Bloodline and Betrayal

BEFORE YOU READ! This story contains mature themes and strong languages. Thanks for reading. Rosalia’s POV The sharp pain at the back of my head dragged me back to consciousness. My shirt was already soaked with blood from the hit. I blinked against the dim light, my vision blurry as I tried to take in my surroundings. The room was eerily cold with a gut-wrenching smell of blood and metallic rust. Chains hung from the ceiling, thumbscrews laying aimlessly on the counter, tools not meant for fixing but for breaking people. I was in a dungeon. Panic surged my chest as I realized my wrists were bound tightly behind the back of the wooden chair. My ankles were bound and no matter how much I struggled, the bindings didn't lose. My heart raced back to the last thing I remembered before the loud bang, I was talking to Felix. He wanted me to leave Luca to be with him. His eyes were wild, desperate. Then the Sharp crack behind my skull and everything had gone dark. And now, I was here. Bound. Helpless. I bit down my lips, twisting my wrists against the bind. Each movement sent flares of pain to my body. The chair beneath me creaked. “Come on… come on,” I hissed through clenched teeth, jerking my arms again. Nothing. My body screamed in protest, every muscle burning with the effort. But the ropes were expertly tied. Whoever did this knew exactly how to restrain someone without mercy. The door creaked open. I froze. Footsteps echoed through the concrete space, slow and deliberate, each one getting louder, closer. My stomach twisted as I caught the familiar scent of cologne beneath the metallic stench. Then, he stepped into view. Felix. He looked nothing like the man who used to stand silently beside Luca in tailored suits and calm confidence. His dark hair was disheveled, eyes fever-bright, clothes rumpled as though he’d stopped caring how the world saw him. There was something unhinged in his gaze, a storm I hadn’t noticed before, but now it raged, clear and dangerous. “You’re awake,” he said softly, as if it was a relief. “I was afraid they hit you too hard.” “I'm sorry about that”, he said with an unwavering expression. I stared at him, breathing hard, the disgust twisting in my gut rising to my throat. “What is this, Felix? Where the hell am I?” He didn’t answer right away. He leaned in front of me, just far enough that I couldn’t kick him even if I tried. His eyes flickered across my face like he was trying to memorize every detail. “I had to, Rosalia,” he murmured, his voice disturbingly gentle. “You left me no choice. I couldn’t let you stay with him.” “I love you,” he said simply. The words dropped into the room like a weight. My stomach turned. “You’re insane,” I said, shaking my head. “You drugged me. You hit me. You kidnapped me”. “I had to,” he repeated, almost like a mantra. “Luca doesn’t deserve you. He used you, he married you for power. You think he loves you?” His face twisted with jealousy. “You don’t know the truth. But I do. I’ve always protected you. I’ve always been there watching, waiting in the shadows. Hoping you’d see me.” “I loved you the moment I welcomed you to the mansion”. I stared at him, horrified. “You’re delusional. You think this is love? Holding someone against their will? Beating them unconscious?” “I saved you,” he whispered. “You’ll see, soon. Once you understand everything… Once I explain who you really are, what Luca’s kept from you…you’ll understand why we’re meant to be together.” “I don't care what you know or what Luca is hiding from me, I just want to go home”, I said with a cracked voice. Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, but I held them back. There it was again. That glimmer of something deeper. Something more twisted than obsession. He stood, moving toward the tray of tools behind him. My pulse spiked. “Don’t,” I said, suddenly breathless. Felix turned back with a small, almost pained smile. “I’m not going to hurt you, Rosalia. I’d never hurt you. But I will make you see the truth.” He stepped closer again, eyes softening as he reached a hand out to brush hair from my face. I flinched away, burning with rage and fear. “You can fight all you want,” he murmured. “But in time, you’ll remember who you are. You’ll remember who we are.” And just like that, he turned and walked away, the door slamming shut behind him, leaving me in the suffocating dark with nothing but my anger, fear and the slow, creeping realization that whatever truth he wanted to reveal… it might destroy everything.