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Chapter 31

Author: Feesa
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-09 14:22:46

LUCA

I should’ve walked out. I should’ve left her sitting there with her ghosts and her excuses. But instead, I stood there, staring at the woman I once called my wife, feeling nothing but the weight of a past I never wanted.

Did I love her?

No.

Not the way a man should love his wife. Not the way I—

I clenched my jaw, cutting that thought off before it could finish.

Alicia was a duty, an expectation, a business move wrapped in the illusion of something real. She was never mine, not in the ways that mattered. And now, she was just another loose end.

Her lip trembled, her gaze searching my face. “Luca, I swear—I don’t remember. But I know I wouldn’t have done that to you.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Wouldn’t you?”

She flinched.

Rafael shifted beside me, his face unreadable. “The doctor’s almost here. You want me to stay?”

I shook my head. “No.” My eyes stayed on Alicia, my voice turning sharp. “You wanted to see me. You got what you wanted. Now you’ll stay here, under my watch, until
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  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 32

    LUCARafael was waiting in my office when I got there, arms crossed, face unreadable.“She asleep?” I asked, grabbing the whiskey from my desk and pouring a glass.He nodded. “Doctor sedated her. Said she’s weak, malnourished. Looks like she’s been through hell.”I took a slow sip, letting the burn settle before answering. “She’s lucky I give a damn.”Rafael let out a low breath, leaning against the desk. “You don’t, though. Not really.”I met his gaze, waiting.“She was dead, Luca. You let yourself believe it because you wanted to.” His voice was calm, measured. “So why does this bother you so much?”I tilted my glass, watching the amber liquid catch the light. “Because someone played me.”That was the real issue. Not Alicia. Not her damn memory loss. But the fact that someone had orchestrated an entire fucking death, left me a body, faked the DNA results, and let me believe the lie.And now, after all these years, she was back.The question wasn’t just how.It was why now?Rafael st

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  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 33

    LUCAI was still thinking about her when I left her room.She didn’t tell me to stop. She didn’t pull away. She’d been on the edge, just like I had. And I hated that I wanted to see just how far we could both go.But she didn’t trust me. Not yet. Not enough. And she shouldn’t.Because I didn’t trust myself either.I made my way back to the study, trying to push the weight of her out of my chest. But it wasn’t working.I sat at my desk, but I didn’t touch the papers in front of me. Instead, I grabbed the bottle of whiskey again, poured another drink, and took a long gulp.The burn felt good.I needed something to dull the ache, the pull, the need for something I shouldn’t have.And then there was Alicia.What the hell was I supposed to do with her?I’d been around long enough to know that nothing about her return was clean. Nothing was coincidental. She was back for a reason, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out why.But I was going to have to.I leaned back in my chair, rubbing a ha

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    ISADORAThe next morning, I barely slept. My chest was still tight, that image of Alicia and Luca burned into my mind like a scar. But I had a final paper to write, and I wasn’t about to let my heartache ruin my degree.I showed up on campus with Rafael like always, his eyes flicking to me every few minutes like he knew something was off. I kept my head down. Gave him short answers. Pretended I was fine.I wasn’t.Laura caught me in the hallway before I went in for the paper. Her gaze swept over me, eyes narrowing. “You good?”I forced a smile that even I knew was trash. “Yeah, just tired. Finals, you know?”She didn’t buy it.“You wanna talk later?”“Maybe… I just need some space right now.”She gave me that look—you know, the best friend look, the one that says I know you’re lying, but I’ll let you get away with it for now.“Okay,” she said, but her voice was soft, worried.I nodded and slipped into the exam hall.But afterward… I couldn’t go back.Not to Rafael. Not to the house. N

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  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 37

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  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 38

