
EVEN AFTER YOU
Chocolatefinger16 · Ongoing · 88.7k Words
Introduction
A sealed envelope from her father's lawyer deepens the mystery — an addendum to his will, locked behind a single condition: it must not be opened unless something happens to Giuliana De Luca — the woman who raised Alessia, but never quite loved her. The woman who replaced her mother. The woman with secrets buried deeper than the grave.
As Alessia begins to peel back the layers of the house — and her own memory — she uncovers missing tapes, manipulated truths, and a man named Matteo who seems tied to it all. A man she should stay away from. A man who might already know who she really is.
But nothing in the Moretti legacy is what it seems.
Not her past.
Not her family.
Not even herself.
And some ghosts don’t stay buried.
Even After You is a dark, slow-burn romantic thriller about power, obsession, and the brutal things we inherit. For readers who crave revenge laced with longing, and love that demands blood before it offers softness.
Chapter 1
The rain fell like whispers — soft, steady and unforgiving — soaking into the old bones of Florence. An atmosphere that usually bring comfort to Alessia now taunting her, reminding her of what she had just lost. Narrow cobblestone streets gleamed under the gray sky, slick with water and age, each stone glistening like a memory too heavy to forget. Puddles quickly forms around the feet of wrought-iron balconies and marble columns, rippling with the passing of polished black shoes and unsmiling faces. The sound of church bells can be heard ringing from somewhere beyond the Duomo, muffled out by the low-hanging clouds and the hush of umbrellas opening like secrets. Ornate buildings with decade-old façade loomed tall, their fading frescoes watching over the living like ghosts carved into stone while the city hummed with the kind of stillness that carried weight.
A slow procession of sleek cars moved through the narrow alleys near the cathedral, their engines nearly drowned out by the sound of the rain. Mourners stood in small clusters beneath awnings and arches, their expressions guarded. The scent of wet pavement, old incense and freshly cut lilies mixed with the metallic tang of grief too long to withstand filled the air.
Alessia Moretti stood at the edge of it all, just outside the old chapel’s threshold, the black heels echoing faintly on the rain-slicked marble. Behind her, the city exhaled centuries of secrets. Before her, a coffin waited — and somewhere in between, the weight of everything unspoken pressed down, as if Florence itself was holding its breath.
“We gather here today, not only to bury a man, but to acknowledge the silence he leaves behind.” The priest begins and the subtle murmurs from the mourners seize. Alessia’s body stiffens as the priest’s voice floats over the pews like mist, slipping between candlelight and marble. She can barely hear the words , not because they didn’t reach her but because they didn’t touch anything real.
“Dario Moretti was many things to many people — a father, a protector, a public servant. Some knew him through his service, others through his stillness. He moved through this city with a certain weight — like stone beneath water — rarely loud, but always present.” Alessia holds herself back from rolling her eyes. To some, maybe. But to her? He was a locked door. A man who called her his daughter but never held her hands. Who gave her everything but never himself. She had grown up in his shadow, but never his warmth — a figure built from rules and routines, not memories. It has always been hard for her to get anyone to understand how distant her father was, because while she always felt the emptiness of his absence, others saw a girl who got everything she wanted and took that as fatherly love.
“Florence remembers men like Dario. It holds their names in stones and shadow. But memory, as we know, is not always a clear mirror. It is fogged with what was never said, with what was lost in the spaces between who we are, and who we pretend to be.” Once again, Alessia holds herself back. Florence remembers all these good deeds but it didn’t remember how he would turn his back on her whenever she cried, or how he never said her mother’s name. Let’s not forget how, at the age of ten, she had to learn to stop asking questions that left his jaw tight and his eyes far away.
“Today, we do not pretend, nor do we unravel any truth. We simply lay him down, beneath the same sky that has watched over our grief for centuries, and we let the rain do what it always does: fall, and keep falling.” The priest continues.
