The days blurred together in a cycle of tension and silence.
Isa moved through the mansion like a ghost, observing, learning, and piecing together fragments of Luca’s world.
It was a world of control, precision, and secrecy, but beneath the surface, she could sense a growing undercurrent of unrest. Something was shifting—both within Luca and within herself.
The mansion’s grandeur, once overwhelming, had started to feel more like a gilded cage. Isa’s isolation was suffocating, though it gave her time to think, to plot.
Luca’s words from their last conversation echoed in her mind, haunting her with the promise of power she didn’t fully understand. But she was beginning to see glimpses of it. In his silence.
In the way his gaze lingered just a little too long. Luca might have held her captive, but he was far from indifferent.
She noticed things—small, almost insignificant moments that revealed the cracks in his control.
The way his jaw tightened whenever she mentioned her stepfather, the rare flashes of vulnerability that crossed his face when he thought she wasn’t looking.
It was as if Luca was a man fighting against something inside himself, a darkness that he both embraced and feared.
It was on one such night, as Isa wandered through the halls, that she stumbled upon a moment that would change everything.
The house was unusually quiet. Even the soft hum of activity that usually filled the lower levels had faded.
Isa wandered aimlessly, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She had barely spoken to Luca in the days following their conversation in his office, but she could feel the tension between them building, unspoken but undeniable.
As she passed the study, she heard voices—low and urgent. She paused, pressing her back against the wall, listening carefully.
“We can’t keep delaying this, Luca,” Enzo’s voice was tense, lacking its usual calm. “The other families are getting impatient.
They want to know where your head’s at.”
“I know,” Luca replied, his voice quieter than usual, almost... weary.
“But I need more time. Things are more complicated now.”
“You mean because of her?” Enzo asked, and Isa’s heart skipped a beat. “She’s clouding your judgment, Luca.
I warned you about this.”
There was a pause, and Isa held her breath.
“She’s not clouding my judgment,” Luca finally said, but there was an edge to his voice, as if he was trying to convince himself as much as Enzo.
“She’s part of the plan.”
“What plan?” Enzo’s frustration was palpable. “We’re on the verge of war with the other families.
If they sense any weakness—”
“I said I’m handling it,” Luca snapped, his tone sharp. “Don’t question me, Enzo.”
The room fell into silence, the tension so thick that Isa could feel it in the air.
She waited, barely daring to breathe, until she heard the sound of Enzo’s footsteps retreating.
When she was certain the coast was clear, Isa slipped away, her mind racing.
What plan? What did Luca mean? And why did Enzo think she was a weakness?
The more Isa learned about Luca, the less she understood. He was ruthless, yes, but there was more to him than the cold, calculating mafia don she had first met.
There was something beneath the surface, something deeper than the control he exerted over his world.
That night, Isa lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to shake the feeling that Luca’s world was about to collapse. And somehow, she was at the center of it.
---
The next morning, Isa woke to find a note slipped under her door. It was brief, written in Luca’s unmistakable hand: **"Meet me in the gardens at sunset."**
Her pulse quickened as she read the words. He hadn’t sought her out in days, yet now he was summoning her. What had changed?
As the sun began to sink below the horizon, Isa made her way to the gardens, her steps slow and deliberate.
The air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of roses and something else—a hint of tension that seemed to cling to the very walls of the mansion.
Luca was already there, standing by the fountain, his back to her.
He didn’t turn around as she approached, but she could feel the weight of his presence, the quiet intensity that seemed to radiate from him.
“You wanted to see me?” Isa’s voice was steady, though her heart was racing.
Luca turned slowly, his eyes locking onto hers. For a moment, neither of them spoke. His gaze was unreadable, but there was something different about him—something softer, almost hesitant.
“I did,” he said quietly, his voice carrying a rare vulnerability. “I’ve been thinking.”
Isa tilted her head slightly, watching him carefully. “About what?”
Luca’s jaw clenched, and for a brief moment, she saw the struggle in his eyes—the internal battle he was waging.
He stepped closer, the distance between them shrinking until they were only a breath apart.
“About you,” he admitted, his voice low. “About what I’ve done to you.”
Isa’s breath hitched, and for a second, she didn’t know what to say. This was not the Luca she had come to know.
This was a man standing on the edge of something dangerous—an emotion he couldn’t control.
“I didn’t ask for any of this,” Isa whispered, her voice trembling. “I never wanted to be here.”
“I know.” Luca’s voice was barely audible, and he looked away, as if ashamed. “But now you’re here.
And I don’t know how to protect you from what’s coming.”
The vulnerability in his words took Isa by surprise. She had seen glimpses of it before, but this was different. This was real.
“You can’t control everything,” she said softly, stepping closer to him. “You can’t protect me from the world you live in.”
Luca’s eyes darkened, and he shook his head. “I can try.”
Isa’s heart ached as she looked at him. This wasn’t the ruthless mafia don she had feared.
This was a man, torn between the life he had built and the feelings he didn’t want to admit.
“I’m not your weakness, Luca,” Isa said, her voice firm. “And you’re not as invincible as you think.”
For a moment, Luca said nothing. Then, slowly, he reached out, his hand gently cupping her face.
His touch was warm, tender, and Isa found herself leaning into it despite herself.
“You’re not my weakness,” Luca murmured, his voice barely a whisper.
“You’re the only thing keeping me sane.”
And with those words, Isa knew—beneath the surface of the man she feared, there was someone else entirely.
Someone who was just as lost as she was.
YOU ARE READING
Shattered Vows
Romance**Story Premise Isabella "Isa" Moretti has spent her entire life under the cruel thumb of her abusive stepfather, Antonio Moretti. After years of torment, Isa believes her only path to survival is silence and submission. But when Antonio's mounting...
