Strong-willed, badass and bounded by the chains of an arranged marriage, Isabela Arias dreams of the freedom to live and love as she chooses.
Being sold to the Italian mafia wasn't exactly on Isabela's to do list...
As she's forced to navigate the r...
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The dark shadow drags me into their vortex, swirling around like clothes in a dryer. Like the snap of a finger, I'm staring at the collection of stars on my bedroom ceiling, counting the same twenty stars in hopes of falling asleep. If I'm awake, the monster dances. I'm clutching onto the pillowcase since my brothers thought it would be a funny joke to destroy my bed.
The ache on my bum stings.
Monster never smiled brighter.
Panic flares in my chest when the door creaks open.
My eyes crinkle, forcing themselves to stay shut. Please. Please. Monster go away. My breathing harshens as the mattress sinks on the empty side. Why can't I fall asleep? I'm overwhelmed by the scent of his musty body order, alcohol-infused clothes, and the stench of pure evil. The monster's hand lingers on my lower region, squeezing the bruised spot. Maybe if I don't make a sound, he will fall for my trick of playing dead.
"You know those shorts are my weakness, Bela." His palm leaves a print on my butt with a slap. "Stop playing around. I know you're awake."
My voice trembles. "D-Daddy... I'm tired."
Nausea swirls in my stomach when he kisses my shoulder. "Calm down, Bela. It will be fast. Just look at the stars."
A shot of anger pump into me as I rise from the mattress. "No. No, I don't want to." Frantically shaking my head, I jump off the bed, greeted by a vine-like grip on my wrist. My blood runs cold. Fear infects my body like a disease.
Monster grits his teeth. "Don't... Fucking don't. Isn't it bad enough you took my wife away from me, and now you want to ruin my night?" My breath stills as his fingers slither down my legs, yanking my shorts off. "Take it like the good little girl you are."
Monster manhandles my body to slump onto the mattress, applying his body weight on my legs. I squeeze my eyes shut as a sob crawls up my throat. My grandma always told me to stay young, but the longer I stay like this, the more powerless I am. How can a ten-year-old girl win against the two-hundred-pound monster?
One day, I'll walk away from this place and never return.
Mommy, why did you have me?
A tear falls through my lashes, and my chest shakes with gut-churning sobs as the monster's finger touches around downstairs. His hand digs into my thighs, trying to keep them from closing. I lose my breath when all-consuming pain filters in, consuming my body in absolute anguish.
"S-stop! D-Daddy, it hurts."
The stern clasp on my hair earns a loud shriek, causing the monster's palm to suppress my vocals. "Be quiet! Actually, you know what, scream." His palm collides with the skin on my butt. "Fucking scream! No one is coming. No one cares, Isabela! You're worthless. All you do is kill everyone we love. No one will stick by you except for your daddy. Your pussy is the only good thing about you."
