Merciful Vows: A Novel
Copyright © 2020-2021 by Vanessa Luisa
Published by VL Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, scanning, or by any other electronic or mechanical methods, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior written permission of Vanessa Luisa, except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
NOTE: This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this publication are fictitious and are all products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locations is purely coincidental.
The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products, brands, and/or restaurants referenced in the work of fiction which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Merciful Vows:
Cover design by Tash Drake—Outlined with Love Designs
Edited by Kristen Portillo—Your Editing Lounge
Proofread by Gemma Woolley—Gem’s Precise Proofs
Formatted by Stacey Blake—Champagne Book Design
Copyright © 2020-2021, VL Publishing. All rights reserved.
www.vanessaluisa.com
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
AUTHOR’S NOTE
DEDICATION
EPIGRAPH
PREFACE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dear readers,
Firstly, Merciful Vows is a full-length standalone novel set in The Giannotti World. It is the first novel in the inter-connected series and therefore it’s recommended you begin here first to gather context and understanding, and then follow on to read the proceeding novels in the inter-connected series.
As a romance book lover, I have always reached the end of the novel and grinning ear-to-ear at the epilogue. But then one day, during one of the darkest times of my life, a question arose in my mind…I became intrigued by the idea of what happens when the epilogue doesn’t always go to plan…and so I wrote this suspenseful, emotional love story.
Merciful Vows is a story of two people needing each other more than they need themselves. A story of strength, of vulnerability and of loving without any limits. A story of healing to breathe freely again, of hope to never let go of what truly matters and of second chance to be guided out of the darkness and into the light.
This is a story from my heart, and I give it to you wholeheartedly to take along with you during your own journey in life, wherever you may be.
Because you matter. You really do. All of it is you.
Happy reading!
Vanessa Luisa x
To Mamma,
My love for you is infinite.
To Nonna and Nonno,
Entrambi siete e sarete sempre nel mio cuore e nella mia anima, in tutto ciò che faccio e in tutto ciò che sono. Vi amo entrambi per sempre. Sempre.
“I love her and that’s the beginning and end of everything…”
F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
Six Months Prior
Tuesday, March 1st, 2016
Unknown
Our hidden imperfections say a lot about who we are at the surface. It’s unnerving, the way people simultaneously pace through every day of their lives feeling resolved. Demanding success. Obtaining desires. Uplifting hell.
I know why I did the latter tonight. I know why I kidnapped her. It’s because deep down inside I had a calling. I needed to do this. I needed to ruin the Giannotti family.
They will never know the horrid ticking bombarding inside my chest. My wildly racing heart pumps boiling blood, as if time is running out and my entire life depends on this—because it does.
A few hours have passed since the incident and once Blue Eyes hands me the baby, I bid his exit with a nod. Dark garments contrast against those bright slate eyes that unlock a corrupted world of deception—one I proudly control. A breeze of cold air swirls around the poorly lit room following Blue Eyes’ departure.
As I set Addilyn Giannotti inside the makeshift bassinet in the basement, I realize I actually got away with it. I fucking did it. Best thing of all, they will never know or suspect me. Liars make the best promises.
I drown out Addilyn’s bloodcurdling screams and leave her right there as coldness magnifies through the soles of my shoes at every heavy tread up the concrete stairs. A cold metallic sting ripples across my palms as I grip the railing to steady myself up into the world as I now know it.
The soundproof walls will drown out her tears. The operation undertaken tonight will diminish my identity. The police will never find me. I’ll make sure of it. No one can stop me.
I’ll give it six months. Six long months to wait it out and submerge myself in normal life. Six months to analyze every single movement of the Giannotti family. To watch their grief. Their agony. Their greatest loss become reality.
I want them to break right in front of my eyes. I will raise hell for them and watch it all unfold. I will test their limits. Just like a gripping movie, only this time I am the writer. I am the director. I am the cast and the closing credits. I write the fabricated lies. I direct the intoxicated evil. I hire the assistants. I am public enemy number one and they don’t even know it. They will never be able to escape me, no matter how hard they try.
For six months they will live in my unrest, not knowing if Addilyn is dead or alive. It doesn’t frighten me to do just that. It’s who I am now. So I’ll keep on waiting, writing their story from a distance.
Predicting their every move.
Constructing the epitome of their hell.
Until I go after them too and end it all…for good.
Present Day
Thursday, September 1st, 2016
Giulio
“You can’t
