Chapter 10 Chapter 10
Valerie POV
Lauren’s words hit me like sharp knives, each one cutting deeper than the last.
“So you decided to settle for your enemy, Valerie?” she said, her voice shaking with anger and disbelief. “Please make it make sense to me, because I’m literally losing my mind. You abandoned Noah at your own engagement ceremony and ran away with Luciano. Luciano! The devil himself. Have you forgotten everything that happened between the two of you? Why are you trying to make things difficult for everyone?”
I closed my eyes as her words echoed in my head. My chest felt tight, like I couldn’t breathe. I had hoped, foolishly, that she would understand. I thought maybe, just maybe, she would hear the fear behind my choices. But the truth hurt more than her anger.
No one wanted to understand my pain.
No one wanted to see my tears.
To them, I was selfish. I was reckless. I was the girl who ruined everything. No one saw the nights I couldn’t sleep. No one felt the terror that followed me like a shadow. No one knew what it was like to feel trapped in a life that was slowly killing me.
Lauren kept talking, her words blending together, but I knew if I didn’t stop her now, I would break. I swallowed hard and interrupted her, my voice coming out louder than I meant it to.
“Lauren, I need your help,” I said.
The line went silent.
That silence felt endless. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure she could hear it through the phone. Seconds passed, or maybe minutes I couldn’t tell. I just knew that every second felt like I was standing on the edge of something dangerous.
Finally, she said,“What’s the matter?” she asked, her tone calmer now, cautious.
Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I had cried enough already.
“I need to leave the city,” I said quietly. “And you know I can’t do that without an international passport. I just need to go far away from here. Anywhere but here.”
She didn’t respond, so I continued, my voice shaking despite my effort to stay strong.
“My father has declared war against Luciano,” I said. “He believes Luciano killed his right-hand man.”
Lauren gasped on the other end of the line,The sound made everything feel real all over again. This wasn’t just fear anymore. This was dangerous. This was blood waiting to be spilled, and I was standing right in the middle of it.
“If I stay,” I whispered, “someone will get hurt. Maybe Luciano. Maybe my father. Maybe me. I can’t be the reason more people suffer.”
My hands trembled as I held the phone. I hated that my life had turned into this mess of hatred and impossible choices. I hated that loving the wrong man had made me an enemy in my own world. And most of all, I hated that running away felt like my only option.
“Please, Lauren,” I said, my voice breaking at last. “I wouldn’t ask if I had another choice. I just need one way out. Just this once.”
I waited, my heart aching, knowing that whatever she said next could change everything.
Oh my goodness, Valerie, this isn’t good,” Lauren said. I could hear the panic in her voice through the phone.
If there was anyone I trusted with my life, it was Lauren. She had always been there, even when the world turned its back on me.
“I don’t know what to do anymore,” I whispered. I paced my room, my hands shaking. “I just need to leave this place. I need to go far away and start over. I don’t feel safe here.”
I paused, my throat tightening before I forced the words out.
“Luciano hates me,” I said quietly. “He blames me for his mother’s death. I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at me. I don’t want to die because of his anger. I don’t want to live in fear anymore.”
Lauren inhaled sharply.
“I’ll think of something,” she said after a moment. “But for now, you need to stay safe.”
She went quiet again, then called my name softly.“Valerie… your father’s offer is still on the table.”
My heart skipped. “What offer?” I asked.
She hesitated. “He said the only way he can forget everything… the only way this war ends… is if you marry Noah Boneman.”
My stomach dropped, “I will never be used like that,” I snapped. “Never, Lauren. You know how much I hate him. I can’t marry Noah. I won’t.”
The thought alone made my skin crawl. Noah was not the man I wanted or needed. He was weak where he pretended to be strong. He loved control more than people. And I refused to become a tool for my father’s power games.
“I won’t sacrifice my life for my father’s selfish deals,” I said firmly. “Not this time.”
Before Lauren could respond, I heard footsteps outside my door. Fast. Heavy.
My breath caught.
“I have to go,” I whispered and ended the call just as the door opened.
Luciano walked in,he held a small first-aid box in his hand, my body stiffened as he moved closer. Every instinct in me screamed to run. I stepped back, putting space between us, but he calmly sat on the edge of the bed and tapped the spot beside him.
I stared at him, confused and tense.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I’m here to take care of your injury,” he replied flatly. He didn’t even look at me as he opened the box and began preparing the supplies.
“I can do it myself,” I said quickly. “I don’t need your help.”
I reached for the cotton, but before I could touch it, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer. The sudden closeness stole my breath. Our faces were inches apart.
My heart raced wildly.
For a split second, the memory of my nightmare flashed through my mind. His face. His hands. The fear,I jerked away from him immediately.
A slow smile appeared on his lips.
He stood up and walked toward the door. Just before leaving, he stopped and turned back to me.
“Don’t move too fast, Valerie,” he said quietly.
Then he walked out,I stood frozen in the middle of the room, my heart pounding, his words echoing in my head, I didn’t know what frightened me more, his warning, or the way my body still reacted to him.