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chapter 13

last update Last Updated: 2025-04-02 17:28:05

•DOMINIC•

My hand glazed over the dresses on the clothes rack, searching for the perfect dress for Sofia.

It'd barely been ten minutes since we'd arrived at the clothing store and I still hadn't found anything satisfying enough to complement her figure although she'd selected a couple of outfits to try on herself.

Sofia focused on outfits far away from where I stood, her eyes roaming everywhere but on me. She'd been that way since our encounter at the beach, shying away from me, avoiding any sort of eye contact and becoming restless with every slight brush of my body against hers.

I didn't know what to think about it, but deep down, I felt she was holding back for many reasons and a veil was masking that feisty boldness I'd witnessed on the beach.

Something or someone even had fucked up with her confidence so much she couldn't give in to the things I knew weren't one-sided. She wanted it, desired to explore this electric buzz between us.

She needed to understand there was nothing wron
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    •SOFIA•The strong feelings I was beginning to intimately nurture for my husband in my heart were something I could neither understand nor fully admit because they frightened me to some extent.I knew he was a busy man with loads of problems to deal with, both personal and business-related, but somehow, I was beginning to notice every single detail in the past few days of our honeymoon and feel for him.Today had been the worst, seeing the stress swimming in his gorgeous eyes and the tension in his muscles when I held him in my arms.I had a deep yearning to know what was bothering him so much and help him soothe away his stress in any way possible. I wanted my grasp on his muscular frame to melt away his stress and give him a sense of serenity I felt he deeply desired.I wanted to be his safe haven, a place where his darkness could be turned into light and misery into joy. I just had too many wishes and cravings since I'd met him, lately mostly the desire to try out an actual relatio

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  • Arrange Marriage [ Craving ]   chapter 15

    •SOFIA•I flipped the garlic butter steak in the frying pan to its other side, turning up to heat to brown the crispy crust.The rich aroma aided by the pre-seasoning and concentrated flavour filled my heart with contentment, a warm smile stretching my lips. He'd love every dish I'd wholeheartedly made for us, especially the main course.After spending the day with Dominic at the strawberry farm and a bit beyond on a gondola ride to watch the sunset, I felt like he wasn't completely a stranger to me anymore.I'd picked on multiple habits, likes and dislikes of his and even important dates in his life. Everything made me feel better deserving to be by his side and not act stupid and clueless every time a question about him came up.At some point, it'd felt like a date, the atmosphere romantic in the most subtle way and I'd secretly enjoyed it. I wanted more of this despite what we chose to call it.When we'd arrived back home at dusk, Dominic had gone straight to his office and had be

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  • Arrange Marriage [ Craving ]   chapter 16

    •DOMINIC•I blinked my bleary eyes open, sleepiness slowly disappearing from my eyes. I could feel the light of dawn seep into our bedroom with a warm gentle glow, the first rays of sun lighting up the room.Naturally, I'd want to get out of bed, stretch my muscles and watch the day fold in by the window, but my muscles cramped in place when I figured I didn't have just myself to consider.A smile flickered across my face like a hologram, warmth blossoming in my chest as I dipped my nose into the fiery strawberry-blonde spools of Sofia's hair pooled on her pillow.I remembered us falling asleep in this manner with me spooning her like a precious nested egg, but our legs hadn't been so intertwined, radiating maximum warmth to us both. It must have happened sometime during the night just like it'd been frequently happening in the past week of our honeymoon.I could feel one of my hands clamped down on her bare stomach inside her tank top like it belonged there, my little finger inches

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    DOMINICI'd never panicked so much in my entire life, my heart hammering consistently in my chest like a ticking bomb.I didn't expect he'd go that far, not in this lifetime with his own child. Guess I didn't know him after all and I underestimated his hunger for revenge and dominion.Pulling up in the driveway of the Bernardi main residence seventeen hours after the fateful call felt like my biggest achievement despite the exhaustion and stress gnawing ruthlessly at my shredded sanity.As soon as the vehicle came to a halt, I opened the door in a bid to slip out and hunt for Teodoro. A gentle grasThere were some very bad days coming our way and I wasn't sure I was fully equipped to deal with the ultimatums.I put my hand on Sofia's knee, giving her a gentle squeeze as I leaned back close to her. "Promise me you won't leave this car until I come to get you personally," I literally begged her, desperation choking my voice.Sofia's eyes moistened, disapproval written boldly on her face

