Antonio D'Amico sat alone in his dimly lit apartment, a half-drunk glass of whiskey resting on the table beside his service weapon.
Rain pelted the windows, but he didn't hear it. His mind was louder—filled with voices of the past, with orders given and secrets buried beneath loyalty, guilt, and something far more dangerous: affection.
He'd known this day would come.
Juliet was digging too deep. And Adonis De Luca's return only accelerated the inevitable.
His phone buzzed. A message. Unmarked number.
"She knows. Be ready."
Antonio stared at the words until they blurred into the glass in his hand.
He stood, walked to the mirror, and stared at his reflection. The face that had once worn a genuine smile now felt hollow. His badge sat on the dresser, heavy as a curse. Once, he believed he could use it to do good. Now, it was just another mask.
Flashback – Five Years Ago
The warehouse was cold, silent but for the echo of footsteps and the ticking of a pocket watch.
Antonio stood over the bodies of Juliet's parents, gun still warm in his hand. His fingers trembled. Not from fear. From the weight of betrayal.
Giorgio Giovanni stepped out of the shadows, flanked by two guards.
"Well done," Giovanni said. "You've secured your place in the new Milan."
Antonio wanted to scream. Instead, he nodded once. "She'll never know."
Giovanni's lips curled into a smile. "Let's hope not."
End Flashback
Antonio paced the room like a caged animal. Juliet had been his only light in the police force. He admired her strength, envied her courage—and slowly, inevitably, grew to love her.
But he had been damned long before she ever joined the force.
Now she was unraveling the thread. And when she reached the end, it would be his name tied to the noose.
Across the city, in a rundown warehouse that doubled as Adonis's new hideout, Juliet stared at the wall of evidence they'd compiled. Names, photographs, case files—everything that pointed to a network of corruption.
She didn't want to believe Antonio was part of it.
But the deeper she dug, the clearer it became: someone in the department had covered up her parents' deaths. Someone close.
Adonis entered the room, carrying two cups of strong espresso.
"You haven't slept," he said, setting one down beside her.
"I can't," she replied, eyes still locked on a photo of her father at a police award ceremony—Antonio standing in the background.
Adonis leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I've seen betrayal before, Juliet. But it's worse when it comes from someone you trusted."
She looked up at him. "How did you handle it?"
"I didn't." He shrugged. "I let it burn me alive until I stopped feeling anything."
Juliet studied him. His face was stoic, but his eyes still held the weight of old pain. And for a brief moment, she didn't feel alone.
"We'll expose him," she whispered.
Adonis nodded. "Then we go after Giovanni."
Meanwhile, Antonio stood before Giovanni at a hidden location deep beneath an abandoned church. It reeked of incense and rot—perfect for burying sins.
"You said she wouldn't find out," Antonio snapped.
Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "I said as long as you did your job, she wouldn't."
"She's working with Adonis now. You know what that means."
Giovanni lit a cigarette with infuriating calm. "It means your time is running out. Either tie up loose ends… or I will."
Antonio's fists clenched. "She's not a loose end."
Giovanni took a long drag. "Then she's a liability. And I don't keep those around."
As Antonio stormed out, his phone buzzed again. This time, it was a photo.
Juliet. Entering Adonis De Luca's hideout.
His hand went cold.
They were getting closer. And he was standing on the edge of a cliff with no way down.
That night, Juliet stood on the rooftop of the hideout, rain misting across the Milan skyline. Adonis joined her, a bottle of wine in hand.
"I thought we could use a break," he said. "Before the city eats us alive."
She managed a tired smile. "I didn't peg you for a romantic."
"I'm not." He poured her a glass. "But even wolves need rest."
They stood in silence for a while, the tension between them simmering beneath the surface. A shared understanding. A quiet comfort.
Then Juliet turned to him.
"Promise me something."
He met her gaze.
"If I don't make it through this… finish what I started."
Adonis's eyes darkened. He stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.
"You're going to make it," he said. "But if you don't… I'll burn this city down."
Their eyes locked.
Something unspoken passed between them. Something fragile. Dangerous. And real.
Below them, a camera lens zoomed in through the mist.
Antonio, hidden across the street, lowered his scope and whispered to himself.
"I'm sorry, Juliet."