I wear his name like a scar.
Alessandro Rossi stole everything from me; my freedom, my future, the lie I told my father to keep him alive. He thinks I'm a tool to be used, a bride to be displayed, a Fraga to be broken. He thinks the ring on my finge...
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The past - 17 years old.
He found me.
Three years ago, I ran as far as I could, escaping from my own sadistic father-the man responsible for my mother's death. I thought I'd run so far away that he'd never manage to track me down. But I underestimated him.
He did.
The punishment for my freedom attempt? Fifty lashes, added on top of the usual dose. Fifty goddamn whips that burned and bled. But who's keeping track?
I was.
I counted every single one, seething with a hate so pure it tasted like iron on my tongue. I despised my father, the bastard I once tried to put a bullet through. If only I'd aimed better. He didn't deserve to breathe, not after everything he'd done-to my mother, to Andrea, to me. Andrea, my childhood friend, the only person I'd ever truly trusted. He'd suffered right alongside me, and I couldn't let that continue.
If my father thought I was done plotting my escape, he was more deluded than I'd given him credit for. I'd try again. And this time, I wouldn't leave alone. My brother was coming with me, whether I had to drag him or carry him. I wasn't about to abandon him to our father's sadistic games.
This hellhole wouldn't hold me forever. It'd take more than whips and threats to keep me chained here.
The old black sedan's engine rumbled as I turned the key, my grip tightening on the wheel. There was no going back. I glanced in the rearview mirror and caught sight of Luca, my little brother, curled up and fast asleep in the back seat, his chest rising and falling, as if we weren't running for our lives.
Andrea sat in the passenger seat next to me, that familiar, unbreakable grin on his face. He'd always been a rock, stubborn as hell and ready to walk through fire if it meant standing by my side.
His eyes flicked over to me, sharp and alert, scanning the dark perimeter of the estate. "You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," I muttered, although my heart felt like it might beat right out of my chest.
I nodded at Enzo, stationed by the gates, one of my father's men but also the only one who'd ever treated me with a shred of kindness. He'd always stayed loyal to my mother's memory, and had agreed to help us tonight.
Enzo pulled the gates open and waved us forward. "Go! Quickly!"
I hit the gas, and the car jolted forward. We left the mansion behind, and for a second, hope flared inside me. We'd done it-we'd made it out.
But hope is so goddamn cruel, and it died fast. Just as we reached the edge of the property, headlights blazed in front of us. I slammed on the brakes, and the car skidded to a stop. Panic gripped me as three black SUVs pulled up, men piling out, guns drawn.
"No," I muttered, dread turning my blood to ice. I twisted around, reaching for Luca, who'd just woken up, his big, scared eyes looking at me. "Luca, stay down."
