I Saved the Mafia Boss—Now I'm His Obsession. novel Chapter 23

Madeleine

𓎢𓎠𑄻𑄾𓎠𓎡

A picture of my face.

Cropped out. Zoomed in. Sent back to me like a trophy.

It was from the picture I’d sent him last night, the one I didn’t.want to send. The one he made me send with me just in my bra and underwear and shaky fingers trying to hold the phone steady while I cried, because he’d threatened my dad and I didn’t know what else to do.

And he’d cut out the rest of me. My body was gone. All that was left was my face.

My face.

No message. No caption. No threat.

But somehow, that made it worse because I couldn't understand what this meant.

What the hell was he trying to say with this? That he was watching me? That he could do whatever he wanted with me?

A heat bloomed in my chest, somewhere between embarrassment and that awful, stinging frustration you get when someone laughs and you don’t get the joke but you know you’re the punchline.

I hated this. I hated how scared I felt. I hated that my hands were shaking again. I hated that I was trying not to cry, even now.

And I hated that I’d actually sent it. That I’d let him get to me like that. That I broke under pressure like a dumb little girl who didn’t know better.

Tears blurred the corners of my eyes, but I wiped them away fast.

Carlos was still asleep beside me. He didn’t know any of this and I can't even imagine what he would do to me if he knew, he'd throw me out and my five year relationship would end.

I slipped out of the bed carefully, holding my phone. The sheets barely rustled as I eased them off, inch by inch, not wanting to wake him.

My bare feet hit the floor, and I padded out into the hallway, shutting the door behind me.

Once alone in the living room, I breathed in and out and stared at my reflection in the darkened screen.

Just my face. My dumb, scared face.

He had that picture and I know that just gave him even more power over me.

I went through the motions.

Brushed my teeth, washed my face, pulled on clean clothes I didn’t really remember picking out. My sunflower tote sat by the door.

The kitchen felt too quiet without Flan. He was still at Jason’s. I missed him. I told myself I’d pick him up today, but “today” kept getting pushed. I kept... not finding the time.

The toast burned a little. I scraped it with a butter knife and called it good enough. My coffee went cold while I stared at my phone screen again, staring at that picture he sent. Just my face.

I shut the screen off like that would shut him

off, too.

The shower helped, a little. I let it run too long, just standing there, forehead pressed to the tile, by the time I stepped out and pulled on fresh clothes, jeans, a pale yellow hoodie, sneakers, I felt... not better.

I was zipping up my bag when I heard rustling behind me.

Carlos.

He was squinting, sleep-drunk and shirtless, hair smashed on one side, blinking at me from where he leaned on the doorframe.

“You heading out?”

“Yeah,” I said quickly, “I was quiet, I didn’t wanna wake you.”

He yawned, rubbing a hand across his jaw. “You okay?”

I smiled, “Totally. Just running late.”

Carlos stepped into the light, stretching with a groan. His spine cracked as he rolled his shoulders and that’s when I saw it.

A purplish mark, blooming high on the left side of his chest.

And when he turned to grab his hoodie off the back of the couch, the morning light caught something else, thin, angry red crescents dragged down his back.

I froze mid-step, what? What was that?

I blinked, my mouth opened but no words came out at first. The air tasted weird. My heart did that stuttering thing where it tried to convince me I was just seeing things, that it wasn’t what it looked like.

“Carlos?” I asked softly, “What’s... what’s that on your chest?”

He looked down like he genuinely didn’t know what I was talking about. His hand brushed over the mark and winced just slightly.

“Oh. Shit. That,” he said with a little laugh, already shaking his head, “It’s nothing, Maddie. Some drunk guy on a call last night grabbed me, he was disoriented, didn’t want help. He kinda swung on me and then grabbed my shirt and left a mark.”

He tugged on his hoodie. “Was a mess. Got blood all over my uniform.”

My lips parted, “And your back?”

“Same shift,” he said smoothly. “We were transporting this overdose case, girl came out of it halfway through the ride, totally panicked, flailing. Screamed, scratched, tried to jump off the stretcher. It took two of us to hold her down,” he laughed again “You should see what she did to Mark’s arm. He’s got, like, Wolverine claw marks.”

I nodded slowly but my chest wasn’t suddenly too tight for air.

“That... that’s awful,” I murmured, “Are you okay?”

He stepped closer and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I’m fine, Maddie. Part of the job.”

I nodded again, but something in me... didn’t. My gut curled in a way it didn’t normally do around Carlos. Something about the way he didn’t meet my eyes when he said it.

But he was an EMT. That could happen, right?

People get hurt. Weird stuff happens on calls. I knew that. Carlos had shown up before with bruises, scratches, even a bite mark once. He told me some people panic when they’re being saved.

So why was my stomach in knots?

I knew why, it was because of that man who keeps texting me.

And then, the message from the night before flashed in my head.

You did nothing wrong. You just stopped being the only one who wasn’t. Carlos made sure of that long before tonight.

I swallowed hard, my grip tightening on the tote that was suddenly way too heavy. My brain scrambled, trying to file it away under “weird but harmless”

“Okay,” I said, barely above a whisper.

He kissed me again, this time on the cheek. “Text me later?”

I nodded one more time, forcing a tight-lipped smile.

Then I left.

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