    LUCA “You don’t get it, Luca,” she murmured, voice cracking just slightly. “I saw you with her, and it—it messed with my head. It hurt.”That last word was so soft, but it landed heavy—straight to my chest.I cupped her face, my thumbs brushing over her cheeks, slow. “I get it more than you think. But you need to understand something—I don’t want Alicia. I haven’t wanted her since the day I met you.”Her eyes flicked up to mine—uncertain, but searching. “When… did you meet me?”I exhaled through my nose, a small, knowing smile pulling at my lips. “You really don’t remember?”She shook her head.I leaned in, letting the weight of it all sit between us. “Four years ago. Charity gala. You were twenty—wearing red. You stood out like a flame in a room full of suits. Vibrant. Defiant. Untouchable. I was done for the second I saw you.”Her breath caught, her lips parting just slightly.“I couldn’t do anything about it,” I continued, voice low, rough. “I was marrying Alicia. Her father’s a p

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  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 39

    ALICIAI paced the length of my room, the dim lighting casting sharp shadows along the walls. My fingers gripped the phone so tight my knuckles turned white. The laughter filtering through from downstairs made my teeth grind together. Her laugh. Soft, breathless—like she belonged here. Like she belonged with him.Isadora. Alive. Breathing. And worse—getting close to Luca.I thought she was supposed to be rotting in a ditch somewhere. That was the deal. That was the plan. But now she was here, under the same roof as me—like nothing had ever happened. Like she hadn’t cheated death.I snapped out of my thoughts when the voice on the other end of the call spoke again. The irritation in his tone matched mine.“We had eyes on her,” the man said, his voice low and firm. “But Rafael was there. We couldn’t make a move.”Rafael. Of course. The ever-watchful shadow. Luca’s enforcer, his blade in the dark. The man was a goddamn nightmare—loyal to a fault and damn near untouchable.I pressed my fi

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  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 70

    LUCACosta slumped forward in the chair, breathing ragged. Blood soaked the ropes around his wrists, dripping onto the concrete floor beneath him.Rafael stood by the table, shaking out his bruised knuckles. “He’s tougher than he looks,” he muttered.Costa let out a weak chuckle. “You’re just not as scary as you think.”I pulled up a chair in front of him, leaning in. “That so?”He gave me a lazy smirk, swollen lip splitting further. “I’ve met worse.”I hummed, tilting my head. “Have you?”Then, before he could blink, I drove my knife into his thigh.Costa screamed, body jerking violently against the chair.Rafael barely reacted.I twisted the blade, watching him writhe. “You’re going to tell me what I want to know.”Costa gasped, chest heaving. “I— I already did.”I yanked the knife out, blood pooling at his feet. “Not everything.”His good eye twitched.“I know Alicia gave the order,” I said, wiping the blade on his shirt. “I know she wanted Isadora dead.” My fingers flexed around t

  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 69

    ISADORALuca was getting stronger.Every day, I watched the color return to his face, the sharpness settle back into his gaze. His movements were steadier, his pain more manageable. He still hated being confined, but for once, he wasn’t fighting me on it.Not out loud, anyway.But as his body healed, mine stayed wound tight. Because while Luca was focused on his recovery, my phone wouldn’t stop ringing.My father.Every call, every voicemail, every text—all ignored.But that didn’t stop them from coming.At first, it was just desperate pleas."Isadora, I need your help.""Please, Isa. I’m in trouble.""You’re my daughter. Don’t you have any loyalty?"Then, the threats started."You think you can ignore me forever?""You owe me, Isadora. After everything I’ve done for you.""You think your little boyfriend can protect you?"My stomach curled in disgust every time his name flashed across the screen.He didn’t deserve my help.Not after what he had done.Not after the way he had betrayed

  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 68

    ISADORALuca’s reluctant surrender lasted all of ten minutes.The moment Rafael left the room, he shifted like he was testing the limits of his pain, his jaw clenched in quiet determination. I knew that look. It was the same one he wore before making a reckless decision.I exhaled sharply. “Luca—”“I need to see Costa myself.”I clenched my fists. “No, you need to heal.”His eyes, sharp despite the lingering haze of painkillers, locked onto mine. “I won’t sit here while someone else handles my problem.”I swallowed my frustration, trying to remain calm, but it was impossible. The past few days had been nothing but fear, watching him teeter between life and death, praying for just one more moment. And now, barely awake, he was ready to throw himself into the fire again.My hands curled into the sheets. “Do you even hear yourself? You almost died, Luca. Do you think that means nothing?”His jaw flexed, but he didn’t look away. “I think it means I have unfinished business.”Something sna

