Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Up. Down. Up. Down.
My arms trembled with the effort, but I pushed harder. Faster. The physical strain was a welcome distraction from the images that flooded my mind, refusing to leave.
Blood. So much fucking blood.
It had been everywhere, coating every surface in crimson red.
Twenty. Thirty. Forty.
Sweat dripped from my forehead, splashing onto the floor beneath me. My breath came in harsh pants, muscles screaming in protest, but I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. If I stopped, I’d have to think. And thinking meant remembering.
The face in my mind shifted. No longer the woman from my nightmare, but him. Always him. His smug smile. His calculated eyes.
“Fuuuck!” The word tore from my throat in a snarl as I pushed through the burning in my chest, my shoulders, my arms.
Sixty. Seventy.
My arms began to shake uncontrollably. The tremors started at my wrists and worked their way up to my shoulders. Still, I forced myself through another rep. And another.
The fury that had been simmering beneath my skin since I woke pulsed with each heartbeat, consuming me.
It wasn’t just this nightmare.
It was every-goddamn-thing.
My father.
Matteo.
This fucking family legacy that had ruined us all.
My arms finally gave out. I collapsed onto the floor, chest heaving, breaths coming out in harsh, echoing pants.
For several minutes, I just lay there, cheek pressed against the cool wood, letting the physical pain wash over me.
When I could move again, I dragged myself up and leaned back against the bed, legs sprawled out in front of me. My muscles cramped viciously, but the pain was clarifying. It cut through the fog of rage and gave me something to focus on besides the bloodstained memories.
I reached for the nightstand, fingers closing around the pack of cigarettes I kept there. With practiced ease, I shook one out and brought it to my lips, then flicked my lighter. The flame danced in the darkness, casting eerie shadows across the room before illuminating the end of my cigarette.
The first drag was deep, filling my lungs with smoke. I held it there, letting it burn, before letting out a long, controlled exhale through my nose. The nicotine hit my bloodstream, a small comfort against the storm seething through my veins.
The smoke curled upward in the dim light, ghostly tendrils reaching toward the ceiling.
He took everything from me.
He thought he was untouchable.
The second drag was smoother. The trembling in my hands began to subside.
Vengeance burned through me. It was wild and ferocious, a venom that corroded everything it touched.
Every moment of his suffering would be deliberate. Calculated. I would make every second count. I wasn’t going to stop until the last ounce of arrogance was wrung from the bastard’s bones and I’d savor each moment of his downfall.
Every second... every minute… every day…
I was going to make it fucking hurt.
The type of unimaginable pain he would be begging for reprieve and I’d give him none.
Just like he had been so merciless toward her…
CHAPTER TEN
Serafina
A sudden knock on the bedroom door reminded me that I wasn’t alone and that… I was in uncharted territory. Since I arrived at the Salvatore’s residence this morning, I had found myself constantly being surrounded by people.
From the moment I set foot inside this mansion, I’ve felt eyes watching, ears listening, and voices whispering. Their curiosity followed me like a constant shadow.
Another knock startled me out of my thoughts. I crossed the room, my bare feet silent on the plush carpet, and opened it to find Giulia standing there with a plate of beautifully decorated cupcakes.
Her dark eyes gleamed with childish excitement. “I noticed you skipped dessert,” she said, holding the plate out to me. “So I thought you’d maybe want something sweet, away from everyone’s watchful eyes.”
Dinner had gone surprisingly well, all things considered. Damon was silent the whole time, his face grumpy. I knew he hated the idea of being here, playing babysitter.
Well, I needed a chaperone while I got familiar with my new family.
While Matteo had been attentive, Enzo Salvatore was cordial if not distant. Giulia was her talkative self, and Gabriel never made an appearance again after our accidental encounter this morning, in the kitchen.
But most importantly, Adrian wasn’t there.
I didn’t see him again after we parted ways at the stable. Thank God for that.
Giulia pushed past me, entering the guest bedroom without an invitation. “I know sometimes we’re expected to eat a certain way, to look a certain way, but we can indulge secretly, right?”
“That’s very kind of you,” I said, and probably the most truthful words I had spoken all day today. There was something about Giulia, a warmth I haven’t been used to, but it was genuine. “But I probably shouldn’t. I have to make sure I fit in my wedding dress in three weeks.”
She set the plate down on the coffee table. “One cupcake won’t hurt. And these are my best batch yet. Vanilla with raspberry filling.”