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    •SOFIA•I fidgeted with the straw in my glass, swirling it around the orange juice before taking a small refreshing sip.Tension thick enough to make me regret stubbornly leaving the car and entering the house suffocated me.My eyes couldn't help but glaze over the kitchen where I sat on a stool, following Olivia and the twins I figured were Cara and Craig, following her everywhere like her tail.They were bound to follow their mother around and ask her countless questions given the pathetic condition she was in, her face swollen and red, a few smudges of blood staining her white blouse.Her injuries had Teodoro written all over them despite me having little knowledge about the man. His violent nature scared me although I'd surprised myself with the guts I'd shown to leave the car and probably face him.It'd been chaotic upstairs for minutes, glass shattering and slaps resounding before it'd all gone eerily silent. I'd been counting the minutes until they spilled into an hour and a ha

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    •SOFIA•I woke up as if sleeping had become a vicious threat to my well-being, my heart thudding so hard in my chest that I almost felt it leap out of my heaving chest.Beads of sweat trickled down my panicking face, eyes glazing over the enormous room I was yet to fully familiarise myself with.His absence was the first thing I felt and noticed, the warmth of the blanket around me less warm than the one I'd gotten used to over the past few days.I wasn't sure what was worse, the nightmare I'd just had or the absence of my husband's embrace."Dom," I called out, looking over at the en suite bathroom with squinted eyes.As I expected, there was no response, pushing me to peel the blanket off my body and step barefoot onto the fluffy rug next to the bed.I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, checking the digital clock on the wall for the time. It was just a few minutes past four in the morning. There was no way he would have gotten out of bed and left for work already.I lazily picked myse

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    •SOFIA•The shock swimming in my mother's pupil-dilated eyes confirmed I wasn't too deluded to think what was I witnessing was top-tier bizarre.Their fucking must have been so intense and overstimulating that she couldn't muster the will to stop despite our intense eye contact before she became undone, falling back onto the desk with her back sharply arched.Teodoro must have felt my presence, the realisation aided by the maximum tension clouding my mother's wandering eyes as he turned back to me with a slightly cocked brow.The second our eyes met, his lips curled into a smug smile as he thrust into my mother one more time before pulling out and spilling a thick white liquid onto the broken pottery on the floor.I visibly gagged, sharply turning around with my hand covering my mouth as I trotted out of the stuffy room.It took seconds for heavy footsteps to follow behind me and I could almost feel him grab me, pin me against the wall and destroy me altogether with his viciousness.I

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    •DOMINIC•"I just got off the phone with Raquel," Liam reported, jolting all my weary senses to instant hyperactivity.I never knew such simple words could charge so much energy into my system, adrenaline pumping wildly into my veins with my heart pounding madly in my chest as though it'd leap out any second.I scrambled to my feet, my fist tightly clenched and hammered onto my office desk. "Is my wife okay? Is she safe? Has she eaten yet?" I blurted so fast that even I couldn't fully comprehend the questions I shot at the baffled man."For fuck's sake," Greta grumbled, slamming the magazine she'd been monotonously reading for hours face down on my desk as she shot up. "Chill the fuck out or I might start thinking you actually have real feelings for her which would be ridiculously out of character of you."I ignored her easily habitually growing remark, my attention anchored on Liam. "Speak," I demanded, lightly banging my fist on the desk."Well, Sir," he hesitated, adjusting the fra

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  • Arrange Marriage [ Craving ]   chapter 83 final

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  • Arrange Marriage [ Craving ]   chapter 80

    •Dominic•The room erupted in murmurs and whispers as Greta's words hung in the air like a thundercloud.All eyes scanned the crowd, searching for him—Teodoro, the man she had just called to the stage. My father. But he was nowhere to be seen.My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of dread and anticipation. This moment had been building for years, an inevitable confrontation that none of us could run from anymore.The murmuring grew louder, filling the silence left by Greta's challenge. I noticed some familiar faces—investors, socialites, and other attendees—shifting uncomfortably, stealing glances at me as though expecting some explanation, but I didn't have one and I never could.All I could do was clench my fists and watch Greta stand there, alone under the glaring spotlight, waiting.After a few minutes of silence, Greta exhaled audibly into the mic. She offered a wry smile, the kind of smile that came from years of enduring pain and disappointment."I suppose it's a little too much

