17. Serafina
SERAFINA
M arco's threat claws at every corner of my mind, clouding every thought. I can still hear his voice, dripping with venom, threatening to rip Leo away from me. He'd make my son an orphan—or worse, kill all three of us.
Imagining my boy alone in this world makes my heart ache—they'd eat him alive. In the quiet, I sit and think about my life, and what I want it to look like. What would happiness be for Leo and me? This is not what I want my life to be, the fear, and constant threats. Looking over my shoulder even walking around in my own backyard. It's not healthy, or normal—Leo deserves a normal life.
The silence is shattered.
"We need to talk," Alessandro's voice cuts through the stillness interrupting my thoughts, sharp and commanding.
I stop, my breath catching. "Not now." I don't want to face him—and the truth.
"Now." He is mad. "There is no later, now!"
He towers over me as he steps into my personal space. His eyes lock onto mine, burning with a mix of suspicion and frustration. He's losing patience with me, and I can't blame him.
"What are you not telling me, Serafina?" He presses again.
My throat closes, and it's hard to swallow or talk. "I've told you what I can.," I lie, the words bitter on my tongue.
His jaw flexes, and his eyes narrow. "Don't lie to me. You're pulling away. You flinch when I get close. What did Marco say to you?" If I tell him, he will lose his shit and go on a rampage. Leo could get hurt—we all could.
"This isn't about Marco." It's about me making the right choice for my son.
He laughs, but there's no humor in it. "Everything is about Marco right now! He's in our shadows. Fuck! He was in our yard and you—you're acting like I'm the enemy!" He radiates anger, his whole body vibrates with rage.
"Because you are! Your world is dangerous, Alessandro! Leo and I—we don't belong here! Your family is a toxic nightmare, and I want to leave." I have to go—he has to let me go. If he doesn't… God knows what Marco will do. "I don't want to raise my son with the man who killed my brother. I'm not here for you. I want to go."
His face darkens. "You think leaving will be safe? You think Marco will just let you go?" He isn't after me. He wants Alessandro. "He wants something from you. He'll never just allow you to go."
My voice cracks. "I can't live like this. Always looking over my shoulder. He doesn't want me or Leo. He wants you."
Alessandro takes another step forward, and suddenly the air feels too thick, I can't breathe.
"Tell me what he said."
"No." The word is barely a whisper.
His fist slams into the wall beside me with a painful crack, dust raining from the impact. I flinch instinctively.
"Damn it, Serafina! Do you think you can handle this on your own? You think keeping me in the dark will protect you?" I know it will protect my son, and he is all that matters.
Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. "I don't need you to protect me!"
He closes the space between us, chest heaving, eyes wild. "Yes, you do. Whether or not you like it. Marco is coming for you—for Leo. And if you keep shutting me out, you might as well plan both your funerals while you wait."
My resolve begins to crack. "I didn't ask for this. For any of this."
His voice lowers, rough and raw. "Neither did I. But I left you once thinking it would save you. I won't make that mistake again." He left, and because he did, I can't trust him now.
"Then what do you want from me?" I scream, the words tearing from my throat. "What the fuck do you want?"
He steps back, breathing hard.
"Trust me," he says, barely above a whisper. "Please."
"I can't." I cry, "You'll leave me again." I know he will choose his family over me—again.
"Go! Just Go. Marry Isabella, do what your father wants, and let me go, Alessandro." When I look at him all I see is the loss, the sadness—the rejection. I can't forgive the things he did.
The tension between us sizzles like a broken electric wire. One moment we're standing apart, and the next, Alessandro is on me, his mouth crashing into mine.
I should push him away, but my body betrays me. I respond with equal fire, my hands grabbing his shirt, and yanking him closer.
His hands grip my waist, lifting me off the ground effortlessly. My back slams against the wall, the cold stone biting into my heated skin. His mouth devours mine, rough and commanding, a clash of desperation and anger.
"You're impossible," he growls against my lips, his voice raw and guttural. "You drive me fucking insane, Serafina."
His hand slips beneath my shirt, fingers grazing my bare skin, leaving trails of fire in their wake. My breath catches as his hand travels lower, to the waistband of my pants. His lips don't leave mine, even as his fingers slide beneath the fabric, teasing, exploring.
"Alessandro," I gasp, my voice trembling with a mix of frustration and desire.
"Say it again," he demands, his tone dark and commanding, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin of my neck. "Say my name."
"Alessandro," I whisper again, my head tipping back against the wall.
His fingers part my folds, gliding through the slick heat there. I moan softly, my hands clutching his shoulders as he circles the spot where I need him most. The teasing is maddening, his touch light but purposeful, keeping me on edge, drawing out every reaction.
"You're already dripping," he murmurs, his lips brushing against my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "Do you know how hard it is to resist you when you're like this?"
A broken whimper escapes me as his finger slides inside, slow and deliberate. My body tightens around him instinctively, and I feel the burn of humiliation and the need to fight for dominance in my chest. He moves, torturously slow at first, drawing out every sensation until I'm gasping for more.
He adds a second finger, stretching me further, his movements steady but deliberate. His thumb brushes against my clit, sending a jolt of pleasure racing through me. My hips roll against his hand, chasing the building heat, and I can feel my resolve crumbling.
"You're so sensitive," he rasps, his breath hot against my neck. "Every part of you wants me. Just admit it, Serafina."
I bite back a cry as his fingers curl inside me, finding the spot that makes my legs tremble. He alternates between thrusting and circling, his thumb relentless against my clit. The pressure builds, winding tighter and tighter until I'm clinging to him, my nails digging into his shoulders.
"Alessandro," I moan, my voice breaking as the pleasure overtakes me.
"Don't stop," he growls, his voice rough with control and need. "I want to feel you let go."
And I do. My body shatters, the release crashing over me in waves, leaving me gasping and trembling in his arms. He slows his movements, drawing out every aftershock until I'm left boneless against the wall.
He pulls his fingers from me, his gaze locked on mine as he lifts them to his lips. His tongue swirls around his fingers, tasting me, savoring every drop.
"You're sweeter than sin," he murmurs, his voice dark and low, sending another shiver through me. "I could get drunk on you."
I'm too breathless to respond, my body still buzzing from the aftermath. His hand rests on my hip, grounding me, while his eyes burn into mine with an intensity that leaves no room for doubt.
"You're mine, Serafina," he says quietly, but with a weight that feels like a vow. "No one else will ever have you like this."
We collapse against the wall, breathless and trembling, the air between us charged with everything we can't say. Alessandro's hands cradle my face, his thumb brushing against my jaw as if he's afraid I might vanish.
"This still changes nothing," I whisper, the lie cutting through me like a blade. I want it to change everything, but I can't let it.
"It changes everything," he murmurs, his lips ghosting over mine. His voice is raw, and vulnerable in a way I didn't think Alessandro D'Angelo could be.
His arms tighten around me, grounding me, but the intensity in his gaze feels like a promise I'm too scared to believe. "I'll burn this world down before I let anyone hurt you or Leo. I'll kill anyone who even thinks about it. That's not a promise—it's a fact."
I shake my head, even as my chest tightens with the truth in his words. "Don't make promises you can't keep."
"I don't break my promises," he growls, his voice dark, unwavering.
"That's the problem," I whisper. "I don't believe you." My voice cracks, and the words feel like a betrayal to the small part of me that still wants to.