Chapter 22 #2
“Having considered the statements presented and the immediate best interests of the minor child, Clara Muniz, this court orders that temporary custody shall remain with the mother, Ms. Valentina Muniz, while this matter proceeds.” His voice was calm but final.
“However, Mr. Enrico Ferrara shall have frequent visitation, on a schedule set by this court. Neither party may remove the child from the city or relocate without express court authorization.” He paused.
“This matter is sealed. Any breach of confidentiality will be dealt with severely.”
I exhaled sharply, relief flooding me—only to be immediately followed by dread.
It was temporary.
And I knew Enrico would not accept it as the end.
When I glanced to the side, I saw his expression: hardened. Gray eyes narrowed. Dangerous.
He’d expected this decision, I was sure.
But that didn’t mean he was satisfied.
This wasn’t over.
We both knew it.
When the judge officially ended the hearing, people began to stand. I grabbed my bag with shaking hands, still absorbing what had just happened, when Enrico’s imposing presence appeared beside me.
“Enjoy your temporary victory, Valentina,” he murmured, cold and low, close enough that I caught his subtle, expensive cologne. “It won’t last.”
I lifted my face and held his gaze with everything I had left.
“I will never let you take my daughter from me, Enrico,” I said, voice steady, eyes blazing.
He stepped closer—eyes hard, dangerous—and answered in a low tone that sounded almost intimate… and even more threatening.
“I don’t want just my daughter, Valentina.” His gaze burned into me. “I want everything.”
A sick chill traced my spine.
I heard the second meaning underneath the first.
His eyes held me—intense, disturbing—before he stepped away, leaving me stunned, shaken, and—against my will—painfully aware of him as a man again.
I forced myself to breathe as I walked out of the courtroom, already sensing that this “temporary win” might be nothing but the prelude to something much worse.
Outside, Júlia was waiting, anxious. She rushed to me the second she saw my face.
“So?” she asked. “How did it go?”
“I bought a little time,” I whispered, voice trembling. “But I don’t think it’s going to last. Enrico won’t stop, Júlia.” I swallowed. “And now… now it feels bigger. Worse.”
Júlia took my hand, firm and grounding, though worry lived in her eyes too.
“Then we prepare for the worst,” she said. “No matter what happens, you’re not facing this alone.”
I nodded, chest tight, as one question echoed through my mind with a dark, relentless certainty:
What would Enrico Ferrara do next?
TWENTY-TWO
VALENTINA MUNIZ
SIX YEARS EARLIER
Golden late-afternoon light spilled through the cabin’s glass walls, turning everything around us warm and soft.
Curled against Enrico’s solid, heat-warmed chest, my face tucked into the side of his neck, I watched the leaves outside sway lazily while his hand slowly traced the bare skin of my back.
His body was still warm beneath mine, our heartbeats easing down, almost syncing. I closed my eyes for a moment and smiled at the feel of his fingers gliding along my spine—mapping invisible paths—while my breathing deepened, full and satisfied.
“What are you thinking about?” I murmured, lifting my head slightly to look at him.
Enrico smiled—one of those rare, small smiles he seemed to save only for me. A smile that made my chest ache with happiness too big to name.
“How beautiful you are,” he said, so sincerely my heart tightened in the sweetest way. “And how empty my life was before you.”
I stroked his face and let his words settle inside me. I brushed my lips over his, eyes closing as I breathed in the scent of us—sex, intimacy, something uniquely ours.
“I could stay here forever,” I whispered, eyes still closed, soaking him in with every sense.
His low laugh vibrated through his chest, echoing inside me like the sweetest melody. When I opened my eyes, his gray gaze caught me immediately—intense, bright with a tenderness that made my heart race even after everything we’d just done.
“Then let’s stay,” he said simply—his deep voice heavy with unspoken promises.
A wide smile burst out of me, spontaneous, overflowing.
“I’d say yes instantly if you were serious,” I teased, propping myself up on one elbow and letting the sheet slide down, exposing my skin to the gentle sunlight spilling in through the window.
Enrico’s eyes followed every small movement with open fascination, drinking me in like he was trying to memorize every inch—every curve, every detail.
It was reverent.
Worshipful.
And it made my stomach clench in a delicious way.
“I’ve never been more serious in my life, Valentina,” he murmured, his strong fingers lifting to touch my face with surprising softness, tracing my jawline. “Where have you been my whole life?”
The question came out like something deeper than curiosity—almost a quiet ache.
I smiled, leaning closer until the tip of my nose brushed his, my hand resting on his chest, feeling the strong pulse under my palm.
“Well,” I said, trying to look thoughtful, “if we’re considering the first twenty years… I’d say I was—technically—in my father’s—”
His laugh exploded, deep and full, and my whole body reacted to the sound.
Enrico slid his hand to the back of my neck and pulled me closer, his face still lit with that rare, beautiful smile I knew belonged only to me.
“You’re impossible,” he said, voice rough with laughter, eyes bright with genuine amusement.
“Impossible to resist, you mean,” I countered, feigning innocence as I bit my lower lip and challenged his stare.
He stole my lip from between my teeth, speaking against my breath, warm and irresistible.
“Yes.” His mouth brushed mine. “Exactly.”
Then Enrico kissed me for real.
Slow.
Deep.
A kiss that stole the air from my lungs and erased the entire world.
His hands drew me against him until our bodies fit perfectly—his hot skin pressed to mine, setting off a rush of sensations so familiar and overwhelming it made me dizzy.
Every movement of his mouth felt like a burning caress. His tongue slid into my mouth, meeting mine, drawing soft, helpless sounds out of me before I could stop them.
My hands traveled over his shoulders, down his sculpted chest to his strong hips, feeling him tense beneath me—making it worse in the best way.
He wrapped me in a tight embrace, his hands sliding possessively along my back, holding me like I was the most precious thing he’d ever touched.
And in some way, I knew that was exactly how he saw me.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard, lips swollen, eyes hazy with heat. Enrico stroked my face, his thumb brushing my lower lip.
“I love you, Valentina,” he whispered—low and intense enough to make my heart stutter.
It always stuttered when he said it.
And he said it often.
I still wasn’t used to happiness like this. I’d always thought it belonged to characters in movies. Not to women like me.
“I love you too, Enrico,” I whispered back. “More than you can imagine.”
He smiled—small, secret, mine—and pulled me into his arms again, holding me tight against his chest.
I closed my eyes, breathed deep, and let myself feel safe. Loved. Whole.
No matter what happened in the future, this happiness—this moment—would live inside me forever.
Even if the world around us changed completely, I knew one thing with the deepest certainty:
As long as we were together…
everything would be okay.