My Mafia Boss Let His Ex Stay in Our Home, So I Packed My Bags Before Morning

At 11:47 on a rain-soaked Thursday night, I woke to the sound of another woman laughing downstairs in my house.

Not a happy laugh. It was thin, shaky, almost breathless—the kind of laugh people made when terror had followed them all the way to the front door and they were trying desperately not to fall apart.

I opened my eyes. The space beside me was empty. Adrian's side of the bed was cold.

That was the first thing that bothered me. The second was the woman's voice. Because I knew it.

Eight months earlier, Adrian's sister Claire had accidentally played an old video during a family dinner. In it, a younger Adrian Vale stood beside a beautiful brunette in a silver dress, his hand resting naturally against the small of her back. They had looked like people who belonged together. Vanessa Cole had once worn his engagement ring.

And now, at nearly midnight, she was downstairs.

I pulled on a silk robe and stepped into the hallway. Vale House sat on nearly forty acres north of Manhattan, hidden behind stone walls, iron gates, and armed guards. At that hour, the house should have been silent. Instead, men were moving through the foyer.

Near the marble fireplace stood Adrian—black dress shirt, sleeves rolled, no jacket. Beside him stood Marcus Reed, his security chief.

And across from Adrian stood Vanessa Cole. Her dark hair was soaked from the rain. A crimson coat hung crookedly from her shoulders, and a dark bruise was spreading across the left side of her face.

Adrian noticed me immediately. His eyes changed.

"Why are you awake?" he asked softly.

I descended the stairs slowly. "Apparently, I missed the announcement that we started accepting overnight guests."

Vanessa turned toward me, her eyes wide. "You must be Elena."

"And you must be the emergency," I replied, reaching the bottom step.

I looked at the bruise on her face. Her hands were trembling violently.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Someone broke into her apartment," Adrian answered before she could. "She stays here tonight."

Something inside me went very still. "Here?"

"Yes," Adrian said, his jaw tightening. "Elena, she's in danger."