King of Ruin

in your ear, and occasionally catching up to swallow you whole. It was the price of loving a man like Lorenzo "Enzo" Ricci-mafia heir, billionaire, and the one person who had both

dark. But the moment he cast her aside-cold, calculating, emotionless-those words became as hollow as his promises. Now, here he was, standing in front of her, as if no time had passed at all, as though he hadn't crushed her heart beneath his heel, leaving her to pick up the shattered pieces. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn't come. What could she say? There was nothing she could say to this man. Nothing that could undo the wreckage he had caused, the pain he had left behind. His eyes softened for just a fraction of a second-just long enough for Isla to catch the shift. There was something there-something more than the cold, hard exterior he wore like armor. She could almost believe it was regret, but the icy edge of his gaze soon reclaimed control. It wasn't enough to sway her. Not after everything. "You've been avoiding me, Isla," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "You've been hiding." "Hiding?" she repeated, finally finding her voice. It was low, controlled, and laced with bitterness. "Is that what you think I've been doing, Enzo? Hiding?" He took a step closer, his eyes never leaving hers, the air around them thick with unspoken tension. "You left, Isla. Without a word. Without any explanation. You made me think I was losing my mind. You think I wouldn't come looking for you? I always come looking for what's mine." Isla flinched at his words, her jaw tightening, the past crashing into her like a tidal wave. How could he be so certain, so sure of his claim over her, even now? After everything that had happened, did he still believe that she was his to command? She didn't respond right away, because the truth was, she had no idea how to explain to him why she had run. How to explain the anger and the shame she had felt when she realized the man she had loved wasn't the man she thought he was? She had tried to keep her heart from shattering when she saw him-cold and indifferent-drifting further from her with every passing moment. "I never meant to hurt you," he con