All Chapters of The Mafia's Bride : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Chapter 71AnnalisaI used to believe love could fix anything. Like, if you loved someone hard enough, deep enough, then the bad things—like the pain, the fear, the doubt wouldn’t matter anymore. That they would just…disappear. Like magic.But love doesn’t fix everything. At least for me.Love didn’t stop me from waking up every night in a cold sweat, my body locked in those stupid, suffocating memories that felt like a nightmare I couldn’t erase. It didn’t stop me from feeling like I was suffocating in my own skin every time I thought about the man I married.Love didn’t stop me from being scared of Cristiano. And God, I hated myself so much for that.So yeah, maybe that was why I finally did it. Why I finally told him what had been itching in my throat for the past few days. Because pretending wasn’t working anymore. I had come to realize that I didn't love Cristiano Morano. No, that was not a rash decision. Every minute I had spent alone in my room, I had questioned myself whether

Chapter 73AnnalisaThere was just something about waking up that hurt more than the actual heartbreak. Because for a few seconds, right before my brain fully registers reality, there was peace. A blissful nothingness. And then it hit me like a punch to the stomach. Like a slap to the face. Like a bullet straight through the heart.It had been a month since I left Cristiano’s house, and everything felt different. The air smelled different. The bed felt different. My heart beat differently—slower, heavier, like it was carrying a weight I didn’t know how to put down.On the surface, things were fine. I patched things up with Bianca, and we lived with Mom in the apartment I bought for her. She was doing well. Bianca apologized, and though we weren’t as close as before, I was grateful to have her back. My family became my lifeline, helping me recover from the traumatic experience, and keeping me afloat when I felt like I was drowning.But nothing—none of it—fixed what was inside me. The g

Chapter 75AnnalisaI told myself I wouldn’t think about him today. It was a promise to myself, even. But I guess the universe always had other plans.Because the moment I woke up, he was everywhere. In the stupid scent of his cologne that still clung to the shirt he once left in my room after a good sex. I had kept it to myself, refusing to throw it away and now, as I found myself in it, I felt like crying. He was also in the way my bed suddenly felt too big and cold. In the silence of my new bedroom, so deafening that my heartbeat pounded in my ears.I squeezed my eyes shut, inhaling deeply. One well has passed again. A whole-ass month plus one week. And I was not doing fine.Sure, I got up every day, showered, and ate. I did the whole “pretending to be normal” thing. But every time I laughed, it felt fake. Every time I smiled, it felt forced.And Cristiano? He hadn’t called. Not once. Not a damn text. It was funny how I still hoped he would even though I had clearly pushed him away

Chapter 77AnnalisaI told him yes!Of course, I wanted to see him. The moment those words left my lips, it felt as though my heart was about to burst out of my chest. Cristiano wanted to see me after everything; He still wanted to see me after what felt like the longest separation, after all the pain… and yes, I was finally going to see him again!But the moment I hung up the call, panic gripped me, blood rushing to my head as I began to question myself. What the hell was I doing? What if I got there and lost my nerve? What if I saw him, and everything came crashing down again? What if I saw pity in his eyes, and it broke me?Those thoughts brought a sad sensation to my belly, but I told myself no this time around. I didn't have the time to have spiraling thoughts.Because as soon as I shot up from the couch, Bree walked into the apartment, holding two cups of coffee. “I'm back with your favorite iced cappuccino!” she said, flashing her usual smirk.I barely let her finish before I

Chapter 79CristianoI swear, I thought I was done for.For a solid month,I had imagined what it would be like if I ever got to hold her again. If I could kiss her, touch her, remind her that no matter what happened, she was mine. Every night in my cold bed at my mansion, I dreamed of it. I replayed memories of us like a damn movie I never wanted to end.And now, it was real. She was here now.Annalisa was in my arms again, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was actually permitted to breathe now.I stared at her, taking in every little detail of her beauty. Her soft brown hair cascading over her shoulders, her flushed cheeks, the way her lips were still slightly swollen from our kiss. She was fucking beautiful. A walking temptation. And right now, she was mine again, even if the universe had tried to pull us apart.I tilted her chin up, my thumb brushing against her cheek. “You don’t know how much I needed this,” I murmured.Her lips parted slightly, her breath shaky