“But we do.” She thought, jaw tightening, reminding her of her father’s expression whenever she would mention certain topics as a child. We pretend that this city is the end. That this city doesn’t know where the blood was pooled. That Giuliana DeLuca isn’t seated three rows ahead, veiled in black like a widow to a man she was never married to, head bowed, fingers stoll and ringless, but smirking beneath her silence and occasionally looking around like she’s trying to find someone.
“May peace find what he never spoke. May love find what he left behind.”
“It’s a little too late for that,” She murmurs silently. The words lands on her like soft rain on cold stone. She didn’t cry. Not because she couldn’t, but because she had done all her grieving the moment she first realized her father was two people: One she lived with and the other she would spend the rest of her life trying to unearth.
As the casket is lowered, she didn’t whisper ‘goodbye’. She didn’t reach out to touch the roses. She simply watched with one thing on her mind: “Let peace find him, I’ll take the truth.”
The sound of the piano fills the air, along with the clattering of shoes and the clanking of champaign glasses. Men and women in black attire make their way up and down the room. Alessia holds in a breath as she sights another couple approaching her to offer their condolence. They looked like they couldn’t care less about her or her late father, but that didn’t surprise her as she knew all of this was just for show; the fake tears, half-assed sympathy, and side hugs. The only thing that seemed authentic about the entire ceremony was the melodious sound of the piano. She knew that tune like the back of her hand and it held so many memories; good, bad and ugly.
“Miss. Moretti, I am so sorry for your loss. He was such a good man,” A slightly obese woman with a thick accent says as the stretches out her arms as if asking for a hug. Alessia smiles weakly as she accepts the hug. Behind the woman is a middle aged man. The tip of his nose and ears are red, no doubt from the cold outside. He stands quietly behind the woman who kept rambling about how loved her late father was and how dearly he would be missed.
“Thank you, Mrs…”
“Riccardo. Mrs, Riccardo”
“Mrs. Riccardo, can I ask how you knew my father?”
“We worked together on a case a few years back. He helped burst a drug lord that managed to infiltrate about ten private school in the city.”
“Oh, okay.”
“You look drained, how about a drink?”
“Sure.” The woman places her palm on Alessia’s shoulder and leads her towards the bar that was setup in the kitchen. The middle aged man followed behind tgem, not getting close enough for her to get a good look at his face in the poorly lit room but she was certain that he could hear them clearly.
“So, who’s the lingering man?” Something about his presence made her uncomfortable.
“Just ignore him. He’s my husband but he’s a bit awkward. He never really got along with your father.”
“Well, my father is dead now so…” If he had some beef with her father, he ought to have buried it with him. The two women downed a few shots in silence. For a brief moment, Alessia felt a pang in her chest as a memory of her father flashed though her mind, but was cut short by a weird sound from the piano.
“The pianist must have hit the wrong key,” Mrs. Riccardo murmurs.
“What?”
“You flinched when the pianist hit the wrong key. Do you know the song?”
Before she could answer someone interrupts them.
“Miss. Moretti, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Although I wish it was under better circumstances.” An all too familiar voice calls from behind her.
“Uncle,” She smiles ginuely for the first time since she arrived in Italy. Her uncle was the closest thing to a friend that she had. They had never met physically, but she could recognize that voice anywhere after all, he always sang lullabies to her over call when she was a child. He wasn’t related to her but she always called him uncle.
“Little bunny,” He smiled warmly as he pulls her in to a hug. “I’m sorry about your dad. His soul rest in peace.”
“Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure, tell me about work.”
“It’s stressful. My boss is an absolute witch and her husband is a pig…” For the first time since the night started, she was having a proper conversation with someone she was familiar with about something other than death and her dad. It was refreshing, but short lived as her uncle cuts her off.
“Has she approached you tonight?” The look in his eyes was cold and hateful and she stared over her head and into the distance. She didn’t need to look back to know who he was referring to.
“That Giuliana DeLuca,” She whispers.
“Has she?”
“No, but she has be glaring daggers at me all night.”
“Stay far away from her, Ally. She’s bad news.”
