All Chapters of BLOOD AND VOWS: THE MAFIA WRONG BRIDE : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

CHAPTER 51THE LOCKET'S SECRETCHIARAThere's level of worry you worry over someone you should hate, you begin to question your sanity. I was rightfully there. Stuck in that fucking head space that has left me to question every one of my moral. I closed my eyes as the water cascaded down my back, then opened it again as the water running pink before it became clear. Relax Chiara… you're human. It's cool to be worried over another human…I stood under the spray until my fingers stopped trembling, as I watched the last traces of him swirl down the drain while trying to reassure myself that I was completely sane. The heat from the water loosened something in my chest, but it didn't erase the image of him collapsing into my arms. God! He was so vulnerable. He allowed me see that part of him. After what seemed like hours, I stepped out of the bathroom, and fresh clothes were already waiting on my bed. It was clear that someone had left it on my bed while I was in the bathroom. I pulle

CHAPTER 53A HISTORY I DIDN'T KNOW CHIARAI've thought I've seen and witnessed everything that could shake me to the bones… I mean, nothing beats having a gun shot at you. Until this. Those words hung around me and no matter how I tried, I couldn't make it fit. I stared at the elderly woman, trying to make sense of what she'd just told me. "I don't understand," I said. "How is that possible?"She shook her head as her breath came out in uneven gasps. “I haven't seen that face in over twenty years. Oh Rosa… my little girl.” Her thumb traced the portrait inside the locket like it would morph to life. “How? But–”Words failed me, as she let out a sound that sounded like a lifetime of grief compressed into a single breath. Her other hand flew to her mouth, pressing hard against her lips in a bid to push back the emotions. “If you were indeed her mother, why didn't I ever hear of you? How come you didn't come visiting or at least, someone tell me about you?” "I didn't know," she whi

CHAPTER 55THE GHOST IN MY ESTATE LUCIENI stared at the photograph until I could feel heat behind my eyeballs.Claudia Rossi was the woman I saw that night at the dock?my lips tilted in a smirk as I began to study the file. There were fragments of financial records, redacted surveillance logs and a timeline with more gaps than substance. This woman is a fucking genius… I have to hand it to her. How can a person cover their tracks this deep, veh Ricci with federal resources couldn't give me a complete picture. But the fragments were enough to give me a face to the mystery woman. Closing the file, I stood and walked to the window, looking down at the space below. A dull ache exploded under my rib, spreading to my stomach and chest. I've been running on adrenaline and caffeine all day and my body was starting to collect the debt. Gritting my teeth, I turned around and poured myself a glass of whiskey from the decanter on my desk. The first sip burned, somehow dulling the ache I wa

CHAPTER 57FINALLY, I SURRENDER…LUCIENHer blood was on my thumb, traced from the graze on her cheek where the bullet had kissed her skin. An inch to the right and she would've been dead. Fuck! She almost died. The thought coiled in my chest, sending hot, burning waves of heat through my chest. I tilted her face toward the light, making my grip loose enough for her to be able to pull away if she wanted to. But she didn't. Her grey eyes were still wet and wide with the horrlr of what she witnessed. But one thing finally stood out. She didn't flinch from my touch. She just kept her gaze locked on mine."I don't know what you are," she whispered. "I don't know if you're a monster or a man.""Maybe both.""Which one is real?""Both."Another tear slipped over the bridge of her nose and met the blood on her cheek. I caught it with my thumb, smearing blood and salt together, watching the way her lips parted on a shaky exhale.Marco's voice echoed in the back of my skull. “She's gettin

CHAPTER 59SOMETHING TO PROTECT LUCIENI woke to peace and the bright light from the sunlight. I blinked as I felt the steady pull of consciousness, the warmth of the sun on my face and the unfamiliar weight of something soft pressed against my side. The Rossi girl. She was curled into me like a clingy cat snuggled into its owner. Her head rested in the hollow of my shoulder as her dark hair spilled across my chest and the pillow. One of her hands laid flat against my ribs, her fingers curled loosely over my injuries. Her breathing was slow and even, her lips slightly parted as her grey eyes remained closed in a sleep that was so deep I could have counted her lashes. And for the first time in years, I realised something. I didn't wake up with a jerk. For the first time in twelve years, I closed my eyes and fell into a darkness that was mercifully empty. There wasn't any blood or gunshots, just her warmth and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. What have you done to me?I lifted