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Section 1
### Chapter 1: Chapter-1
And just like that… Raphael and Gianna’s story is over. ❤️ I honestly don't know how to put into words what this book has been for me. There were points while writing it when I genuinely wondered if I was going to make it to the end. This book was incredibly difficult to write at times, and ther
Adriano had one arm around Maddie. Vincenzo and Claire stood near the center of it all, watching us. When our eyes met, he smiled, then he raised his glass. I nodded back. Gianna slipped her arm through mine, and I looked down at her. There were too many things happening inside me at once to
She laughed through the tears. “I don't know what the perfect marriage looks like. I don't think anyone does. But I know what I want mine to look like,” I squeezed her hand, “You.” My voice was steadier now, less shaking, less nervous. “You when you're happy. You when you're angry. You when y
I watched her walk toward me, and for once I didn't analyze anything. I didn't think about the people watching. I didn't think about the photographs that would be taken. I didn't think about what came next. I only watched her. She smiled. That smile was the one thing I had never learned how to
“And Gianna, when you look at it, I hope you think of me smiling. Goodbye forever, my darling girl. My firstborn. My first love.” The video ended, the screen went black. Nobody spoke. I stayed against Raphael, crying into his chest while his arms held me tightly. Jules came closer. I reached for
The room was completely silent. “Don't ever make her feel like she has to earn your love.” Raphael lowered his head for a moment. Mom continued, “Love her when she's strong. Love her when she's frightened. Love her when she's stubborn and impossible and convinced she can solve everything by he
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ I leaned against the cold brick wall of the mansion, my arms crossed, watching the show. Our soldiers were busy dragging in the trash, fifty men, all bound at the wrists, their faces covered in bruises and tears. They were lined up like cattle ready for the slaughter. This was th
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ I was back at the Rose Garden, which was basically a fancy way of saying a place where girls got dressed up to be arm candy for guys with too much money. "I’m telling you, Mama D, they aren’t humans," I groaned, throwing my head back so hard my ponytail nearly hit the floor. "The
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ Gold-digging rival. I didn’t even have to look at them to know that’s exactly what they were. The smell of desperation always clung to women like them, no matter how much expensive perfume they sprayed on their wrists to hide it. Hazel Kinsley. She was the widow of some patheti
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ I tugged at the scrap of black lace riding up my hip. This outfit wasn’t clothes, it was a prayer. A tiny, see-through prayer. I caught my reflection in the cracked dressing room mirror and barely recognized the girl staring back. The silver wig was cold and synthetic against my
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### Chapter 2: Chapter-2
And just like that… Raphael and Gianna’s story is over. ❤️ I honestly don't know how to put into words what this book has been for me. There were points while writing it when I genuinely wondered if I was going to make it to the end. This book was incredibly difficult to write at times, and ther
Adriano had one arm around Maddie. Vincenzo and Claire stood near the center of it all, watching us. When our eyes met, he smiled, then he raised his glass. I nodded back. Gianna slipped her arm through mine, and I looked down at her. There were too many things happening inside me at once to
She laughed through the tears. “I don't know what the perfect marriage looks like. I don't think anyone does. But I know what I want mine to look like,” I squeezed her hand, “You.” My voice was steadier now, less shaking, less nervous. “You when you're happy. You when you're angry. You when y
I watched her walk toward me, and for once I didn't analyze anything. I didn't think about the people watching. I didn't think about the photographs that would be taken. I didn't think about what came next. I only watched her. She smiled. That smile was the one thing I had never learned how to
“And Gianna, when you look at it, I hope you think of me smiling. Goodbye forever, my darling girl. My firstborn. My first love.” The video ended, the screen went black. Nobody spoke. I stayed against Raphael, crying into his chest while his arms held me tightly. Jules came closer. I reached for
The room was completely silent. “Don't ever make her feel like she has to earn your love.” Raphael lowered his head for a moment. Mom continued, “Love her when she's strong. Love her when she's frightened. Love her when she's stubborn and impossible and convinced she can solve everything by he
Waiting. For heartbreak. For regret. For grief. Nothing came. Only relief. And for the first time since his name had appeared on my screen... I smiled. ──━⊰ 𓆙 ⊱━── The office floor hummed around me. Monitors glowed from every direction. Lines of code scrolled endlessly across screens. Pho
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ "We’re moving in with Salvatore," Mom said. She said it while pouring juice, like she was just talking about the weather. I froze, my fork hovering halfway to my mouth. I didn't say anything at first, I just stared at her, the heat rising in my face until my skin felt tight. "No,
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ "Five minutes are up," I whispered, flicking the safety off my bow, "The Void is open. Happy fucking hunting, gentlemen." With a surge of adrenaline, the men vanished into the trees, disappearing into the blackness I controlled. I stayed on the terrace for a moment, watching the
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ I leaned against the cold brick wall of the mansion, my arms crossed, watching the show. Our soldiers were busy dragging in the trash, fifty men, all bound at the wrists, their faces covered in bruises and tears. They were lined up like cattle ready for the slaughter. This was th
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