Chapter 53 IN CLUB
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ADELINE
The loud music continued to blast through the speakers making my head slightly hurt. My chest rose and fell as I took a deep breath, the cool glass of vodka trembling slightly in my hand before I tipped it back.
The liquid burned its way down my throat, but I welcomed the sensation. It was a distraction, a reprieve from the whirlwind of emotions Bianca’s words had stirred up earlier.
I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away, and glanced at the dance floor. Aurora, Kiara, and Rose were completely lost in the music, their laughter and wild movements blending into the pulsing beats of the club.
They looked carefree—exactly how I wanted to feel. I wanted to be free and do whatever the fuck I wanted but this love had messed me up so bad.
My fingers reached for another shot, determined to drown every ache in the bitter drink. I didn’t notice the figure approaching until a firm hand wrapped around my wrist, halting me mid-motion.
“Let go,” I groaned, my voice slurred and annoyed. I did not want any disturbance because I wanted to forget everything.
The grip on my wrist didn’t loosen, and before I could protest further, the shot was plucked from my hand.
My head snapped up, my blurry gaze landing on the person who had dared to interrupt my escape.
“Valentino,”
I mumbled, sighing heavily as I recognized him. His dark eyes held a mix of concern and frustration, but I couldn’t care less.
He sat next to me and pushed away the glass and looked at me sternly. His eyes warning me to stop but I was in no mood of listening to anyone.
I let my head fall against his shoulder, my body sagging against him as if the weight of my thoughts had finally become too much.
“You don’t understand,” I mumbled, my voice muffled by his shirt.
My fingers gripped his collar, tugging him closer as the words began to tumble out.
“He’s driving me crazy, Val. One moment, he says he loves me, and the next… the next, I hear things. Things that make me doubt everything. How can someone say they love you and then…”
My voice cracked, and I trailed off, my head shaking against him.
Valentino sighed, his hand awkwardly patting my back as if unsure how to comfort me.
“Adeline, maybe—” he started, but I cut him off with a sudden burst of giggles.
“You’re a cute guy,” I said, my eyes glassy but mischievous as I leaned back to look at him.
My words made Valentino freeze, his brows knitting together in confusion. Before he could respond, I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, the gesture both unexpected and deliberate.
His body stiffened, his mind racing as he tried to process what had just happened. I, however, seemed entirely unbothered.
I smiled up at him, my eyes sparkling with a mix of mischief and drunkenness.
“Thanks for listening,” I said with a wink before pushing myself up from the booth.
I swayed my hips as I made my way towards the dance floor. The bass reverberated through the club, shaking the floor beneath my heels. Something filled by veins and m veins pulsated, wanting to be free today.
I let myself get lost in the rhythm, my body moving with abandon under the cascade of neon lights. My dress clung to me like a second skin, inching higher with every movement.
I was aware but I didn’t care.
Not about the eyes on me, not about the sweat pooling at the back of my neck, and certainly not about the chaos in my mind. For tonight, I was free.
A waiter passed by, balancing a tray of drinks, and without hesitation, I snagged a bottle of rum.
His protest was drowned out by the blaring music, and by the time he turned to say anything, I had already cracked the seal and tilted the bottle to my lips.
The fiery liquid coursed down my throat, burning but exhilarating. The taste made me make a face but I laughed as it spilled slightly, a few drops trickling down my chin and disappearing into the curve of my neckline.
The crowd around me seemed to blur as I spun, the hem of my dress lifting dangerously high, revealing glimpses of smooth skin that caught the light. My arms were above my head, my hips swayed to the beat, and my laughter, uninhibited and wild, cut through the noise like a melody of its own.
But I didn’t notice the eyes on me.
I was aware that I was being watched but it did not bother me.
I did not even care if I was to be killed in next second but there was some weird boldness that made me smile knowing I would not be killed that easily.
I shook away all the weird thoughts bubbling in my mind and focused on the night.
The music thumped like a heartbeat, shaking the walls of the club as I swayed on the dance floor, still clutching the bottle of rum in my hand.
But then, just as the beat dropped, the lights flickered once—then twice—before plunging the room into darkness.
The sudden loss of light sent a ripple of murmurs through the crowd, and for a second, I stood still, my senses heightened. I blinked my eyes a few times to clear my vision.
The darkness was thick, suffocating, and I could feel the heat of bodies brushing against me in the chaos. Then it happened—hands.
They were firm, unapologetic, grabbing my waist from behind and pulling me back against a solid chest. My breath hitched, my fingers instinctively gripping the neck of the rum bottle as I froze in place.
“Hey—”
I began, my voice shaky, but it was cut off as I felt it—hot breath ghosting over my face. My head tilted slightly, and my chest tightened as the proximity became all too real.
Whoever it was, they were inches away from her, their presence overwhelming. Who could it be? Luciano-
My pulse raced as my body tensed, an electric current of unease running through me. Before I could twist away, a deep, velvety voice whispered into my ear, the words dripping with dark amusement.
“Such a bad girl,”
he murmured, his voice low and dangerously intimate.
A shiver ran down my spine, my skin prickling as the words sank in. The playful heat I might have felt in another situation wasn’t there—instead, an icy wave of dread began to settle in my gut.
My instincts kicked in, my grip on the rum bottle tightening as my breathing quickened. The voice- it felt familiar but where?
One thing I was sure of, He was trouble.
Not a good sign.
“ Long time no see, cupcake “