LOGINLEONARDO Anger. That was what I was supposed to feel as I stared at Sophia, but I didn't feel anything of the sort. Instead, all I felt was sadness. Sadness that I've failed everybody around me. And guilt that there was nothing I could do about anything. Guilt that I've failed Sophia.Her mother was a lovely person, loyal to a fault, caring. She raised Alexander and Sophia, and before she died, she begged me to take care of her daughter. I failed. In the same way, I failed my late wife by not taking care of Alexander.I’ve failed everybody around me, and mostly Cordella. I can't even begin to imagine how she must have felt. How angry and scared she must have been. I looked over at where she was standing at the corner of the room, and our eyes met for a second before she looked away quickly. I looked back at Sophia, who hadn't moved or said a word, just staring at her feet as she sobbed quietly. “Is that tears of guilt or failure?” I asked softly. “Guilt that you regret everything
CORDELLAI was put in the same room with Sophia. She was lying on the bed next to me, in cuffs. It took everything in me, all my years of practicing self-control and restraint, to hold back and not finish what I started with the dagger.Isabella was a damn fool. Letting her live because she wanted her to suffer? That was bloody bullshit. She deserves death, a cruel, slow death, so she could feel the weight of everything she has done, and it would follow her even in death. It would haunt her even when she was dead and gone.She shifted, and I gritted my teeth, my fists clenching as my claws crawled out. Every moment from her, every sniff, every beat of her black heart was a test to me. A test not to lunge at her and rip her throat apart with my claws.“I can tell you want to kill me,” she said, her voice low. My jaw was clenched tight as I slowly turned to her. She was looking up at the ceiling, not blinking. “Why not do it?”“Because it’s not in my place,” I spat. “I know the men wou
“Love?” both men asked at the same time, the same expression on their faces, and I just nodded slowly.“Yeah,” I sighed, still nodding. “Love.”“What does that even mean?” Leonardo asked, and I could see he was losing patience. He shook his head. “No, that’s not important right now. Are you hurt? Where did all this blood come from?”He moved and reached for me, but I stepped back, and both of them just stared at me like I had grown a second head.“Isabella, what’s going on?” Alexander asked carefully, like he was talking to a spooked animal, genuine concern in his voice, but I didn't care about that right now. I didn't care about what any of them was feeling. All I cared about was me and this crushing feeling in my soul. “It’s important,” I said, ignoring both their questions. “What I'm about to say is damn important, and you will damn well listen to me! Got it?”“Okay,” Alexander agreed, still using that careful tone with me while Leonardo just continued to stare.“Okay,” I repeate
Nobody moved. Not Cordella, who stood behind Sophia, still holding the dagger to her chest while barely standing. Not Sophia, whose eyes were wide with shock, blood spilling slowly from her mouth. Not me, all I could see and smell was blood.But then Cordella pulled the dagger out of Sophia’s chest, and the stillness was broken at once. Sophia snapped out of her shock and gasped, pressing a hand to her chest, slowly going down on her knees. Cordella fell backward, her breathing heavy.“No, no,” I muttered in a panicked trance. There was so much blood. It was so thick in the air that it was all I could smell. It felt like it was pressing down on me, and all I could see was Richard in my arms, bleeding. All I could see was the light leaving his eyes.“Why’s there so much blood?!” I screamed, pulling my hair.Cordella and Sophia were lying on the floor, bleeding heavily, and it seemed their blood was filling up the room. It felt like I was drowning in it. It felt like the blood was risi
Love. Love. Love. Love was the reason Cordella hated me, and the blame was pinned on her while the real culprit walked free. Love was the reason Sophia hid her true colors all the while plotting behind all our backs. It was the reason I lost my babies and Richard. The reason why Cordella and Sophia were now fighting to the death.Love was the problem why she wanted to kill me, and if Sophia won this fight, then she was going to succeed in doing that.And at the center of all this was Alexander and Leonardo. This whole drama was centered on them. They did nothing. They were partially innocent, but they were the cause of all this. Love. Love. Love.A feeling that should only be sweet and fill you with nothing but light had been turned into something so cruel. A weapon. Motive. Sophia screamed as she lunged at her with the knife, and Cordella dodged it easily. Cordella was talented when it came to things like this, but seeing the way Sophia held that knife, I know she was, too.“I sho
Cordella and I both watched, frozen as the doorknob twisted slowly. Whoever it was was being careful, thinking they might wake me. I wanted to scream for them to hurry up, to put an end to this quickly, but Cordella still kept her hand pressed to my mouth. But it didn't matter. Whoever it was will get in eventually, and Cordella will finally be caught. Finally. I couldn't wait for her to be punished. I would watch, and I would feel no guilt for enjoying watching her suffer.But then… it stopped. The doorknob no longer moved, and silence fell. My heart dropped to my stomach. Were they gone? Did they think coming in was going to bother me? Who was it? Alexander? Leonardo?I resumed my struggles, screaming again, hoping they could hear it even though it was muffled.Please. Someone. Help me. I kept fighting, kept trying to push her off me, but she didn't seem fazed by any of it. No, her eyes remained fixed on the door, her eyebrows furrowed. And then she stiffened, just as the doorkn
“What isn't healthy, Isabella?” he asked in a breathy, raspy voice, his hand cupping and rubbing my pussy. My breathing picked up. This… this damn look on his face, it was doing something to me. He… he had this… this bad, playboy look on, and I never thought the day would come when that kind of l
Why did I flinch when Alexander kissed me, you may wonder? Well, I wasn't expecting that. The softness of the kiss, the placement, his whisper against my skin, I didn't expect any of them, and that got my heart racing like it was about to beat out of my chest. That made my skin grow warm.“Hmm.” I
“W-what?” she sputtered, her eyes wide like she hadn't expected me to say that, and honestly, I was shocked with myself. But I've had a shitty long day, and I just needed to rest and forget everything.“Get out, Natasha,” I said, about to get on my feet, but she was still kneeling between my legs,
So it was thanks to Isabella that I still had a company that hadn't collapsed. I scoffed bitterly, but groaned when the pain in my jaw increased. I really can't believe that Alexander broke my jaw.Alexander… It was so hard to believe that he was the same Alexander back in high school. But I knew







