Who Is The Antagonist In 'Before We Were Innocent'?

Standing against the corner of the wall, her entire drenched body was shivering, both in fear and cold. Her arms were tightly wrapped around herself. Her head was downcast. "Didn't I warn you not to step out of this house without my permission?" A shiver ran down her spine, hearing that intensely rugged voice questioning her. She didn't answer, not only just because she was a mute but also because she didn't know what to answer that person before her. Her shivering turned vigorous when she heard those heavy footsteps coming closer to her. That tall sinewy figure towered her. "You know what will I do to you if I have to repeat my fucking self again," She slowly took her head upward, hearing his threat. Her teary golden brown eyes met with his icy blue ones. His words immediately reminded her what he had done to her last night. Anger and hatred brimmed up in her watery eyes, and she didn't even need to use her words to tell him that. Her tears told him the intensity of her hatred towards him after what he had done to her last night. His jaw clenched. His nefarious gaze hooded. Grabbing her fragile neck with his brawny palm, he pushed her against the wall more and hovered her. "You consider me as a monster, don't you?" Hearing him whispering those words in her ear, her heart froze in terror, realising the worst things he was capable of doing to her. He gripped her neck tightly, causing a tear to slip down from her eyes. He leaned closer to her face, causing their noses to rub against each other. "Then tonight I will really become one for you and will torment this innocence of yours, Kaya Haiden……."

**He was her dream. Now he’s her nightmare.** Madeleine never forgot the man from the gardens. Five years ago, Dom was her fleeting escape. A quiet, thoughtful soul who saw her as more than just a girl in a convent. They whispered dreams under the moonlight, shared stolen moments that meant nothing and everything. Then he vanished, leaving her questioning everything. Now, trapped in the world she swore she’d never belong to, she comes face-to-face with the man who once made her believe in something pure. But Dom doesn’t exist. In his place stands Rafael Andoletti. A ruthless mafia don who rules with fear. A man whispered about in the darkest corners of the city. The man who just forced her to drink poison in a room full of criminals. At first, she’s just another threat to him. A would-be assassin. Then he remembers her, and he spares her life. Rafael never wanted this life. He was forced into this world of darkness, but seeing Madeleine ignites one undeniable truth. He’ll never let her go. She’s horrified by the monster he became. He’s consumed by the woman who gives him a glimpse of the man he could have been. She wants to run. He won’t allow it. Because she was always meant to be his… and Rafael is ready to burn the world down to keep her.

"You thought you could escape me. That's so f*cking adorable, bunny." - DK ••• To him, she's merely a pawn and possession he acquired through marriage to ascend the brutal hierarchy of the mafioso. And to her, he embodies the fear she holds for her dear life. First, snatched away like a toy second, chained by a coerced marriage and the end? She does not know. Her life bears no worth beyond being a puppet wife to this ruthless beast. ➺ An innocent girl who knows the world only through her books ~ ➺ A sadist man who is obsessed only with his power and dominion ~ ▪⬞▪ ❛ 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 ❜ ▪⬞▪ "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦" ▪⬞▪ Dark Romance with Toxicity and Triggering Contents.

As if my life wasn’t already complicated as a plus size woman who has always found it hard to find love, I go and fall in love with the wrong man. Stanley Pearson is my father's best friend. A billionaire. Twenty-nine years older than me. Engaged to my high school bully. And.. the only man I've ever truly loved. For years, my feelings were nothing more than a secret crush I swore I'd outgrow. Then my parents left for a three-year overseas assignment and asked Stanley to let me stay at his estate until I finish college. Now, I'm living under the same roof as the man I can't stop thinking about. Every day, I tell myself to keep my distance. Every day, I fail. Behind his cold, untouchable exterior is a man carrying dangerous secrets. The closer we become, the harder it is to deny the undeniable pull between us. Soon, we're risking everything for a love that should never exist. But love isn't the only thing lurking in the shadows. Someone is determined to destroy Stanley's empire. The people he trusts are hiding devastating betrayals. And the only way to save everything he's built may be to sacrifice the woman he loves. Heartbroken, I find an unlikely ally in Stanley's greatest rival... only to discover that everyone has secrets, everyone has an agenda, and some betrayals cut deeper than love itself. Now I'm caught between two powerful men, a web of lies, and a love that refuses to die. They say forbidden love is dangerous. No one warned me it could destroy us all.

Cecilia Henderson has lived her life in a bubble of privilege and purity, sheltered from the darkness that funds her father’s empire. Her world is charity galas, college degrees, and dreams untouched by violence. But when a single waltz with Zacian,the ruthless Boss of All Bosses, shatters that illusion, everything changes. Dominic Henderson, her father, is drowning under Zacian’s tightening grip. Desperate to protect his family and reclaim his power, Dominic strikes a dangerous bargain with rival bosses, setting the stage for betrayal and bloodshed. As tensions ignite and loyalties fracture, Cecilia becomes the ultimate leverage; a pawn in a game she never knew existed. But Zacian doesn’t see her as a pawn. He sees her as his weakness. And in a world where kings burn kingdoms for love, innocence may be the deadliest weapon of all.

When Ava Montgomery’s brother is killed in a hit-and-run, her world shatters. The police close the case too quickly, and all fingers point to Liam Hart, her brother’s best friend, a man she once admired, now branded a murderer. Three years later, consumed by rage and loss, Ava reinvents herself as Eva Moore and secures a job at Liam’s company to destroy him from within. But the man she meets isn’t the monster she imagined. He’s haunted, silent, and guilt-ridden… yet heartbreakingly kind. As Ava digs deeper, she uncovers a truth darker than revenge could satisfy: Liam took the blame to protect someone he loves, and the real killer has returned to tie up loose ends. Between love and vengeance, Ava must decide: Will she destroy the man she’s grown to love, or save him before it’s too late?