  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 67

    ISADORA The room was quiet except for the steady beep of Luca’s heart monitor and the low hum of Rafael’s breathing.I lay there for a while, watching Luca, tracing the shape of his fingers with my eyes, memorizing the slight movement of his chest. Every breath he took felt like borrowed time, a reminder that he was still here. That I hadn’t lost him.But sleep didn’t come easily.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him—bleeding, gasping, slipping away. The metallic scent of blood clung to my memory, sharp and suffocating. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the images away, but they always lurked just beneath the surface.A rustling sound broke the silence.I turned my head slightly, expecting to see Rafael adjusting in his chair, but he was still, his arms crossed, eyes closed.The noise came again—this time from the bed.My breath caught.I pushed up onto my elbows, heart pounding as I focused on Luca. His fingers twitched slightly against the blanket, a small but unmistakable movemen

  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 66

    ISADORA “Come on. Let’s get you upstairs.”I hesitated, my gaze flickering back to Luca. He was still, but not in the way that had terrified me earlier. His chest rose and fell in steady rhythms, his pulse strong beneath my fingertips.Bianca reached for my arm. “Rafael’s staying here. He’ll call you the second anything changes.”The logic was there. But logic didn’t matter.What mattered was that Luca had almost died tonight. And I wasn’t sure I’d survive seeing it happen again.But I wasn’t given much of a choice. Bianca tugged gently, pulling me up from the chair. My legs protested the sudden movement, pins and needles prickling up my calves from standing for so long without rest.The walk to the grand staircase felt longer than it should have. The house was eerily quiet, the usual hum of distant voices absent. The only sound was the muffled press of our footsteps against the marble floor.Halfway up the stairs, a wave of dizziness hit me.I swayed, the edges of my vision tilting

  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 65

    ISADORA The clinic ward was eerily silent now, save for the steady beeping of monitors and the occasional murmur of the doctor’s assistant. But the stillness did nothing to calm me.Luca was too pale. His breathing, though steady, was still too shallow. I gripped his hand tightly, my fingers trembling against his skin. He was warm—too warm, fever still clinging to him. My stomach twisted.I hadn’t moved from his side.Not when the doctor finished tending to him. Not when Rafael tried to speak to me. Not even when my body screamed in protest, exhaustion weighing me down like lead.I wasn’t leaving.Rafael sighed from where he stood near the doorway, arms crossed. His sharp eyes, always unreadable, softened just slightly as he watched me.“Isadora,” he murmured, stepping closer. “You need to rest.”I shook my head, my grip on Luca tightening. “I’m not leaving him.”Rafael exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “You’re pregnant.”The words hit like a quiet reminder, one I had

  • Bound To The Mafia   Chapter 64

    ISADORAI didn't even know there was a fucking clinic ward in this house.Rafael barreled through the halls, shouting orders, his grip on Luca unrelenting as he and another man hauled him toward a hidden wing of the estate. Blood trailed behind them, soaking into the expensive floors, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.Luca's weight sagged between them, his head lolling to the side, his breaths shallow. Too shallow.Panic choked me."Move!" Rafael barked, shoving through a set of double doors.The clinic was pristine, cold, too white. It smelled of antiseptic and something metallic—Luca’s blood. My stomach twisted as they laid him onto a surgical bed, hands working fast to strip away his blood-soaked shirt.I hovered, frozen, my heartbeat a frantic, unbearable rhythm in my ears.Luca was too pale. His eyes fluttered, unfocused, lips parted as though he was fighting to stay conscious.A doctor—where the hell did he even come from?—rushed in, a bag slung over his shoulder. "Get out of

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