Lucien Moretti was never supposed to fall in love with the gunsmith’s daughter. She spent years hating him—the ruthless heir to a mafia empire built on blood and fear—while he met every sharp word with one just as cruel. But hatred became grief after her father’s murder, and grief became something far more dangerous the night Lucien let her break apart in his arms and kissed her like it would ruin them both. As years passed, she inherited her father’s talent for crafting deadly weapons while Lucien inherited an empire drowning in violence. No matter how toxic, painful, or destructive their relationship became, they could never stay away from each other for long. Then, after finally confessing their love, Lucien vanished without explanation. Three years later, he returns colder, more dangerous, and carrying secrets capable of destroying everything between them. But no matter how deeply she hates him for leaving, one truth remains impossible to escape: Some loves rot too deep inside you to ever be removed.