Chapter — A Sister’s Burden

Luca’s POV

Luca barely had time to shake off the last remnants of sleep before Ava pounced on him.

“Auntie Val called!” she said excitedly, shaking his arm. “She wants to meet you!”

Luca blinked, rubbing his eyes. “Valarie?” His voice was still rough from sleep. “What time is it?”

Ava huffed impatiently. “Afternoon. You slept too much.”

Luca sat up, stretching. He had been exhausted after the fever, but Val wouldn’t call him unless it was important.

Something was wrong.

He got dressed quickly, ignoring Damien’s pointed stare as he passed through the living room.

“Where are you going?” Damien’s voice was smooth but laced with that dark possessiveness.

“Valarie called,” Luca said simply, slipping on his shoes.

Damien didn’t look pleased. His jaw twitched. “Did she say why?”

Luca shook his head.

Damien exhaled sharply, but to Luca’s surprise, he didn’t argue. Instead, he pulled out his phone.

“At least take my men.”

Luca sighed. “Damien—”

“I’m not asking.”

Luca bit the inside of his cheek, but he knew Damien wouldn’t let him leave otherwise. “Fine.”

—

Valarie was waiting for him at a small café tucked into a quiet street. She sat in the farthest corner, away from the crowd, stirring her coffee with slow, absentminded movements.

The moment Luca sat down, he knew.

She looked exhausted. Not just tired, but drained, like something heavy was sitting on her chest, weighing her down.

“Valarie—”

“Elijah left.”

The words came out flat, emotionless. But Luca saw the way her fingers clenched around her cup.

His stomach twisted. “What?”

“He’s gone,” she said again, eyes trained on the table. “He… He didn’t say it outright, but I know why. Mikhail got to him.”

Luca’s breath hitched.

Mikhail.

His hands curled into fists.

Valarie finally looked up, and for the first time in a long time, he saw something fragile in her.

“I think…” She inhaled shakily. “I think I lost him, Luca.”

Luca reached across the table, gripping her hand tightly.

“No, you didn’t.” His voice was firm. “You still have me. You have us.”

Valarie exhaled slowly, as if she’d been holding her breath this whole time.

And then—

For the first time in years—

She broke.

********

— A Promise of Vengeance

Valarie’s POV

The moment she felt Luca’s hand tighten around hers, something inside her cracked.

She had been holding it in for too long. The pressure, the fear, the unbearable weight of knowing that Mikhail was creeping into their lives, poisoning everything, taking everything.

And now… Elijah.

The man she had loved since she was seventeen.

The man she had planned to spend her life with.

Gone.

Her throat tightened painfully. “I love him, Luca…” Her voice trembled, and she hated how weak she sounded. “I love him so much.”

Luca’s grip never wavered. His blue eyes burned with an intensity she had never seen before.

“I know.” His voice was soft but firm, grounding. “And we’ll fix this.”

Valarie let out a bitter laugh. “How?” Her nails dug into her palms. “He left me, Luca. Mikhail got inside his head. Threatened him. What if… what if he never comes back? What if I lose him forever?”

Luca shook his head. “You won’t.”

She scoffed. “You don’t know that.”

“I do.” His voice was absolute. “Because we’re going to end this. End him. Us together, Me , Damien and you.”

Valarie froze.

Luca wasn’t just comforting her. He wasn’t just saying things to make her feel better.

He meant it.

He was declaring war.

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Luca…”

“You’re my sister,” Luca said, his voice raw with emotion. “You’ve always protected me. Always fought for me. I won’t let you do this alone.”

A shaky breath left her lips.

She wanted to argue. To tell him that he shouldn’t have to carry this weight, that she could handle it.

But the truth was… she was tired.

So, so tired.

And for the first time in forever, someone was fighting for her.

Luca squeezed her hand. “We’re going to kill Mikhail, Val. Together.”

A tear slipped down her cheek.

She let it fall.

Then she nodded.

And just like that—

Mikhail’s fate was sealed.

******* — The Price of Love

Elijah’s POV

The Alcohol burned down his throat, but it wasn’t enough.

Nothing was enough.

The dim glow of the bar blurred around him as he tipped back another drink, staring at the small velvet box on the table.

Inside was the ring.

The ring he had spent months choosing. The one he had planned to slip onto Valarie’s finger while she cursed at him for being so dramatic.

"You think I need a diamond to prove we’re meant to be, Elijah?"

She would have scoffed, hands on her hips, eyes gleaming with that fiery defiance he loved so damn much. But then—then she would have softened. Her fingers would have trembled when he held her hand, and she would have whispered, "But... it's pretty."

And he would have laughed, pressing a kiss to her stubborn lips, whispering that she was stuck with him forever.

But forever had never felt so far away.

Mikhail had ripped that away from him.

He had taken Valarie—his Valarie—and made him choose.

"Leave Damien. Cut ties with Luca. Or she dies."

His grip tightened around the glass. It cracked under the pressure, shards slicing into his palm, but he barely felt it.

He had walked away.

For her.

For the woman he had loved since they were seventeen.

But had he done the right thing?

Could he really protect her by staying away?

Could he live with himself if she thought he had abandoned her?

He thought of her laugh, her sharp wit, the way she always stood tall, never backing down—even when the world was against her.

And suddenly, he knew.

He couldn’t run.

He wouldn’t let Mikhail win.

If Valarie was going to war, then so was he.

He picked up the ring and tucked it safely into his pocket.

His future with her wasn’t lost.

Not yet.

And he would kill every last bastard who tried to take her from him.