LOGINRoxana Sleeping is difficult; I close my eyes and then reopen them, but the ceiling above me never changes. Neither does the ache in my chest. The room is dark, except for the pale glow of city lights filtering through the curtains. Tristan’s side of the bed remains untouched—cold, empty. I curl closer to the pillow he used two nights ago; it still carries the faint scent of his cologne. Without thinking, I pull it against my chest. The tears come again, quietly this time. I don't sob or scream; I quietly cry until the pillow grows damp beneath my cheek. Every time I close my eyes, I see the document. Twenty million euros. Settlement proposal: marriage between Roxana Petrov and Tristan Kozlov. Marco’s signature. Tristan’s signature. Permanent. I squeeze my eyes shut. “No,” the word leaves my lips as a whisper. “There has to be another explanation.” But every explanation I think of dies before it can comfort me. My mind betrays me, replaying every moment I’ve shared with
Tristan No one speaks. The photo remains on the table between us, a dead man. A purple flower pinned neatly to his chest. Not rage, not torture, just a message. I study the image for several seconds before sliding the phone back across the table. “ he was killed professionally.”Matteo nods once.“No struggle.” i point out. “No Witness?”“They are all dead.”“No defensive wounds?”“The coroner doesn't think so.”Silence falls in the room. I expected Belladonna to leave chaos. Instead, he leaves precision.The realization settles heavily in my chest. Most killers want recognition, most criminals crave fear. Belladonna doesn't. He simply wants people to understand that he was there. Dmitry folds his arms, “The flower.”Matteo shifts his gaze toward it, “It wasn't there when my men arrived.”I look at him, “They moved the body?”“No.”“The flower appeared afterward.”For the first time since entering Italy, something close to unease crawls up my skin. Someone walked into an active cri
Roxana The door handle turns. “Roxana?” Texas’s voice, closer now and concerned. I don't move. For one terrifying second, I stare at the papers scattered around me. Marco Petrov. Twenty million euros. Settlement proposal. Me. The words refuse to fade. They burn into my eyes and into my mind. The knock sounds again, “Roxana.” I finally move, not because I want to, but because instinct takes over before grief can. My body springs into action. Papers scrape across the floor as I gather them tremblingly. They won't stay together. One page slips away, another slides beneath the cabinet. My breathing thunders in my chest. Shit. I reach for the loose page just as another tear splashes onto the paper. The ink blurs beneath the drop, and my chest tightens violently. This can’t be happening. It’s impossible. Tristan… my Tristan. The man I spent the whole night thinking about. The man who looked at my scars and called them beautiful. The promise he made—he promised I’d n
Roxana I don't know how long I stand there, just watching. The safe stares back at me as if it’s alive. A part of me knows I should close the paint and pretend I never saw it. Another part simply can't. My heart pounds so loudly I become convinced the guards outside can hear it. “What are you hiding, Tristan?” the question slips out before I can stop it. I glance toward the bedroom door, still closed. Texas is downstairs. No one knows I'm here. Slowly, I reach out a finger and touch the cold steel. A keypad. A combination lock—who even uses both? I let out a small laugh. “Of course you do.” Tristan doesn't leave anything half done. My gaze lingers on the numbers—his birthday? No. I don't even know when his birthday is. My birthday? Impossible. The wedding date? The day we met? Nothing. The safe remains locked. I don't even know why I'm considering it. Someone like Tristan would never use something so predictable. I sigh and rest my forehead against the metal. “I guess that’s t
Roxana Silence. I never realized silence could have different sounds. The silence at Tristan’s mansion has always been heavy, almost intimidating, as if the walls themselves hold dangerous secrets. But this silence is different. It’s lonely. Suffocating. I wake up before sunrise and reach across the bed without thinking. My fingers meet the cold sheets. The space beside me is empty. Of course it is. I knew he would leave. He promised he would. Yet, something painful presses against my chest. It actually hurts more than I expected. I stare at the ceiling for several moments before forcing myself to sit up. “No crying,” I whisper. I refuse to become the kind of wife who spends every day crying because her husband left on business. He will come back. He promised. And Tristan Kozlov is not the kind of man who makes promises carelessly. I repeat these words until I almost believe them. After sitting on the bed for a while thinking, I finally force myself to take a shower. Th
TristanThe silence stretches; neither of us moves. The rain pounds heavily against the tall windows, the only sound in the room. Matteo studies me, I study him. And something tells me he’s lying; I don't know which part. “You expect me to believe this?” I ask.His answer is calm, "I don't expect anything from you. You crossed into my house with armed men.”“You moved your family out of Italy.”His expression hardens. “You noticed.”"I notice everything.”A faint smile appears on his face, “I’ve heard.”I don't smile at him; I came here for answers, not a reunion. I tap the Belladonna file, “You said Belladonna is not a company.”“It’s not.”“Then what is it?”Matteo’s fingers drum against the desk, then go still again, “A name.”"I know that.”“No.” He shakes his head, “You know the word; you don't know the person.”I take another step forward, "Then tell me.”His eyes meet mine. "I can't.”“You won't?”"I can't.”Something about the certainty in his voice makes me pause—not fear,
RoxanaI keep turning on my bed, Aaron’s words replaying in my head. I have to leave this house tonight. That’s the only way I can escape this arranged marriage and be with the man who truly loves me.Checking the time for the hundredth time today, I get out of bed.It’s 6pm.Almost dinnertime.Onc
RoxanaI step out of the room, the paper feeling like a ticking time bomb in my hand. How on earth has my life become this? Hot tears streak my cheeks as I think of Aaron. He loves me, and getting married to Tristan would crush him. What am I going to do now? A lump forms in my throat, and I swa
RoxanaIs something wrong with my eyes? Or is what I'm seeing real?I stare down at the paper in front of me, blinking a few times.This can't be real. There's no way I'm getting married to Tristan Kozlov—the ruthless and dangerous first son of the Kozlov Russian mafia. I know my stepfather is try
Roxana “Tell me what?” I repeat. What the hell is she talking about? Tristan growls beside me, “ Carmen.” Then she shrugs like it’s no big deal, “What! I was just having a conversation with your wife.” Grinding his teeth, he says, “Why don't you get the f*ck and look for something else to do?”







