Forbidden Desire

The man they know as Nicholas Pendleton is nothing more than a carefully crafted illusion-a mask I've worn so long, I sometimes forget who I really am. Salvatore Vendetti. The name is a curse, a legacy of power, deceit, and blood. Here, in this life I've built, I am the man who loves Katherine, the father of her child. But beneath the surface lies a darker truth-one I pray she never uncovers.

But that was the problem, wasn't it? Katherine's warmth, her smile, the way she looked at me like I was her entire world-it chipped away at the walls I had built around myself. She was never meant to be anything more than a pawn, a bridge to owning her father's company outright. For the first time in years, I felt something I didn't understand.

I glance at the wedding ring on my finger, a symbol of the life I created with her. A life built on lies. I should regret it. I should feel guilt for everything I've done to bring her to this moment, to make her mine. But I don't. I can't. Because Katherine is the one thing I refuse to lose, even if it means lying to her every single day.