  • Arrange Marriage [ Craving ]   chapter 79

    But the murmurs weren't just for Ava. Greta's sleeveless gown, a stunning midnight-blue piece that swept elegantly to the floor, bared the scars etched across her arms and upper back. The jagged lines, a brutal history written in her skin, caught the light as she moved.It was brave. It was beautiful, and it was impossible to ignore.The weight of the crowd's stares hit me like a wave. I didn't hesitate. "Stay with Ava," I murmured to Sofia, before striding through the sea of whispers and glances toward them.Greta noticed me first. Her lips quirked in a soft, knowing smile, but before she could say anything, my hands were on her shoulders. I leaned in close, shielding her as best I could from the sea of prying eyes.The instinct to protect her was immediate, visceral, and unrelenting. My hands moved to remove my jacket, ready to drape it over her, but she stopped me."It's okay," she said softly, placing her hand on mine. Her voice was steady, but her eyes shimmered with unshed tears

  • Arrange Marriage [ Craving ]   chapter 78

    The words struck like a slap, and for a fleeting moment, I saw it: the crack in his armour. His eyes widened slightly, and his lips parted as if to speak, but no words came. His hand trembled, hovering near his side, before he clenched it into a fist.His expression twisted—a storm of anger, disbelief, and, beneath it all, something else. Pain. Loss."You're a fool," he spat finally, his voice cold and sharp like a blade. "A naive, pathetic fool. You think you're winning? You think you're better than me? One day, you'll see the truth. Family is power, Dominic. And you've lost that. You've lost everything."His words were meant to cut, to wound, but I saw through them. Beneath the venom, I could see the man who had once been my father, who had once loved us. That man was buried now, consumed by his rage, his grief, his inability to let go of the past.I took a step back, my voice calm but firm. "No, Father. You've lost everything, and you have no one to blame but yourself."His eyes fl

  • Arrange Marriage [ Craving ]   chapter 77

    •Dominic•Teodoro stood in the middle of the destruction he'd created, his frame imposing despite his slight sway from too much whiskey.The rage in his eyes was tempered only by the faintest glimmer of despair, the cracks of a man who had lost too much but refused to accept responsibility for any of it."Where are they, Dominic?" he demanded again, his voice slurred but no less venomous. "Where is my family? Where is my wife? My children? You think you can take them from me?"I stood a few feet away, the tension in the room so thick it was hard to breathe. I felt Sofia's lingering gaze from the stairway behind me, her worry anchoring me, but I didn't dare turn around.If she came down, she'd be walking straight into his line of fire, and things would definitely escalate and blow out of proportion. I knew I wouldn't be able to control myself if he tried to harm her in any way."They're not yours anymore," I said, my voice calm but firm, though my stomach churned. "They're not possessi

  • Arrange Marriage [ Craving ]   chapter 76

    I stiffened, flipping through evidence of bank transactions. "Any connection to my father?""Not directly," Liam admitted. "But there's evidence of two large payments—one before the incident and one after. Both were transferred from Cayetana Martel's account."I froze, reading the name again. "Natalie's mother?"Liam nodded grimly. "Her contact details are all over his phone records, and surveillance footage shows her meeting him in person with a suspicious bag. An arrest warrant has been issued."It didn't make sense. How could Cayetana do this to her own daughter? I shook my head, trying to process the betrayal."Anything else?" I asked."Yes," Liam added. "You've received a formal invitation to a gala hosted by Olivia. It's three nights from now, and it's marked as compulsory attendance."I nodded slowly. Olivia's plan was still unfolding, and if she was gathering a crowd, it could only mean one thing: the endgame was near."Thanks, Liam," I said, patting his shoulder. "Keep me upd

  • Arrange Marriage [ Craving ]   chapter 75

    "Please!" I begged, my voice rising, my breath coming in shallow, panicked gasps. "Just tell me where she is! My sister could be hurt, or alone, or worse, and I—I don't know if I can—"Just then, my mother's voice cut through the haze, sharp and unmistakably furious. "What's going on here?"I whirled around to see her standing in the hallway, her eyes dark with anger. She looked from me to the nurse, her brows knitting together as she took in the scene."Mom," I said, my voice filled with accusation. "How could you do this? How could you take Ava without telling me? You promised!"She stared at me, her mouth falling open in genuine shock. "What are you talking about? I didn't transfer Ava. I thought you would be here with her right now. They wouldn't let me see Natalie either. Was that your doing, Sofia?"The anger I'd felt toward her fizzled, quickly replaced by cold, numbing confusion. I blinked, trying to make sense of her words. "Wait—you didn't—?""No," she said firmly, her face

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