Last Chapters
#64 CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Last Updated: 1/24/2026#63 CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Last Updated: 1/24/2026#62 CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#61 CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#60 CHAPTER SIXTY
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#59 CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#58 CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#57 CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#56 CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Last Updated: 1/23/2026#55 CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Last Updated: 1/23/2026
You Might Like 😍
Lone Wolf
I am completely a sobbing mess.
But before I can do or say anything, Sapphire pushes through and pushes me back into the darkness with a block on me.
I am in darkness yet again due to my wolf, why is she doing this?
I have had enough of this, I want out. I want answers.
Mila Dawson and her wolf Sapphire are the white wolf creation of the Moon Goddess herself. However, Mila is the only wolf in a small town full of supernatural beings and has no memory of how she came to the small town. When a new pack of wolves moves into the territory near the town, Mila is stunned to find out that the alpha’s son Nathaniel is her mate. When she turns 18, memories flood back and she is hit with some dark secrets, a lost family member, a guardian, and a pending war to face. This is the Book 1 of 2.
The mafia princess return
Bound by Fate, Freed by Choice
Her escape leads her to Alpha Rowan, the commanding leader of the Blackwood Pack, who offers shelter, protection, and an unexpected chance at a new life. But Rowan’s fierce and jealous fiancée sees Lyla as a threat, and the pack’s charming Beta is drawn to her quiet strength.
As a dangerous attraction simmers between Lyla and Rowan, they begin to unravel a dark web of secrets that implicates Kaiden and threatens both their worlds.
With her hidden power awakening, Lyla must navigate treacherous loyalties, face the alpha who shattered her, and decide: Will she follow the destiny fate forced upon her, or claim the love and strength she has chosen for herself?
Accardi
“I thought you said you were done chasing me?” Gen mocked.
“I am done chasing you.”
Before she could formulate a witty remark, Matteo threw her down. She landed hard on her back atop his dining room table. She tried to sit up when she noticed what he was doing. His hands were working on his belt. It came free of his pants with a violent yank. She collapsed back on her elbows, her mouth gaping open at the display. His face was a mask of sheer determination, his eyes were a dark gold swimming with heat and desire. His hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the table. He glided his fingers up her thighs and hooked several around the inside of her panties. His knuckles brushed her dripping sex.
“You’re soaking wet, Genevieve. Tell me, was it me that made you this way or him?” his voice told her to be careful with her answer. His knuckles slid down through her folds and she threw her head back as she moaned. “Weakness?”
“You…” she breathed.
Genevieve loses a bet she can’t afford to pay. In a compromise, she agrees to convince any man her opponent chooses to go home with her that night. What she doesn’t realize when her sister’s friend points out the brooding man sitting alone at the bar, is that man won’t be okay with just one night with her. No, Matteo Accardi, Don of one of the largest gangs in New York City doesn’t do one night stands. Not with her anyway.
Blinded By His Touch
Bastian Steele doesn’t believe in weakness.
He built Eclipse Distilling Co. from blood, silence, and a past no one is allowed to ask about. In his world, control is survival.... and obsession is a liability.
Then Kaden Winters walks in soaked from the rain, violin on his back and light spilling out of him like he’s never been burned. Bartender. Model. Artist. Beautiful and reckless enough to tease a stranger over a glass of whiskey he doesn’t know that stranger created.
Bastian tells himself it’s only a taste.
Only curiosity.
Only a moment of indulgence.
But darkness recognizes light for what it is. And what begins as interest turns into fixation. What starts as a sip becomes hunger. Because Bastian Steele doesn’t chase....He acquires. And this time, he wants more than the drink.
Avery and the Cursed Alpha
Then a mysterious billionaire offers her a deal that sounds too good to be true.
Alexander Ravenswood is powerful, wealthy, and feared throughout Tenebrous City. Behind his perfect public image lies a deadly secret. He is the Alpha of the Nocturne Pack, cursed by an ancient bloodline that is slowly driving him toward madness and death. His only hope lies in finding the legendary Aethon Orb—or the prophesied mate destined to save him.
