Forbidden Desire 18+

Chapter One

ISABELLA MATTIA

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My mother has always been my greatest role model. I admire her natural strength and intelligence. She took a career in a STEM field after studying for years in astronomy. She influenced me into the world of science and I took an interest in medicine. I've always had a soft spot for chemistry, I found it fascinating to mix elements and compounds. together in class to see what it would make.

My teacher said I had a good eye for certain experiments and that's when I started taking my classes extremely seriously. It would be an absolute dream to find myself within the medicine field, a career alongside my mother to make both her and my father proud.

But, my issue is that my father is stupidly controlling. Even though I'm twenty-one, he still treats me like a child. Given a few things have happened to me and my mother in the past, he always worries that something else will happen again beyond his control.

I sit at the kitchen counter as my mother works beside me on her laptop. Our house chef is making dinner around us and I watch her as she makes ingredients from scratch. I glance over at my mother, glasses on her nose and hair pulled back.

My mother is beautiful. Some people say we look extremely alike but I think I look more like my father, I have his sharper features and definitely the blunt attitude. I adopted my brunette hair, dark eyes and olive skin from both of them–I guess they don't have terrible genes.

"So," I watch as my mum peels off her glasses from her face. "Have you been looking into any University courses more?"

I nod. "Yeah. I saw one that I really like."

"But..."

"But," I huff. "It's four hours from here and dad would probably tie me up in the basement if he found out about it."

My mother sighs and leans over the table to take my hand. "Baby, you're twenty-one now. I know how overbearing he can be, trust me I've been there to experience it all. But he can't keep doing this, keeping you from what you want to do."

"It always ends up in an argument," I rip my hand from her grip and fold it over my chest.

She nods slowly. "I know but sometimes he needs that interaction to realise how serious you are. Trust me, I learnt the hard way. You're an adult, Isabella. I know he wants you safe but there are other ways of doing it."

I meet her gentle eyes and release a breath. "Being here makes me feel like I'm trapped. The longer I stay here, the stricter I think he gets. He wasn't like this when I was at school."

"That's because you had Terry and Damien to look after you," she reminds me.

How could I forget my two bodyguards that followed me around everywhere and scared off anyone that tried to come within two feet of me? High School was fucking tough.

"I just want to live my life."

My mother's face crumbles as she nods. "I know, Belle. I felt the same when it came to living here with your dad and your uncle. But I promise to help him see that this will be good for you, even if he's adamant it won't."

I roll my eyes. "He's too far up his own ass to care right now."

"Hey," she says, catching my attention with a stern tone. "He does what he does to keep us safe."

"I would be safer if he didn't manage a gang when he was younger." I snap but instantly regret it. My mum isn't the enemy here and I hate that I take my frustrations out on her but when I'm stuck in this house for most hours of the day, I start to go a little insane. "All I want is to study, make friends, live a life that I could deem as normal."