Chapter 10 I Can’t Live Here Anymore
Molly’s POV
Terror seized me the moment I saw them. Things crawling across the floor, slithering over the bed. My scream tore through the silence, sharp and desperate, and somewhere in the distance, I heard laughter.
That laugh. Roger. But before I could call out, it stopped, replaced by the sound of heavy, hurried footsteps.
My whole body trembled. I couldn’t believe that Roger loved the very things that made my skin crawl. How could a child his age be obsessed with snakes and spiders?
Sweat drenched every inch of me as I froze in place, my eyes locked on the two snakes gliding along the floor and the spiders creeping closer across the bed.
“Molly! Are you alright?”
Relief flooded through me at the sound of Gianni’s voice. Within seconds, he burst into the room, eyes wide, and rushed to my side. His arms were around me before I could think — strong, steady, pulling me off the bed like I weighed nothing.
Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him as if the world would end if I let go. When he finally set me down, I realized I was holding onto his bare, sculpted chest.
“Sorry,” I whispered, stepping back, and hugging myself instead. His body was warm, solid, and far more defined than I remembered.
Gianni opened his mouth to say something, but a loud slam echoed from the hallway, Roger’s door, no doubt. He ignored it, crossing to the bed, and picking up one of the snakes. He gave it a quick glance, then tossed it aside.
“It’s fake.”
Relief loosened my throat. So no one had meant to hurt me — just frighten me. Still, the message was clear. someone in this house didn’t want me here.
I swallowed hard, pointing toward the bed. “The spiders are real.”
Two large black creatures scurried across the sheets, their legs twitching in the dim light. My stomach churned.
Gianni smirked slightly, but he could see the panic in my eyes. “They’re Roger’s pets,” he said simply.
I stared at him, speechless. Pets? What kind of four-year-old kept creatures like that?
“It’s alright,” he said, his voice softening. “I’ll handle it. I’ll have the maids clean your room.”
Only then did I truly register what he was wearing. Just a pair of boxer shorts, his skin glistening faintly from sleep. The sight of his bare torso made a strange shiver rush through me, something hot, something unwanted.
His chest rose and fell, strong and calm, while I stood trembling in a silk nightgown I suddenly felt too exposed in.
No. I couldn’t stay here. Not in this room. Not with him down the hall.
“Gianni, please…” I began, my voice shaking. “Let me rent an apartment. I can’t live here anymore.”
The look he gave me made my breath hitch. His dark eyes flickered, part warning, part something else, and he took a step closer.
Before I could move, he closed the distance between us, his arms caging me against the wall. My heart pounded, my body frozen. His voice came low and unyielding, his breath warm against my skin.
“A deal is a deal,” he murmured. “If you don’t want this room, then stay in mine.”
My pulse stuttered. His room?
He wasn’t serious. He couldn’t be. Had he forgotten about his wife? About the fact that Roger’s mother still existed somewhere in this twisted picture?
I wanted to ask, but no words came out. He stepped back abruptly, leaving me standing there, trembling, confused, and furious with myself.
Wesley had been cruel. But Gianni? Gianni was a mystery. Colder, yet more dangerous in his silence. He wasn’t the man I used to know.
“No… this room is fine,” I said quickly, surrendering. I’d be insane to share a room with my ex.
He smirked faintly, the corner of his mouth curving in a way that told me he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. “Good,” he said. “Go get Roger ready for preschool. But I’ll talk to him first.”
He left, and I finally exhaled, only to catch my reflection in the mirror.
A wave of mortification hit me. The thin, transparent lingerie I wore left little to the imagination. My mind reeled at the thought of what Gianni must have seen when I clung to him. Nora, why did you pick this one?
I pulled on a dress over it, trying to erase the shame burning through me, and crept toward Roger’s door.
Gianni’s voice came from inside, sharp and controlled. “If you ever do something like this again, I’ll send all your pets away.”
Roger’s reply was quick and defiant. “She’s the one who should leave, not my pets!”
My chest tightened. This little boy had built walls taller than his years. I wondered if he treated everyone this way, even Gianni’s secretary, who’d mentioned meeting him before.
“That’s never going to happen,” Gianni said firmly.
My heart dropped. His tone was final, absolute. I wasn’t going anywhere, not yet.
For a moment, I felt like a prisoner in a golden cage. How long did he intend to keep me here?
But then I remembered the deal, the island. My dream. My freedom, waiting at the end of this strange arrangement. I had to endure it. Just a little longer.
Then came Roger’s voice again, softer this time, laced with something that sounded almost like sadness.
“What about Mom?”
The question lingered in the air like smoke, heavy, haunting, and far too dangerous to answer.