When Alex discovers that Avery can draw symbols connected to the long-lost artifact, he offers her a contract she cannot refuse: become his fake fiancée for six months in exchange for enough money to erase her debts and save her home.
What begins as a business arrangement quickly becomes something far more dangerous.
As they search for the missing Orb, Avery is drawn into a hidden world of werewolves, ancient prophecies, and deadly pack rivalries. Powerful enemies want Alex's throne. A jealous Alpha heiress wants Avery gone. And a ruthless rival Alpha will stop at nothing to claim the Orb for himself.
But the greatest secret of all may be Avery herself.
Because the closer she gets to Alex, the more impossible truths begin to surface about her past, her strange abilities, and the destiny that has been waiting for her all along.
With a curse threatening Alex's life, enemies closing in from every side, and a forbidden bond growing stronger by the day, Avery must decide whether to walk away from the dangerous Alpha who needs her—or risk everything for a love written by fate itself.
In a city where secrets kill and destiny cannot be escaped, can a fake engagement become a love powerful enough to change the future?
The Dragon's Last Fae Queen
“Prince? Dickhead? Asshole? Or stalker?” A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. “Maybe I should show you the one title I want you to use.” Before I could react, his hand closed around my chin, tilting my face up. His lips crashed into mine, hard, claiming, breath-stealing. When he finally pulled back, his voice was a rough whisper against my lips. “You could call me yours… because you are mine.”
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
Aphrodite and the Cursed Mate Bond
She finds truth.
Aphrodite is not human at all. She is a rare white wolf, descended from an ancient Direwolf bloodline long believed extinct. The ritual meant to sever her ties awakens her wolf instead and with it comes the scent of five mates bound to her by fate.
The Alpha twins who once scorned her now cannot stay away. A human hunter walks beside her and proves that strength is not born of fangs or dominance. A cursed Wolf King holds the key to her past and her father’s imprisonment. And watching from the shadows is one who was never meant to interfere at all.
As gods fall, packs fracture, and war reshapes the world, Aphrodite must decide what destiny truly means. Is it submission to fate or the courage to choose her own path.
Love does not come in one form. Neither does power.
In a world ruled by gods and wolves, Aphrodite will become something neither ever expected.
Not a queen.
But the axis upon which the world turns.
The Vampire Prince's Hybrid Bride
The Rogue King II
Under the weight of his grief and pain, along with of the uncertainty of the new mate bond forged between Silas and Nate, Silas decides that he needs help. The weight of being Alpha that nearly just lost his pack if his little sister hadn’t been there, Silas decides to push everything away to be a better and stronger Alpha. Using magic is father gave him, Silas loses so much more than his way.
Nate, struggling with the mate bond, what the bond means for him, has continued to fight Silas, his Alpha, his best friend, and now his mate. When their fight goes too far, both Silas and Nate must deal with the consequences. It both pulls them together and tears them apart. Eventually leading to a full break in any relationship they had ever had.
On his own, Silas has to navigate through the next chapter alone. Coming to realize his actions, the consequences, and just how much it’s going to take to repair the damage he has done.
Nate, also on his own, works through what it means to step up in more ways than one. Somehow, even after her death, Aelia is still reaching out and helping Nate navigate the world on his own. He vows to grow and step up into the wolf that she knew he could be.
Book 2 in The Rogue Kings following immediately after The Rogue Kings I - Solaris' Reign. Trigger Warnings. Rated 18+.
A Queen Among Tides (Book 5 in the Gods' Saga)
Shocked to find he's been bound in more ways than one to Sebastian, the future King to the Kingdom of Atlesper, Lemuel resists Sebastian's advances at every turn, believing this may be one pairing Goddess Zarseti got wrong.
Lemuel will have to face his past in hopes of starting a new future, but an overly flirtatious King is the least of his worries when he learns Sebastian's parents are convinced that a conniving usurper disguised as a curvy blonde, is the future king's true soulmate.
A Queen Among Tides is the 5th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.
Books in the series order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Gen Coming Soon)












