The car sped through the dirt road. The tires crushed broken twigs. Gunshots echoed far behind. Smoke curled into the horizon like the breath of hell itself.
But inside the black SUV… there was silence.
Luca didn't speak. He didn't blink, couldn't even move.
His clothes were soaked in Rose's blood.
Her scent clung to his chest.
Her voice still echoed in his ears like a ghost refusing to leave.
"Stay with me, baby."
He had said it.
He had sworn it.
But he didn't keep it.
He couldn't.
His fists clenched on his thighs, nails digging into his own skin. His jaw was tight, too tight. The veins on his neck throbbed. His eyes—glassy and unblinking—were wide and haunted.
He didn't notice Dubious looking back at him in the rearview mirror.
He didn't hear the men muttering.
All he saw was her.
---
FLASHBACK
Rose laughing on the balcony, hair dancing in the wind.
Her eyes shining like the sky before a storm.
The way she clutched his shirt when she was scared.
The way she whispered "I trust you, Luca."
Luca covered his ears.
The voices were everywhere now.
Her screams from the torture room.
Her sobs when he didn't believe her.
Her silence… when she collapsed into his arms, bleeding out.
---
Back at the family estate, the men dragged him out of the car. He didn't resist. He stumbled like a drunk, knees weak, blood still dripping from his elbow. The hallway lights blurred.
Servants gasped. But he didn't see them.
He walked straight to his room.
Locked the door.
Collapsed.
And then…
He broke.
The scream that left his throat was not human.
It was deep. Ugly. Shattering.
He threw the lamp. It smashed against the wall.
He tore off his jacket, flung it.
He picked up the glass tray and hurled it through the mirror.
CRASH!
Shards fell like tears. His reflection broke into a thousand twisted pieces.
"I KILLED HER!!!" he roared.
His voice cracked like glass.
"I LET HER DIE!"
He fell to his knees, breathing in harsh, uneven bursts.
Then he laughed. Loud. Mad. Hollow.
A man undone.
---
FLASHBACK
Rose, in his arms after their first kiss.
"I feel safe with you."
Safe.
She had said that.
And he had put her in chains.
He punched the floor. Again. And again.
Blood stained his knuckles. He didn't care.
---
Hours passed.
He sat curled up on the floor, her blood still drying on his chest.
He hadn't changed.
He hadn't moved.
He just stared at the corner where he imagined she'd be.
"She kissed me…"
"She kissed me right before the bullet…"
He whispered it again and again like a broken lullaby.
---
Footsteps. A knock.
It was Dubious.
"Luca. You need to pull yourself together."
No reply.
"She made you weak," Dubious snapped. "This is what happens when you fall for someone like—"
BANG!
The door flew open. Luca had fired a shot through the wood without a second thought.
"Get. Out."
The old man hesitated… then turned and left.
---
Midnight.
Luca sat by the window, watching the moon.
His heart was still. But his mind—torn.
She was gone.
And the worst part was… he never got to say sorry.
Not truly.
He had tortured her.
He had doubted her.
He had broken her spirit.
And just when he realized how much she meant… she was taken from him.
His arms were empty.
His soul even emptier.
********
He whispered into the darkness, voice barely holding together:
"Rose… wherever you are… I'm sorry. I'm so f*cking sorry…"
Please… if there's a God… let me see her just one more time…"
I'd trade everything. My name. My empire. My life, Just give her back to me…"
Love is pain 🥹
Please drop your thoughts on this chapter it will go a long way for me as a new writer 💯
And also don't forget to add this book to your collection because this is just the beginning.