ady inside the penth

e center of the living room I had so carefully curated. He was cur

ctly what

not for painting.

my voice lacked the auth

ti said you are being... relocated. T

oca

like a countdown. The stone suddenly felt like ice bene

was hidden in the false

door, but the handle r

ded, banging my fi

nt door opening behi

te. She was holding a flute of champagne, surveying the apartment l

esturing vaguely to my art on the wa

m. The lock clicked with a fina

e was calm. Transactional.

hysterical and broken. "You used me as a human shield fo

ting his cuffs. "You were an employee. You

he picked up a framed photo of my

o birthed you?" she a

t," I warned, my

tered with a sharp crunch. She stepped on the photo with h

ged a

nct. Pure, b

her, a hand grabbed my

shov

marble coffee table. Pain exploded in my side, radiating dow

d over me,

man, Elena," he said coldly

ke a vine. "She attacked me, baby. She's

. There was no love in

Room," he orde

crawl away, panic seizin

the hallway. It was soundproof. It was where

ross the floor. I screamed, kicking and fight

ck to me, pouring S

wn into th

r slamm

ock e

silence and the thr

floor, wrapping my arms around

astic sheets in the living

ng me alive for

that Valerio Santoro was as

didn't nee

onster to ki