My heart ached at the thought of breaking him, breaking us.
Alessio had given me everything. He gave me himself, a part of him that nobody else knew but me. He loved me, even though the words were never uttered.
He gave me peace and happiness. He was my happiness.
And now…I was about to take away his happiness.
I could take the pain, anything he would unleash on me, but I couldn’t watch Alessio in pain, knowing that I would be the cause of it. It would kill me…slowly and painfully.
But even when I was preparing to face his wrath, I still had hope. Maybe—just maybe, Alessio would forgive me. Maybe he would understand why I did it, why I lied to him.
Maybe he would still accept me as his Angel. Maybe we would live happily ever after. They were childish thoughts.
But I still hoped that his love was stronger than his anger and need for revenge.
I was snapped out of my thoughts when the car stopped. I dreaded this moment, but it was here and now I had to face it.
“Fuck,” Viktor swore loudly at the front and punched the steering wheel.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Phoenix growled.
Alessio froze beside me, his body locking tight, his tensed muscles bunching underneath my head. I stilled too, my heart jumping in my throat.
I saw Alessio’s hands tighten in fists on his thighs, and the air around us grew cold. When he moved, I lifted my head from his shoulders. I suddenly felt nausea, and the dizziness took over. My vision swam in front of me like waves as my throat closed.
Alessio stared straight ahead, his lips thinned into a straight line. He had lost the soft look in his eyes. Now, he just looked like a cold-blooded killer. Emotionless, vicious, and murderous.
“Alessio,” I breathed, my heart stuttering as I watched Alessio change from a loving man to the monster he was known as, right in front of my eyes.
Viktor got out of the car first, and then Phoenix. I saw their hands going to the back of their waistbands, right over their guns. Alessio grabbed my arm, almost too roughly, and I winced as he pulled me out of the car.
I was hidden behind his large back, Alessio covering my body with his own as Viktor, Phoenix, and Artur came to stand beside us, forming a circle, while I stood in the middle.
Having four large muscled men standing around me, their stance protective, I couldn’t see anything from where I was standing. I didn’t understand what they were protecting me from.
My throat was suddenly dry, and I quivered in fear. The air around us was tense and cold…so cold. I could sense the hatred and anger rolling off the men protecting me like waves.
Viktor drew closer to my side, and I saw his jaw ticked, his face just as emotionless and cold as Alessio’s.
“What are you doing here? On my property?” Alessio growled low, his back tensed, his voice filled with anger.
“I’m just here to take back what’s mine, what belongs to me.”
Chapter 27
I froze, my whole body going numb.
That voice. The same voice that haunted not just my sleep every night—but my whole life.
That voice broke me—until I thought I was beyond repair.
That voice belonged to the devil.
Alberto, my mind screamed. No. No. No. Please no. Not now.
I wanted to cry and scream at this unfairness. I wanted to fall down and crumble into dust until I had nothing left. That way Alberto wouldn’t get to me.
My head ran wild until I could feel myself almost fainting. Breathe. Breathe, Ayla.
I sucked in a harsh breath and took a step forward, peeking past Alessio’s shoulders. I was still hidden behind him; only the top of my head was visible as I looked at the man in front of me.
He caught my eyes and smiled. I once thought he was handsome and charming. I was even slightly enamored by him when we first met. When I finally found his real truth, I realized that it was all just a pretty face, but his heart was black. He didn’t know how to love.
He was the true definition of evil.
And that smile on his face, some women would fall for it. But I knew that smile. It was sadistic and filled with the promise of pain.
“Love, it’s time for you to come home now,” Alberto said, looking at me as he placed his hand out as if he expected me to take it.
I shuddered and hid behind Alessio, my hand going to his back, my fingers clenching around his jacket as I held on for dear life.
This couldn’t be happening. I was supposed to be safe.
My breathing came out in hard pants as my chest grew tighter. I was losing it—losing myself again.
Alessio. Oh no. No. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. He wasn’t supposed to find out my truth this way.