THE MAFIA’S CAPTIVE ANGEL

It’s been two weeks since we came back from the hospital, and it’s been two weeks since I finally returned from the hospital and have been treated like a baby, not by Sin but by Zoey.

They both kept trying to do everything for me and refused to let me raise a finger, which was both nerve-wracking and nice.

I had been locked in the room all day, mostly due to the fact that I had been reading a novel and lost track of time.

Things with Sin and I have been great; he pampers me all the time, and slowly the mask of a ruthless leader he wore slips away when we are together.

Every day with Sin revealed a new side of him: that he was capable of empathy, kindness, and integrity. We both joked and laughed like two normal human beings, and whatever I requested of him, he made sure to carry it out. But was it enough to forget about everything and give up my family and freedom?

The dark and malicious part of him still existed, strong and dominant, even when he tried so hard to hide it. I still saw it flicking beneath his gaze, eating away the kindness I now knew he was capable of.

Sin never conducts his business in front of me, but most times he comes home late at night when he thinks I’m asleep with a bruised knuckle and a blood-stained shirt. I spend most of my time with Zoey, whether helping in the kitchen or spending quality time just the two of us. I honestly consider her a friend. I was enjoying my time here with her.

“Hey Mani,” Zoey called. I looked at her as she continued to do the dishes. “Let’s have a girls’ night.”

“Girls night.”

“Yep, it’s Friday night, and I don’t really have anywhere to go tonight.” “So what do you say?”

“Sure, no problem.” How about a sleepover? “It’s been ages since I last had a sleepover,” I said excitedly.

“So what movie are we watching?”

“I’m not sure; why don’t we decide when we stroll through Netflix?” I suggested it, to which she gladly agreed.

“I will look for some movies, then we can decide which is better.”

“Great, why don’t you get to it while I finish up for you?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, now go.” “I will come meet you in your room after a shower.”

“Thanks, I will ask Luca to get us some late-night snacks,” she said before storming outside of the kitchen.

I continued washing the remaining plate when suddenly I felt someone’s eyes on me. I was familiar with their gaze. I turned around and found a pair of dark orbs staring at me intensely. I smiled at him, which he reciprocated. His back rested against the wall, and his white shirt was rolled up, displaying his beautiful tattoos.

He looked so intimidating and charming at the same time.

“Why are you doing the dishes? Where is Zoey? Your shoulder still hasn’t healed yet,” he asked.

“Honestly, I’m fine. And Zoey went back to her room; she wants to look for a movie for us. We are having a sleepover, and I volunteer to do the dishes.” I continue to tidy up the kitchen.

I felt a movement as Sin moved closer to me; his chest hit my back and his lower body hit my waist. His hands touched my shoulder, and he turned me around.

“I haven’t seen you all day; I missed your beautiful eyes.” I blushed at his words, and he let out a smile.

We stared at each other, and I found myself unable to look away from his gaze. There was a spark between us, and it was quite strong.

Sin rested his forehead on mine, and my breathing stopped. He always manages to take my breath away with his presence, like he sucks me completely dry, leaving me breathless all the time.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“I should really finish up and meet Zoey; I don’t want to keep her waiting,” I whispered in one breath.

“You have really grown accustomed to Zoey.”

“She is my friend and the only one that keeps me company when you aren’t around, apart from Samantha.”

“I am happy to know you are making friends,” he said, not in a weird and twisted kind of way. He was pleased.

“Yeah, me too.” Unknowingly, a smile beamed on my face.

And we went silent again. His nose was a mere inch from mine. But our lips were dangerously close. If one of us moved, our lips would be connected.

“There you are, Sin,” someone said, walking into the kitchen. With Sin’s bigger body, he had hidden me from whoever was standing behind him. Until he wrapped his hands around me and took a step back. I could see Luca standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

His eyes were still on Sin, but it was only a matter of time before he saw me, and just like I thought, his eyes met mine. Luca’s lips were raised in a teasing smile before he started making kissing faces at us. I couldn’t look at him and immediately stormed out of the kitchen with a blush on my face. I could hear Sin yell something in Italian towards Luca, and i didn’t need a genius to tell me it wasn’t anything pleasant. I went back to our room and showered before going to Zoey’s room. ◇◇◇◇ “That was good,” Zoey commented. We were in our second movie; after we watched Half Brother, we watched Love Struck Musical.

“I enjoyed myself,” I said.

“Me too; let’s do this again some other time,” she said, turning to look at me.

“That’s a great idea,” I beamingly told her.

Zoey turned the TV off and went to turn on the light. I grabbed a blanket and covered myself, and Zoey soon followed. She laid beside me, saying, “I love magical love stories.”

I raised an eyebrow at her cheesy words and let out a laugh.

“Hey, don’t make fun of me,” she whined as I continued laughing. “Have you ever been in love before?” she asked so suddenly.

“Um, I thought I was, back when I was in high school.

“Really, what about Sin?”

“Sin and I…” I trailed off, not knowing what to say: “I won’t say I’m in love with him; I’m just not sure.”

“I understand.  So what happened in high school? Who was the scumbag?” I smiled a bit at her words.

“Well, he was my best friend before he became my boyfriend. I thought we loved each other, but I was wrong,” I said. “I caught him with my cousin in my house on the day of my parents’ funeral.”

“What a douchebag!” Zoey said so angrily, and I all but agree with her. Jason was nothing but a complete scumbag, and he still is to this day.

“Yeah, I agree with you on that. What about you?”

It took awhile before she answered. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked. I was about to tell her she didn’t need to answer when she spoke.

“I’m in love with someone.”

“You are; who is it?” She was quite for a second, fudging with her fingers, and for a second, I thought she wasn’t going to give me an answer.

“I’m in love with Alexander, Sin’s younger brother,” she said, which caught me off guard. I haven’t seen any of Sin’s family, so I don’t know much about them. “He is everything I wished for, my knight in shining armour.”

He must have really done something amazing to make Zoey so madly in love with him.

“I love him, but I don’t know if the feeling is mutual. I broke things off with Alexander, and he hates me for betraying him.”

“What… why would you end things with him?” I was baffled.

“Their granddad, Mr. Violante, is a strict man who thinks I am not worthy of his son. He threatened me with Alexander’s life. What was I supposed to do?” Zoey turned to me with a sad smile. “He was my everything, Mani.” I couldn’t take it anymore; her confession broke my heart. I hated Sin’s granddad for breaking the two apart and blamed Alexander for not fighting harder for her.

“It was a good thing Sin let me come with him to New York. I couldn’t bear seeing Alexander in the arms of different women.” Single tears dropped from her eyes.

I pulled her close, wiping the tears away, and tried to console her. After an hour, she finally fell asleep. I stood up from the bed, fixing the blanket properly around her body before walking off to my room.

Sin was sleeping on the bed; he looked incredibly handsome. I took my time watching him. He looked so vulnerable in his sleep. I walked up to the bed and laid myself on the mattress, my back facing him. I felt his hands sneak around my waist, pulling my body close to his as we both drifted off to sleep.