Episode 1: THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Evelina’s POV..

Some nights feel heavier than others—tonight was one of them.

The air was crisp, a biting chill wrapping around me as I walked across the dimly lit parking lot. The university campus was quiet, an unusual hush settling over it. I had stayed too late at the library again, caught up in notes and textbooks, unaware of time slipping by.

Now, an unsettling feeling crawled up my spine.

I quickened my pace, my breath visible in the cold night air. My car was parked near the edge of the lot, away from the brighter streetlights. Usually, it didn’t bother me. I had walked this path countless times before.

But tonight felt different.

It wasn’t just the quiet—it was the way the air felt thick with something unseen.

You’re being paranoid, Eve.

Shaking off the thought, I reached into my bag, fingers searching for my keys.

Then I heard it.

A footstep.

Soft. Measured.

Too close.

I froze, every muscle in my body tensing.

My heart pounded against my ribs as I turned my head slightly, scanning the shadows. The dim glow of the streetlights barely touched the edges of the parking lot. From where I stood, everything past the first row of cars was drowned in darkness.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

I forced myself to keep moving, fingers gripping my keys tightly. My car was just a few steps away. I could see the reflection of my pale face in the window, the tension in my features unmistakable.

I reached for the door handle—

But before I could open it, an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back with terrifying strength.

A gloved hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my scream.

Panic surged through me, wild and uncontrollable. I thrashed, kicking out with every ounce of strength, but my captor was unfazed. His grip tightened, his chest pressed against my back.

“Shh, dolcezza.”

The voice was deep, smooth, and dangerously calm.

I went rigid.

I knew that voice.

Cassian Moretti.

A name spoken in whispers, laced with fear.

I had never met him before, but I knew who he was. Everyone did.

The Moretti family was infamous—powerful, untouchable, dangerous. And Cassian was their heir, rumored to be colder than his father, deadlier in every way.

And now, he had me in his grasp.

I sucked in a shaky breath through my nose, my mind racing. I needed to get out of this.

I shifted my weight slightly before slamming my elbow into his ribs, putting all my strength behind the hit.

He barely flinched.

Instead, he let out a quiet, amused chuckle, his grip on me unwavering.

“You’re stronger than you look,” he murmured. “I like that.”

I tried again, twisting in his grasp, but it was useless. He was stronger, faster, completely in control.

“What do you want?” I demanded, my voice muffled against his hand.

Slowly, his fingers loosened, slipping away from my mouth. But he didn’t let me go. His other arm remained around my waist, his grip firm yet oddly restrained.

“I think you already know,” he said.

I turned my head slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of him. The dim light cast shadows across his sharp features—dark eyes, unreadable and intense, framed by hair just long enough to fall across his forehead.

I had seen photos of him before, but they didn’t do him justice.

He was breathtaking in the most terrifying way.

And he was looking at me like I was something he had already claimed.

A slow shiver ran through me.

“I don’t know anything,” I whispered.

His gaze darkened, the weight of it making my pulse quicken.

“Then it’s time you learn.”

His hold on me shifted—gentler, but no less unyielding. He wasn’t going to hurt me. At least, not in the way I had feared.

But this wasn’t just some random attack.

This was personal.

I just didn’t know why.

Yet.