Penelope POV

Five years later

It felt as if everything had occurred just yesterday, and I had left my previous life behind, never looking back.

Five years seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, yet I was now blessed with two bundles of joy who constantly reminded me of the events from five years ago.

I arrived in Russia and settled in with my father's guard, Luca. Unfortunately, my father couldn't join us; he claimed it was for my own safety that he stayed behind. He managed to fend off Matteo's men and secured protection from the mafia, which is why he remained there.

My mother had emerged...