Chapter One (continued): The Devil Returns
1035 Words
Chapter One (continued): The Devil Returns
Julie’s fingers trembled as she clenched them into fists. She hated this. Hated how her body still reacted to him—how her pulse danced at the sound of his voice, how his presence still set her on fire.
She had sworn she was done with him. Done with the lies. The danger. The heartbreak.
But she wasn’t stupid. If Lorenzo Moretti came looking for her after two years of silence, it wasn’t for romance. It was because something terrible was coming.
She squared her shoulders. “If I’m in danger, I’ll call the police.”
His eyes darkened. “The police can’t protect you from the men coming for you.”
“Then why are they coming for me, Lorenzo?” she asked sharply. “Because of you? Because I was stupid enough to love a monster?”
He winced at her words, but didn’t deny them.
“You were never stupid,” he said. “You were the only real thing I ever had.”
Julie laughed bitterly. “Spare me the poetry. You made your choice.”
“I did,” he said, voice low. “And it was the worst mistake of my life.”
Before she could answer, a loud bang echoed nearby—like a firecracker. Julie flinched, heart leaping.
Lorenzo was instantly alert, stepping in front of her. “We have to go. Now.”
“What was that?” she whispered.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled out a phone, muttered something in Italian, and motioned toward his car. “There’s no time. You’re coming with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” Julie snapped.
He looked her dead in the eye. “If you don’t get in that car right now, Julie, you might not live to regret it.”
Her heart stalled.
It was the tone that convinced her—not angry, not pleading, but raw. Real.
Something in her gut twisted.
She glanced around. The streets were nearly empty. Her instincts screamed at her to run—but not from him. From something else. Something she couldn’t yet see.
Her voice was barely a whisper. “If I go with you… is this forever, or just another lie?”
His eyes met hers. “Forever, if you let it be.”
---
The ride was silent at first.
Julie sat in the passenger seat, soaked and stiff, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The scent of leather and expensive cologne filled the air—his scent. It brought back memories she didn’t want.
Memories of heated kisses in shadowed corridors. Of whispered promises in the dark. Of a man who touched her like she was sacred… then crushed her like she was nothing.
She stared out the window. “Where are we going?”
“My private residence. No one knows about it but me and two men I trust.”
“Why would someone be after me now? I’ve stayed out of everything.”
His jaw tightened as he drove. “Because my enemies couldn’t touch me. So now they’re trying to hurt me through the one person they know I’ve never stopped caring about.”
Julie turned slowly toward him. “You don’t get to say that. You gave me up like I was trash.”
“I gave you up,” he said, voice hoarse, “because they threatened to kill you if I didn’t.”
Her breath caught. “What?”
He nodded once. “Two years ago, the Lucetti family intercepted our messages. They found out about us. I was warned—break it off or watch you die. I made a choice.”
Her lips parted, disbelief washing over her. “So… everything you said… you didn’t mean it?”
“I hated every word I had to say that night,” he whispered. “But I needed you alive. I needed you to walk away.”
Julie stared at him. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe.
“And now?”
“They’re back. But this time I’m not letting them near you. I’ve already lost you once.”
She looked away, struggling to process it all. The betrayal. The lies. The sudden revelation that what broke her hadn’t been cruelty, but protection.
“I don’t know if I can trust you,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said quietly. “But I’m going to prove you can.”
---
When they reached the estate, Julie stepped out of the car and stared.
The house wasn’t the glittering mansion she remembered—it was smaller, more private, hidden behind iron gates and surrounded by thick trees. Silent. Guarded.
“Home sweet hideout?” she muttered.
Lorenzo didn’t smile. “It’s safe. That’s all that matters.”
Inside, the warmth was immediate. A fire crackled in the hearth. The place was sleek, masculine—deep woods, dark leather, and glass.
Lorenzo handed her a towel and disappeared for a moment. When he returned, he carried one of his shirts and a pair of sweatpants.
“These will be big, but they’re dry.”
Julie took them without a word and walked into the guest room to change. As she peeled off her soaked clothes, her hands trembled. Not from the cold—but from everything unraveling inside her.
He hadn’t lied to hurt her.
He had lied to save her.
And now, somehow, he was back—ripping open wounds that had never truly healed.
She looked in the mirror, wearing his clothes, smelling his scent, and hated how part of her still ached for him.
Still wanted him.
Still loved him.
---
When she came out, he was seated by the fire, a glass of scotch in hand. He looked up and stilled when he saw her.
She tried not to notice how his gaze lingered. How it burned.
“I’m going to stay one night,” she said, voice firm. “Just until I figure out if you’re telling the truth.”
He nodded. “One night.”
But deep in his eyes, she saw it.
The promise that one night wouldn’t be enough.
---
- Writer
