Page 48 of Mafia Prince's Secret Baby

“It’s time for you to face the consequences.” He smirks.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes.” Igor snorts. “I’ll teach you how to submit and who you belong to.”

I laugh and cock my head. “If you actually think of me as a possession, we have a problem.”

I feel his hot breath on my lips and know I’ll be lost if I don’t stop him. Suddenly scared of him taking a piece of me, I do the first thing that comes to mind.

I bite.

Even without knowing what I’m doing, my teeth sink into his flesh. He doesn’t pull back, letting me bite down until a metallic taste fills my mouth. His body hums against me, and I realize this did nothing to deter him. It only turned him on more.

It’s unsettling how much I enjoy it.

Before I lose myself completely, I shove him with all my strength, breaking free and dashing for the door. It slams against the frame behind me as I sprint down the corridor, his blood still on my lips.

But just as I round the corner, another door swings open, and a hand grabs my arm, yanking me to a stop.

No.

Not again.

“Relax, it’s me,” Aleks says, his deep voice breaking through the whirlwind in my head. He presses his finger gently against my lips, wiping away the blood I hadn’t realized was still there. “What happened?”

My chest heaves as I try to slow my breaths, his calm blue eyes pulling me back from the edge. For a moment, I consider telling him, spilling everything—the anger, the tension, the chaos Igor stirs in me. But before I can speak, Aleks shakes his head and runs a hand down his face.

“Never mind,” he mutters. “I shouldn’t get involved.”

His gaze flicks behind me, his expression hardening briefly before softening again as he looks at me. “Sofiya’s been asking for you. She wants a bedtime story.”

Relief washes over me at the mention of my daughter. I nod quickly. “Thank you,” I whisper.

Aleks gives me a small, reassuring smile before placing a hand on the small of my back. The gesture is brief, gentle, and guiding, and it anchors me as he leads me toward Damien’s room. When we reach the door, he stops at the threshold and opens it for me.

“She’s waiting,” he says softly, stepping aside.

I walk in, and the sound of Aleks’s footsteps echoing down the hall fades behind me.

I pause inside the room, forcing myself to push away the turmoil swirling in my mind. Igor, his touch, his words, hispresence—all of it gets shoved into the corners of my thoughts. Right now, I have one priority: my daughter.

Sofiya lies on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She doesn’t say a word when she sees me, but the way her eyes sweep over my face tells me enough. She knows something’s wrong.

I’m a mess.

I plaster on a smile, but the weight of her gaze chips at my fragile mask. The man I despise—no, the man Ishoulddespise—is tearing me apart, turning me into someone I barely recognize. Should I just give in and let him have me, body and soul? Would that quiet the chaos inside me, or would it shatter me completely?

I shake the thoughts away and silently thank Aleks for wiping away the evidence of my madness. The last thing Sofiya or Damien need is to see me like that—bloodied, unraveled, a shell of the woman and mother I’m trying to be.

With what little composure I have left, I move toward the bed. Sofiya watches me silently as I squeeze between them, pulling the covers up to her chin before turning to Damien and doing the same.

“A little birdie told me you want a story,” I whisper for Damien, while my hands move in soft, fluid motions to sign the words for Sofiya.

Damien grins and nods. I settle in, reaching for the book on the bedside table. It’s an old, familiar fairy tale—the same one my grandmother used to read to me when I was their age.

I open the cover, scanning the worn pages as warmth spreads through me. For a moment, the storm outside this room doesn’t matter. Only Sofiya and Damien do.

I lean over and press a soft kiss to Sofiya’s forehead, then another to Damien’s.Then I take a deep breath, settling my nerves as I begin. “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess?—”