Mafia's Rebellious Bride: His Forbidden Obsession novel Chapter 21

A loud, painful scream echoed in the whole room. My eyes squeezed shut, and the gun slipped through my hands, hitting the ground with a clatter. The scent of gunpowder filled the air, burning my nostrils and making my stomach churn.

A loud thud made me slowly open my eyes and the first thing I saw was a pool of blood with a man lying in it.

My breath hitched in my throat.

The only difference was when I expected it to be Nikolai, it was Dimitri.

My breath came in sharp gasps, my heart pounded so violently it felt like it would burst out of my chest.

Dimitri was writhing on the floor, holding his shoulder from which blood oozed continuously. The knife lay beside him. His breaths were ragged and uneven.

I shot him.

Oh God. I shot him.

"You bastard!" Dimitri spat, "You’re a damn cheater!"

My chest heaved up and down. My hands shook at my sides.

"My survival instinct kicked in," Nikolai chuckled darkly. "I just made sure I wasn't the one bleeding out on the floor." He cocked his head. "It’s not my fault you got in the way."

He was smiling.

It was as if this was nothing more than a game.

As if Dimitri wasn’t sprawled on the ground, groaning in excruciating pain, his blood painting the floor.

Nikolai pushed off the wall and wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his palm.

And then he smiled.

It was slow. Sinister.

His dark eyes locked onto mine.

My breath hitched.

“You made the right choice, Dolcezza.”

His voice sent chills down my spine. I barely registered his words; my head was spinning.

Dimitri's eyes moved between me and Nikolai. His whole face was contoured with pure pain. His arm was smeared with blood. His shirt was torn from the shoulder. A wince passed his lips as he tried to shift.

He was in pain because of me!

"You chose me," he smirked. "This proves that you care for me."

No!

"He cheated, Alessia," Dimitri shouted from behind. "He has always cheated."

Dimitri coughed as it became difficult for him to speak due to unbearable pain.

"He cheated your father to steal the mafia throne," Dimitri hissed. "And today, he cheated you. He pulled me in front of that bullet to save himself!"

My knees felt weak. I was about to kill someone.

How could I do that?

My mom was always against my father’s profession but she couldn't do anything. She kept me away from all this and made my father promise that he would never involve me in violence. I even promised myself not to kill anyone.

How could I?

"Cheating is in his blood," Dimitri spat, his voice weak but sharp as a blade. "Don’t believe a damn word that comes out of his mouth, Alessia. Everything is a lie."

A tremor ran through me.

I looked at Nikolai. He was facing me. His jaw and fists were tightly clenched. His eyes were bloodshot red. It seemed like he was just keeping his control somehow.

Slowly, very slowly, Dimitri sat up. A painful groan escaped his mouth but that didn't stop him.

"And there is something I need to tell you, Alessia."

Nikolai's head immediately snapped at him. His eyes narrowed at the man in pain.

"Shut your mouth, Dimitri," Nikolai growled. "Enough of your nonsense."

Nikolai was losing his patience but this didn't had no effect on Dimitri. In fact, he smirked through the pain, his eyes flicking to me.

"I was going to tell you after I took you with me," he rasped, exhaling sharply. "But now, I think you deserve to know the truth."

What truth?

"You need to know what kind of monster he really is," Dimitri continued, his voice laced with bitterness. "What exactly did he do to you?"

My heart stuttered in my chest.

My father always told me what a monster he is but he usually avoided my questions regarding him.

"What?" I took a step back. "What did he do?"

For those few seconds of silence, I couldn't breathe.

"He not only killed your mother... but the mark that you see on your stomach..."

*Boom*

I flinched, my heart leaping to my throat as Dimitri let out a guttural cry of pain. Dimitri collapsed back on the ground, clutching his other arm where Nikolai had shot him.

"Shut up, you fuckard!" Nikolai roared, his eyes red and intense, fixed on Dimitri.

Dimitri cried out in pain, his body collapsing.