𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

Chapter Sixty-Three

AURORA
VITALIO

The clock was ticking relentlessly, each second stretching out in the darkness of my room. Sleep had become a distant memory. My heart pounded in sync with the ticking of the clock, as though it was counting down to something inevitable. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to push away the thoughts that gnawed at my mind.

Maddox was out there somewhere, lurking like the monster he was, waiting for his moment to strike. A familiar dread
seeped into my bones.

And then, my phone buzzed.

A shiver ran down my spine, my body jolting in reflex as I grabbed the phone from my bedside table. The message was from an unknown number, but I knew exactly who it was. It had been weeks since I last heard from Maddox, but the silence didn't bring peace-it only heightened the tension. I knew he would return eventually. He always did.

UNKNOWN NUMBER:
When I catch you, Rory, it'll be so fucking painful for you. Fucking with me and my mind and running away? You're going to be fucked in the head when I catch you. Think you can run far when I'm after you? Remember, I always catch. I'm the predator here, you're my prey.

The words slammed into me like a fist.
Maddox had always been twisted, always enjoyed toying with my mind, and his words were dripping with malice and intent. My hands trembled as I stared at the screen. He hadn't caught me yet. I had managed to run, to escape him, but for how long? How long could I keep hiding from a predator who was hellbent on hunting me down?
With shaky fingers, I typed a reply, hoping that my words would mask the fear clawing at my insides.

RORY:
I'm still running, you haven't caught me.
There was a brief silence before the next message arrived, more menacing than the last.

UNKNOWN NUMBER:
When I do, l'll fucking kill you.

I could almost feel his breath against my neck, as if he were whispering those words directly into my ear. My heart stuttered in my chest, but I forced myself to respond. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how scared I really was.

RORY:
You'd hurt me?

His reply came almost instantly, quick and cutting.

UNKNOWN NUMBER:
Already did. But I'd do worse than hurting.

The tears welled in my eyes, hot and stinging. The memories flooded back uninvited, a torrent of pain and fear.
Maddox had hurt me in more ways than I could ever describe, not just physically but emotionally. He had torn me apart, piece by piece, leaving me a shell of the person I once was. And yet, some twisted part of me wanted more. Some part of me craved the chaos he brought into my life. I hated him, but the hatred had become a sort of addiction. What can happen to a girl already so broken?

I threw my phone onto the bed and wiped the tears from my eyes, determined not to let him have this power over me anymore. I wasn't that helpless girl anymore. I had escaped, and I was trying to rebuild my life.
Maddox was a part of my past that I needed to leave behind, but the scars he left still bled sometimes. And tonight, they were bleeding.

I climbed out of bed, restless. The house was quiet, eerily so. It was my first night in the Mariano Mansion, and the oppressive silence made the large, dark halls feel more like a tomb than a home. The mansion was intimidating, sprawling with too many rooms and too many secrets, but it was a safe place, or at least safer than wherever Maddox lurked.

The hunger gnawed at me, but it wasn't just for food. It was something deeper, something darker. Revenge? Maybe. I was starving for some semblance of control, some way to regain what Maddox had stolen from me.

As I made my way down to the kitchen, the soft glow of the lights flickered under the door. I wasn't alone. My stomach tightened. I opened the door cautiously, and there, leaning casually against the kitchen island, was Angelo.

His twin, Carlo, was the wild one, but Angelo he was as dangerous in his own quiet way handsome, dark, and just... intimidating.

As I made my way down to the kitchen, the soft glow of the lights flickered under the door. I wasn't alone. My stomach tightened. I opened the door cautiously, and there, leaning casually against the kitchen island, was Angelo.

His twin, Carlo, was the wild one, but Angelo-he was just as dangerous in his own quiet way. Handsome, dark, and devilish, Angelo exuded a sort of calm that was unnerving. He was smoking, the cigarette dangling from his lips, casting him in a haze of smoke and shadow.

I cleared my throat, feeling small under his gaze. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," I mumbled, moving toward the fridge. "I just came to get a snack."

He took a drag from his cigarette, eyes glinting with amusement as the smoke curled around him like a lazy ghost. "I can help you with that," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I raised an eyebrow, closing the fridge as I turned to face him. "How would you help me?" I asked quietly. "Got any good snacks?"

His lips twisted into a smirk, the kind that made my skin tingle with a mixture of intrigue and caution. "Me, of course," he said, rising from his seat and taking a step toward me. My breath hitched as he moved closer, his body imposing, his presence suffocating in the most dangerous way.

Before I could react, he was standing so close that I could feel the heat radiating off his skin. His lips, still holding the cigarette, were inches away from mine.

His hands moved to my hips, pressing me against the cold surface of the fridge. The smell of smoke lingered in the air, mixing with the intoxicating scent of him.

"What are you doing?" I stammered, my voice weak and breathless. My mind screamed at me to push him away, but my body betrayed me, a dull ache of desire throbbing low in my stomach.

"This... this is bad."

He placed the cigarette on the top of the fridge, somehow reaching effortlessly despite his towering height.

His lips ghosted over my skin as he lowered his head, placing a kiss on my shoulder. His hands trailed up my body, his fingers wrapping lightly around my neck, sending a shiver through me.

I moaned softly, unable to control the sound that escaped me as he lifted me effortlessly. My arms wrapped around his neck, clinging to him as he held me against him.

I needed his. I wanted this.

I needed to feel something, anything, to drown out the memories of Maddox that still haunted me. Angelo was dangerous in his own right, but in that moment, he was exactly what I craved. He was a distraction, a dark thrill to chase away the shadows.

"I just want sex," I whispered, my voice trembling slightly. "Don't expect me to fall for you. I have another guy on my mind."

His eyes darkened, and a low chuckle escaped him. "I have another girl on my mind too," he admitted, his hands tightening on my hips. "We're both heartbroken, I guess."

His words lingered in the air between us, an unspoken understanding passing between us. We were both broken, both haunted by someone else. But in this moment, we could forget.