I Saved the Mafia Boss—Now I'm His Obsession. novel Chapter 25

Madeleine

𓎢𓎠𑄻𑄾𓎠𓎡

“I think my boyfriend might be cheating on me...” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

They were not even meant for him, really, more like I was saying it out loud for the first time, just to hear how it sounded in the air.

Adriano didn’t say anything right away. His eyes just stayed locked on mine, it felt like he was seeing straight through the brave little smile I was trying to force back onto my face.

I laughed, “I mean... I could be wrong. Maybe he does have a lot of overly aggressive patients. Maybe they do bite and scratch and grab with enough strength to leave... marks.”

I swallowed, my throat tight. My fingers toyed with the edge of the tray. “And maybe I’m just crazy, right? Overthinking and being dramatic. That’s what people say when girls like me get like this. That you're too emotional, too sensitive, and... too stupid,” I admitted the last word in a low voice.

I waited for him to say something that would make all this hurt make sense but it didn’t make sense and nothing he could say that would fix my life.

“I used to believe him,” I said, “Every time. Every excuse because he wears a uniform and saves people and I thought... I don’t know, I thought good men don’t lie to the people who love them.”

That made Adriano’s brows draw together, this dark frown that carved a shadow across his whole face. It wasn’t directed at me, but it still made my stomach twist. There was something dangerous about how quickly that expression took over, how hard his jaw locked.

I looked away.

My voice wobbled as I added, “But then... a friend of mine said something...” I said in a low voice.

My voice dropped a notch. I didn’t tell Adriano that the ‘friend’ I was talking about was the same faceless nightmare who’d been texting me twisted threats, who claimed they cared while humiliating me, and threatened to ruin everything I love... and then signed off with a heart emoji like we were friends while warning me that Carlos wasn’t who I thought he was.

Knowing Adriano, he'd try to fix it and I don't want to drag someone innocent into my mess. Who knows how powerful and dangerous that anonymous texter might be. Adriano had a family, a baby in their home, I couldn't do that to him. He had too much to lose.

“My friend said that he might be doing something behind my back or something like that... At first, I brushed it off because you trust the person you love. You trust that if they say a scratch is from a patient, it’s from a patient. If they say the bite mark came from someone seizing in the back of the ambulance, you believe them but I don't know anymore. Now those marks don't seem so harmless, they look suspicious, like really, really suspicious.”

My voice started to crack, and I felt it, trembling just under my ribs.

“And I’m starting to wonder if I’ve just been loving him in the dark while he’s been out there getting bitten and clawed and marked up by someone else.”

I blinked fast, willing the sting in my eyes to back off, “Five years, Adriano,” I said, “Five years I gave that man. That’s half a decade. That’s birthdays and anniversaries and mornings making him coffee and washing his socks and buying his favorite cereal. That’s years of knowing how he takes his eggs and still getting nervous around his mom. That’s everything.”

My gaze flicked up to Adriano’s face again and suddenly I felt too seen.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly, shaking my head as my cheeks heated. “God, I didn’t mean to dump all that on you. You’re grieving, and I’m just... spiraling. Word-vomiting like a crazy person.”

I gave a weak smile, trying to stitch myself back together, “Ignore me. I’m just the emotional support intern today.”

He leaned back in his chair, muscles rippling beneath his dark shirt, a muscle in his jaw twitching.

His voice, when he finally spoke, came out so rough, “What do you want me to do?”

I blinked, “What?”

“If he’s cheating on you,” he said, “just say the word. I’ll handle it.”

There was nothing casual about the way he said it. I swear I forgot how to breathe.

My heart kicked up in my chest like it was trying to escape, and my skin felt hot but I blinked hard and forced a shaky laugh.

“No,” I said quickly, waving him off. “God, no. You don’t need to do anything. This is... I can handle it.”

He didn’t look convinced.

“Madeleine,” he said, “Don’t protect a man who wouldn’t blink twice before hurting you. Don’t carry it alone if he’s been screwing around while you’re at home worrying about his bruises.”

