She walked up to my frail father and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you," she mumbled before pulling away.
My father smiled, showing off his teeth, giving her the biggest smile I hadn't seen since before Mama passed away.
"We must dance soon, Madeline. I'll leave you both be for now," he said, turning to me. I gave him a curt nod just before he limped away.
My father now had to use a cane to get everywhere he wished to go. He was growing weaker by the day. Things got so bad to the point that he could barely walk.
"I like him. He seems... genuine," Madeline noted, staring at my father.
As she looked, I couldn't help but notice the makeup that was now covering her cheek and neck. Even though it was barely visible, I could still see every bruise.
A path of rage began to sniff up a trail. It was ready to explode, and all I needed was a single name to answer who the fuck hit her. She didn't know me, though, and the last thing I wanted was to frighten her. However, I planned to find out who did it.
"He is, but he wasn't always that way," I said.
She turned to me. I couldn't get enough of looking into those mesmerizing eyes. It was something I could do all day and never get tired of.
"What changed him?" She inquired.
"A very strong woman," I answered her, glancing at my father who was sitting at a table with Dante.
I grabbed both sides of her waist and placed myself right behind her. She didn't move a single muscle even as I leaned down until my lips were near to her ear.
"Come dance with me, Mrs. Siciliano," I whispered.
A shiver ran through her body, proving how much I had an effect on her. I removed one of my hands from her waist and trailed down her side until I was at the slit of her emerald dress. She didn't protest as my hand slid up her leg, near the bottom of her panties.
"I, uh, I can't dance," she stammered.
"Luckily for you, I'm a great teacher," I said, dragging her to the dance floor where the guests were already moving to the sound of the music.
They quickly parted the crowd as Madeline and I made our way through.
I spun Madeline around so I could face her, leaving my hands perched on either side of her hips.
"Everyone is going to be staring," she whispered.
"It's a slow dance, amore mio. You wrap your arms around me, and we move together. Don't worry about anyone else," I spoke.
She complied and placed her hands around my neck, bringing us closer together. I was drowning in the sweet scent of cherries, suddenly craving more of it.
Slowly, we moved with the music, only moving side-to-side.
"How do you feel?" I asked.
"I don't know... numb, I guess. I've been thrown around from man to man now. I've been fed promises of hope only for it to run away from me," she mumbled. "Truthfully, I only married you because I am terrified of Riccardo, but now I'm questioning if I even made the right choice. I knew Riccardo from the moment I was born. I knew what triggered him, and I was aware of what he was capable of, but I don't know you. I don't know what makes you angry to the point that you snap, or how far you will go if I disobey you. I'm scared that by me taking a leap of faith and attempting to get some control back over my life, I lost it again," Madeline explained.
I hummed. "I'm not going to lie to you and say I'm a good man. I'm the type of person children fear are under their bed and in their closets a monster from the depths of their nightmares. I'm the villain that destroys the world and laughs while doing it. I'm the sinner from the deep root of hell. Still, I will never lay a hand on you that you won't find pleasurable because even though I may be the worst person to exist, I can promise that I will be the best person you ever met," I said, spinning her around and pulling her backside against me.
"How do I know you're not just telling me what I want to hear?" She asked, her brow quirking up.
"A leap of faith," I whispered into her ear before spinning her again to face me.
Suddenly, she looked off behind me, her eyes growing wide. "Riccardo's here."
-
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Hello! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully you don't hate me for this cliffhanger. I will update soon, please be patient with me. I know, I really do suck! I'm addicted to leaving you all on cliffhangers, they're just the perfect way to end the chapter... lmao. I'm a whore.
Thank you all so much for reading! I can't wait to share more of this story. I also really appreciate all of the kind words you guys shared last chapter. It really made me feel a lot better. YOU ARE THE BEST!
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-A. Marie
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The Burn of Lust | (on hold)
Romance"The Mob Boss and His Enemy's Bride" ❦ Madeline belonged to Riccardo. Through the curves of her father's signature, Madeline was signed away to be Riccardo's wife from the day she was born. It was already set in stone that he would one day become he...
