Chapter 32

Chapter 32


Raelyn pov

I woke up alone in the massive bed, the sheets tangled around me from a night of restless sleep haunted nightmares. Rafael's side was cold—untouched. He left without even telling me No note, no explanation—just an empty space that increased the growing void inside me.

I sat up, rubbing my arms against the cold that had nothing to do with the air. Last night replayed in my mind over and over again.

After the chaos outside Rafael ordered the guards to patrol, the wall that had the bloody message the we retreated to our room in tense silence.

Rafael had paced around the room like a caged animal, his phone buzzing with urgent calls he took in low, growled Italian.

I tried to stay out of his way, curling up on the edge of the bed, but a lot of questions burned in my throat until I couldn't hold them back any longer.

"Rafael," I whispered, my voice raw from the tears I'd swallowed. "Please, just tell me the truth. Who is Valentina? Why is she here? And what does Dante mean about me tearing your family apart?"

He froze, his back to me, shoulders rigid under his shirt. For a moment, I thought he might finally open up, let me in and tell me the truth. But when he turned, his eyes were—dark, and furious. "Raelyn, drop it," he snapped, his voice a whip crack that made me flinch. "I've already told you what you need to know. She is nothing. Just ghost from the past. This isn't your world, you won't understand."

"But I do!" I shot back, standing up, my hands trembling at my sides. "You dragged me into this world, Rafael. You kidnapped me, remember? If my life is in danger, if that message is about me, I deserve the truth. All of it."

His face twisted, a mix of rage and something deeper, more fractured. He stormed toward me, faster than I could react, his hand shooting out to grab my wrist hard. Not enough to leave a bruise, but enough to pin me in place, his fingers felt like steel bands.

"You think you can demand answers from me?" he snarled, his breath hot against my face as he backed me against the wall. His other hand slammed into the plaster beside my head, making me gasp.

"This isn't a fucking game, Raelyn. People die in my world and you keep pushing me like this, and you'll get hurt —not from them but from your own damn stubbornness."

I tried to pull away, my heart pounding in terror and betrayal, but he held firm, his body pressing close, overwhelming. "Let go," I whispered, tears spilling over my face. "You're scaring me."

For a second, regret flashed in his eyes, his grip loosening just a fraction. But then it hardened again, and he released me with a shove that sent me stumbling back onto the bed. "Stay out of it," he growled, turning away to grab his jacket. "Or next time, I won't be so gentle."

He stormed out after that, the door slamming hard against the wall, leaving me shaking and alone. I cried myself to sleep, the amount of his anger was bruising my soul more than any physical mark.

But Now in the morning, the villa felt eerily quiet. I dressed quickly, my mind racing.

Where was he? Did he go after Valentina? Or Is it something worse? I descended downstairs, the guards nodding at me but saying nothing.

Sofia was in the kitchen, preparing a coffee, her face was scrunched in concentration.

"Have you seen Rafael?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

She shook her head, sympathy in her eyes. "He left early. He said he had business but he didn't say when he will be back."

Business? Right!.

I forced a nod, grabbing a glass of water to steady my nerves. But as I turned to leave, a shadow fell across the doorway.

Dante.

He leaned against the frame with his arms crossed, that same cruel smirk playing on his lips. Sofia muttered something under her breath and slipped out, leaving us alone.

"Raelyn," he drawled, stepping inside, his eyes raking over me like I was prey. "Looking a bit lost without your knight in shining armor?"

I backed up a step, my pulse spiking. "What do you want, Dante?"

He chuckled, low and menacing, closing the distance until I was cornered against the counter. "Just a chat. Wife or whatever the hell you are to Rafael." His gaze darkened, turning predatory. "You know, he's not who you think he is."

" That man? He's an evil, obsessive psychopath. Twisted in ways you can't even imagine."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "You're lying. Just trying to turn me against him."

"Am I?" He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "Why do you think he kidnapped you, Raelyn? You probably don't think this was some fairy-tale romance? He kidnapped you because he thinks you're the only daughter of the American mafia boss—the one he's been gunning for revenge against for years."

" And Rossi? That was just the start. Rafael got a vendetta that runs deep, and you're his ticket to settling the score. He is using you, sweetheart. And when he's done? You'll be discarded like other trash—Or worse."

My blood ran cold, the words hitting me like punches. Images flashed in my mind —Rafael's possessiveness, the way he snatched me from my life, the secrets he guarded so fiercely.

Was it all a lie? Revenge? The room spun, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. "No... that's not— he wouldn't..."

Dante's smirk widened, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "Oh, he would and he has. Run while you can, Raelyn. Before his obsession turns deadly for you."

He straightened, leaving me there, petrified, my hands shaking so badly the glass slipped from my fingers and shattered on the floor. Terror clawed at suffocating my chest.

If Dante was right... God, what had I gotten into? Rafael, the man I started to trust, to feel something for—was he really a monster?

I sank to the floor, hugging my knees as tears started streaming down my face and fear consumed me whole.

I was trapped, alone, and utterly terrified.