I swallowed thickly.

“I’m not,” I lied. “I’m not carrying anything. I just need time to think. To figure it out on my own.

He leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing. “You think he deserves that kind of grace? After five years, you think he earned your silence? Fuck him.”

“No,” I whispered. “But I still have my dignity.”

Something flickered in his expression as he clenched and unclenched his fist like he was holding something violent back.

“I need to know that I can handle my own life,” I added, “I need to be the one to walk away or the one who asks the questions. It has to come from me.”

“I could fix this for you,” he said, like it wasn’t even a question. He was just stating a fact, “You wouldn’t have to lift a finger. One word, and he’s gone... I mean, out of your life at least.”

He said it like he was offering to take out the trash. He looked like he'd already played it out in his head as if he already decided what Carlos deserved.

I smiled, “I’ll deal with it,” I said again, “But thank you. For asking and for listening to me when you were the one who needed someone.”

Adriano leaned forward just a little, and his hand twitched like he was fighting the urge to touch me, maybe to grab my wrist, or my face.

“At least, when you break up with him, make sure I’m there,” he said slowly, “I don’t want him thinking you’re alone. I don’t trust men like him when they realize they’re losing control.”

I stared at him, heart thudding, the soft glow of the lamp catching the sharp angles of his face.

“He’s never laid a hand on me,” I said quickly, defensively.

Adriano let out a humorless breath that might’ve been a laugh. “He already has. You’re just too kind to call it what it is.”

“I don’t want to make a scene,” I said, “I don’t want it to be messy. I just... I want it over.”

“Messy is inevitable when someone like him realizes they’ve lost something soft,” Adriano said coldly. “He’ll grab for whatever scraps of control he’s got left. That’s why I’ll be there. He so much as raises his voice at you... I’ll break his—”

I sucked in a breath, “Adriano... I don’t want you to get involved,” I said, but even I didn’t sound convinced.

“I’m already involved,” he said flatly. “You don’t get to cry in front of me, and expect me to do nothing about it.”

I swallowed, fingers curling around the hem of my sleeve, “What if he doesn’t do anything? What if he just leaves?”

“Then I watch him walk away,” Adriano replied, eyes narrowing, “and I make sure it’s the last time he ever circles back,” then, with a dark glint in his eye, he added, “I’m your friend, aren’t I, Sunshine?”

I exhaled shakily, a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. The thought of standing across from Carlos, of seeing that blank look on his face and pretending I didn’t want answers, terrified me. But the idea of Adriano standing behind me... silent, and simply having my back. That gave me the strength I didn’t know I had.

I smiled through the tears clinging to my lashes, “You’re my best friend, Mr. Capone.”

I stood up, even though my heart felt like it was folding in on itself. I turned away, gathering the half eaten steak and empty dishes and stacking them quietly onto the service cart, one by one.

I glanced back over my shoulder, just a peek. And his eyes were locked on my butt, only when he realized I was watching him, his eyes snapped up. He cleared his throat and turned abruptly toward the papers on his desk like they were suddenly fascinating.

I froze, dish in hand, blood rushing hot to my face.

Oh my God.

I turned quickly, heat blooming across my face, burning up to the tips of my ears. I could barely see straight as I shoved a plate onto the cart and immediately knocked over a fork. It clattered to the floor.

I crouched to grab it, and froze, realizing I’d just bent over in front of Adriano Capone. And this time, it was worse. I was practically presenting myself like a bakery display. Panic flared under my skin, and I shot up so fast I knocked my hip straight into the corner of the cart.

“Ow—” I hissed, wincing hard, eyes squeezing shut.

Then there was heat... his heat.

A large hand wrapped around my hipbone, before I could stumble. The pressure sent a shiver all the way up my spine.

“You okay?” Adriano said.

I nodded, except it didn’t really feel like a nod. It felt more like I short-circuited.

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