it was being ripped away. I kept my hands pressed so tightly over my mouth that my own teeth bit into my knuckles.I couldn’t look away. Frank had told me to stay hidden with his eyes, but he hadn't told me to close them. If he was going to bleed for me, the very least I could do was bear witness to his sacrifice.By the tenth strike, Frank's white shirt was ruined, torn apart and soaked with blood. Deep red marks covered his back, and blood ran down his skin with every blow. He sucked in uneven breaths through clenched teeth. His arms were shaking violently, his large hands gripping the edge of the desk so hard that the wood groaned under his weight. Yet, he didn't scream. Not once. Every time the cane fell, he swallowed the pain, letting out only a low grunt.Across the room, Elena had turned her face away, weeping softly into a lace handkerchief, but her tears weren't for her son’s
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-06
Chapter: Chapter fortyBefore Enzo could take the insult any further, Frank raised a hand, his expression softening as he turned his attention away from the angry father and looked directly at the young woman sitting across from him. "Layla," Frank said, his voice dropping into a calm, respectful tone. "Look at me." Layla paused, her manicured fingers freezing against her diamond ring as she slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. "You are an exceptionally beautiful woman," Frank said, and though the words sent a tiny squeeze through my heart, his tone was entirely devoid of lust. It was the voice of a man stating an undeniable fact. "You are intelligent, you are mafia royalty, and I am certain there is a long line of men in this city who would give everything they own just to have a fraction of your attention. You deserve a husband who looks at you like you are the only thing that matters in this world. You deserve a man who is entirely whole, and entirely yours." Frank took a slow, heavy breath, leaning
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-04
Chapter: Chapter Thirty-nineWhen he opened his eyes, he had a desperate and confused look I had never seen on him before."No," he hissed, his grip on my arm tightening just enough to make me feel his desperation. "Nothing has been decided. Do you hear me, Jane? Nothing.""Your mother seems to think it has," I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs, wanting to believe him so badly."My mother doesn't run this family. I do," he muttered, his breath warm against my cheek. He glanced back nervously at the study, the muffled sound of Enzo Valenti’s deep, rumbling laughter filtering through the thick wood. "But you cannot be down here." He released my arm, his fingers brushing against my cheek one last time in a way that felt like a goodbye."Go back upstairs. Lock the door," he pleaded. "Let me handle this. I swear to you, I will come for you the second they leave."Before I could answer, he turned on his heel, straightened the cuffs of his shirt, and smoothed down his jacket. In the span of a single breat
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-03
Chapter: Chapter Thirty eightThe zipper of my ruined silk dress caught against the fabric, a sharp snag that sounded deafening in the empty bedroom. I didn’t care. I yanked it up, ignoring the way the torn seam exposed a slice of my thigh.I didn’t look in the mirror. I didn’t need to see the dark bruises blooming on my collarbone or the ghost of Frank’s touch written in red flushes across my skin. Elena wanted me to slink away in the dark, carrying the scent of her son like a brand of shame. But my spine, once collapsed under her cruelty, was rigid now. I stepped out of the bedroom, my bare feet sinking into the hallway carpet. I had abandoned my heels; they were weapons Elena had thrown, and I refused to stumble on my way to the truth. The house, which had been a sanctuary, a quiet fortress where Frank’s murmurs against my ear made the rest of the world vanish, now felt like the ribs of a great beast that had swallowed me whole.As I approached the staircase, the muffled voices grew distinct. Elena hadn't li
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-02
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