Seven Years in a Dream, Awake at Last Chapter 05

Seven Years in a Dream, Awake at Last Chapter 05

Alessandro’s POV 

They threw me on the street. 

I sat there on the curb, staring at those iron gates. 

She’s right there. 

I had to see her, had to explain. 

I called every number I had, but her phone went straight to voicemail and her office refused to put me 

through. By day three, her lawyers were sending cease and desist letters. 

I showed up at the Lucchese building every morning for a week, and security escorted me out every single time. 

On the eighth day, my phone rang from an unknown number. 

“Mr. Gambino.” A woman’s voice, “Miss Lucchese has agreed to meet you. Tomorrow, 2 p.m., at Marea. You have thirty minutes.” 

She hung up before I could respond. 

I arrived an hour early. 

When she walked in, she looked perfect. 

“Thank you for coming,” I said as she sat down. 

“I have thirty minutes.” She checked her watch. “Make it quick.” 

“I’m sorry. For everything. For lying to you, for hurting you, for-” 

“Are you done?” 

I stared at her. “Sloane, please, just listen. There’s 

so much you don’t know. So much I didn’t know. My mother, she arranged everything behind my back. The marriage with Camilla, I was drugged, I didn’t-” 

“Stop.” Her voice went cold. “Just stop.” 

“But it’s true! That first time, I had no idea what was happening. When I woke up…” 

“And the second time?” She leaned forward, her eyes burning into mine. “The third time? The fourth? Were you drugged every single time you crawled into her bed?” 

My mouth went dry. “And the marriage certificate?” Her voice was getting louder. “The fake one you gave me? You looked me in the eyes and told me we were married. Was that your mother’s doing too?” 

“I… I didn’t want to lose you, I thought…“. 

“You thought you could have both.” She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You wanted your heirs, your legitimate family, your power. But you also wanted me waiting at home like a good little mistress.” 

“No, that’s not-” 

“Then what?” She slammed her hand on the table. “What’s your excuse, Alessandro? Because I’m dying to hear it.” 

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. 

Because I wanted everything. Because I was greedy and selfish and I thought I could keep you both. 

She waited, but I had nothing. 

“That’s what I thought.” She stood up. “I don’t love you anymore. Whatever I felt for you died the moment 

I saw you holding those babies. You killed it.” 

“Please, I can make it right. I’ll spend the rest of my life.” 

“I don’t want your life.” Her voice dropped. “Your love disgusts me. You disgust me. You had my heart, my real heart, and you treated it like garbage. You don’t deserve a second chance.” 

She turned to leave, and I called after her. “Sloane, Wait-” 

She kept walking, 

Watching her walk away, I told myself I couldn’t let her go. 

I spent nine figures at an auction for a necklace she’d mentioned once, years ago. Diamond and sapphire, vintage Cartier. I had it delivered to her office. 

It came back the same day, unopened. 

I sent flowers, returned. I bought the mountain observatory I’d promised her and put it in her name. She had her lawyers transfer it to a wildlife conservation fund. 

Everything I sent came back. 

I saw her with Lionel Volkov. At a gala. He had his hand on her back, leaning in close to whisper something in her ear. 

My vision went red. 

I waited until her driver left to get the car. Then I grabbed her, pulling her into a black SUV before anyone could react. 

“What the hell are you doing?” she didn’t sound scared. Just annoyed. 

I took her to my house. The one I’d bought after burning down our old place. I’d prepared everything. Everything she might need. 

I locked the chain around her left wrist. 

“This is insane,” she said flatly. 

“I know.” I knelt in front of her. “But I can’t lose you. I can’t watch you with him. Please, just give me another chance. Let me prove that I can be the man you need.” Her expression didn’t change, didn’t soften. 

“Even if you keep me here forever,” she said quietly, “I’ll never love you again. I’d rather die than have anything to do with you.” 

I couldn’t respond to that. 

The next day, the Lucchese family came for me. They got Sloane out fast, and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it. 

Didn’t take long for payback to land. Less than a week later, my family was neck–deep in a financial crisis. 

My father called an emergency meeting. “We have to fix this. We have to fix it now.” 

“There’s nothing to fix,” I said. “She’s not gonna stop.“. 

“Then we make her stop. We go to her. We apologize.’” 

My mother was already crying.