Bound by Betrayal (The Mafia King Captive Bride)

Ashley

Time flies and before I knew it it was morning already.

I spoke with Sebastian yesterday and he told me that he will be coming with a surprise package.

Knock. Knock

“I am coming,” I shouted and perked Mrs. Catherina in the cheeks and hurried to open the door.

“Hey Sebastian,” I greeted with a warm smile and he smiled back. “How have you been?”

“Just there,” I replied, my eyes curiously trailing all over him for any present or anything but he came empty handed.

Where is the surprise package?

” Hey, you said that you have something that will cheer me up,” I pouted and he laughed while walking in.

” Yeah, I did,” he replied but just then, Mrs. Catherina walked in. “Hey Sebastian.”

“Wow!” He went in to give her a warm hug, though I noticed they exchanged a strange look.

What was that for?

I opened my mouth to ask, but Sebastian beat me to it, “So, Ash, how’s my little nephew?” He plopped down on the couch, and Mrs. Catherina returned to her cooking, humming a tune in the kitchen.

I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off. Since morning, she’d been in an unusually cheerful mood, preparing a plethora of dishes as if we were expecting company.

But it was just the three of us – her, me, and Sebastian. When I asked, she brushed it off, saying she just felt like cooking.

She has been acting strange lately.

“Nephew? Who told you? Maybe it’s a girl,” I teased, taking a seat beside him on the couch.

“No, I want a football mate,” he said, frowning, which only made me chuckle. “You’ll surely make a great uncle and husband, Jessica is lucky,” I complimented, and his cheeks flushed instantly.

“By the way, how is Jessica?” I asked, and he replied, “She’s fine.” Then, he paused, his eyes locking onto mine with a concerned gaze. “And… how have you been?”

I sighed and leaned back on the couch, “I’m just… there, Sebastian.”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“Mrs. Albrecht called me yesterday night,” I said, earning a curious brow from Sebastian.

“She called you? Why?”

I sighed, and gave him a small sad smile. “She is scared of losing Damien, she pleaded for me to forgive him.” I said, earning an ‘oh’ sound from surprised Sebastian.

I am also surprised to see her call, considering the fact that she doesn’t care about him. And all of a sudden, she is scared, calling back to back for reconciliation.

” Is he that terrible?” I asked Sebastian, struggling not to show that I still care.

“You miss him,” he asked abruptly, catching me off guard.

“No,” I replied quickly, trying to convince myself more than him.

Sebastian gave me a long, knowing look before chuckling, his eyes glinting with amusement. “You don’t, and I believe you’ve been on his page since today.” He nodded towards the phone beside me, and that’s when it hit me – I had been on his Instagram page before Sebastian arrived.

I quickly switched off my phone, earning a mocking grin from him.

Fuck! How could I forget?

“Whatever,” I rolled my eyes and looked away.

“You still want him, come on, you and Damien are just hurting each other,” Sebastian said, and I sighed, leaning back.

He’s right, I am missing him.

“I told him I’d be traveling to see you,” he said, catching me off guard. My head snapped towards him in surprise.

“Calm down, but he lost consciousness, so we had to rush him to the hospital.” My eyes widened, fear flashing across my face.

“How…?” I stuttered, my heart racing.

I know he wanted to know if I still care and honestly I just proved him right by my sudden concern.

“Damien hasn’t been himself since the incident,” Sebastian explained, his expression somber. “He blames himself every day and looks like a shadow of his former self.” His words somehow made me feel guilty.

“I think you have tortured him enough, Ash.” I swallowed hard and instantly looked away. “At least give him a chance to explain, then if you still don’t want him, you can now issue a divorce.” He added.

And I turned to look at him again, “Wh…. Where is he now? Hospital?”

Noticing the concern etched on my face, Sebastian flashed me a wide, reassuring grin. “You want to see him?” he asked, and I blushed, rolling my eyes at him.

“Just stop.” I replied. My cheeks are already red.

I watched as he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to someone before lifting his head back to me. “Look behind you,” he said, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

I gave him a puzzled look before my heart skipped a beat as I heard the door open. And slowly, I turned around, my gaze widening as it fell on Damien.

He looked pale and thinner, his beard unkempt and bushy, as if he hadn’t been taking care of himself lately.

Though despite his disheveled appearance, he still managed to look handsome, his features still striking, but his eyes seemed to hold a deep sadness.

His silver eyes look dull.

I opened my mouth to talk but instantly closed them.

Sebastian patted my shoulder and headed to the kitchen, leaving Damien and me alone.

The air felt thick and uncomfortable, heavy with unspoken emotions. I could feel my heart racing wildly in my chest.

“I’m sorry, Ash.” Damien finally said, his voice filled with regret, apology, and longing. My heart skipped a beat at his words – this was the voice I had been desperate to hear for months.

But I remained silent, unsure of how to react.

“That night… I got carried away and got drunk,” he explained, his eyes pleading for understanding.

“I was about to call Eros to bring in a woman for me for the night, but then you appeared at my doorstep, and I was swept away by the strawberry scent of your perfume.” He paused, and I swallowed hard, looking away.

“I’m so sorry, Ash. Honestly, I wanted to find you. I felt guilty for taking you without your consent,” Damien said, his voice filled with remorse. He pulled out his phone, “If you think I’m lying, check my messages with Lucas. I asked him to look for you, but at some point, I stopped.”

“Why?” I managed to whisper, tears welling up in my eyes.

“Because you thought I wasn’t important,” I repeated, seeing the hesitation in his eyes.

“I know that sorry won’t fix anything, but I am sorry,” he replied instead.

“You broke me, Damien. Day in and day out, you treated me like I meant nothing.”

“Because I was scared!” he suddenly exclaimed, his voice cracking as he turned away to rub his face.

Surprise etched on my face, “Scared?” I repeated.

He then turned back to me, his eyes vulnerable. “Yes, I was scared because I was falling for you so fast, and that wasn’t what I wanted. I hated the fact that I loved you, so I tried to convince myself to hate you by torturing and abusing you. But despite my best efforts, I found myself falling deeper and deeper,” he confessed, regret and shame visible in his eyes.

“And that’s when I stopped trying to fight it, wanting to embrace our connection… until I found out you were pregnant. Then I became afraid, scared that my past was about to repeat itself all over again.”

Tears streamed down my face as I listened to every raw, emotional word that left his mouth.”

“I’m so sorry, Ash. Please forgive me. I promise to make it right again,” Damien pleaded, his voice cracking at the end.

But instead, I shook my head, tears flowing down my face. “You hurt me so much, Damien,” I sobbed, my voice barely audible.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “I can’t breathe without you, Ash.” He sniffled, his voice shaking with sobs.

I continued to cry uncontrollably, and he slowly approached me, his steps calculated and gentle. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace.

I cried, breathing into his scent. He patted my back and we both sobbed hard, holding each other in a desperate attempt to heal the wounds in our heart.