Page 45 of The Mafia and His Obsession Part 2 (Tainted Hearts 5)

Valerie swallowed, and her nose turned red as she sniffled. Her lips moved and she silently whispered something.

Thank you, she said.

I wondered how her voice would sound if she could talk. Would it be sweet and soft, like the rest of her?

I eventually let go of her hand, forcing myself to step away. She brought the delicate thing closer to her chest and held it closer, like she never wanted to part from it.

Her little treasure.

It made me smile, watching her like this. She might have had me ensnared with her beauty, silent voice, and hidden fire in her eyes. But I had the same damn effect on her.

We had both trapped each other. Together, down the rabbit hole, we went.

Her gaze dropped to her lap, and our connection broke. She let me go, and I snapped back into the present. I watched her silently for a few more seconds before I forced my feet away.

It was time to go.

I had to leave the silent maiden in her tower, alone, yet again.

But I’d be back soon.

That I promised.

I was no hero. I liked to believe I was the villain, but if I had to play hero for Valerie, maybe I’d continue this little fantasy for her sake.

She was mine now. And I’d claim her properly.

My sweet little swan.

I opened my eyes and stared at the darkness of my room. The memories, the sound of Valerie’s breathing…the sight of her blush, that moment, it was still all vivid in my head. That was one of our first encounters. I still remembered it so clearly, as if it were just yesterday.

I had been trying to sleep for hours, fighting with myself and chasing unconsciousness. But it was non-existent when Alessio’s words kept echoing in my ears. All I could think about were my promises made to Valerie and the choice Alessio was forcing me to make.

I was a loyal man. A loyal soldier to my King.

But I was also a devoted man to my sweet myshka.

I couldn’t choose.

I used to think Ayla was the sun and moon. But then I laid eyes on my Valerie. My world was no longer black and white. Nothing was faded in the darkness anymore. Everything was clear to me. And I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted her. I craved her.

Just like we all had a weakness, everyone also had an addiction. Mine just happened to be her.

I was addicted to her voice, the sound of her, the depth of her soul, the way she breathed and the way her plump lips would curve up in a smile. She had a dimple in her chin. If I closed my eyes, I’d see the sparkles in hers when she was laughing. Valerie could calm the stormy seas inside of me. She halted my thoughts, appeased the war inside my head, and chased away the Devil on my shoulder.

I craved the feeling she gave me when she was close…something akin to warmth. She was the sun of my solar system, the middle of my world, and it made me want to crawl to her every time to seek the warmth she’d give me. I wouldn’t say I got butterflies, because that shit wasn’t real and not for men like me, but fuck, it was so damn close.

She was the wife of the man we meant to kill…to maim…to destroy. That made her our enemy, right?

But Valerie was an unfair enemy. An innocent woman caught in a web of danger. This game wasn’t meant for her, yet she was trapped between monsters who could chew and spit her out, leaving her a bloody mess.

I couldn’t have that.

The vows I made…I intended to uphold and fulfill them.

Valerie was more than just my obsession.

She was my family.

And they were my family too.

The two sides of my coin were the same.

The choice should be easy, but fuck, I couldn’t…

I didn’t know how to fix this, how to protect them all without fucking it up.

I didn’t know how to do right by my family and the woman who owned a piece of my soul.

Growing more frustrated by the minute, I sat up in bed and ignored the hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt…sick. Lost and lonely.

This was my house. I belonged here. Yet it didn’t feel like home at all.

It was missing something. Missing her.

My Valerie.

My beautiful swan.

Closing my eyes, I rubbed a hand over my face. You are weak, the devil whispered.

Fuck it. A growl rumbled through my chest, and I clenched my fists, the need to pummel something or someone to the ground intense.

I imagined it was Alessio on the ground and my fists kissing his face. That bastard just complicated my life a whole lot.

And then I wanted to rip out Valentin’s intestines, cook that shit up in pasta sauce, and feed it to him.