The Mafia Dons Pet (Masha and Luciano) novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26: When the sky darkens.

*Masha*

I took a deep breath, trying to push down the despair clawing at

my chest. I wasn’t ready to be anybody’s wife. I had dreams,

goals, things I wanted to achieve.

This was all so wrong.

“What about my studies?” I asked, the words slipping from my

lips before I could stop them.

I expected Glade to flinch, but he didn’t. His smile softened,

looking at me with patience. “You can finish your studies

before we leave,” he said. “There’s no rush. You’ll still become a

producer, Masha. Nothing has to change right away.”

I stared at him, his tone so understanding. I wanted to hate him

too, but I couldn’t bring myself to.

“We’ll visit Vancouver often,” he added, leaning forward

slightly. “And your mother can come see us whenever she

wants. I’ll make sure of it.”

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Chapter 26: When the sky darkens.

But it was a life I didn’t choose, a life I didn’t want. My eyes met

his, and I finally said the one thing I wanted to say. “I don’t even

know you.”

Glade smiled again, seemingly unfazed by my words. “You will,” he said simply. “Give it time, and you’ll understand me.”

I couldn’t help but notice how different he was from Luciano. Yes, they had similar physical attributes. But where Luciano’s voice was cold and commanding, Glade’s was warm.

Where Luciano was ruthless, Glade was kind, like someone who never raised their voice or acted without thought.

But that kindness didn’t spark anything in me–no excitement,

no attraction.

He reached out and took my hand gently. “All I ask is that you

respect me”

Respect, he didn’t ask for love. It sounded reasonable, even

possible.

But reasonable wasn’t enough. I wanted love, passion, not just respect. I just want to marry the man I want, whoever he may

1. be. That’s all I wanted.

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Chapter 26: When the sky darkens.

I opened my mouth to give Glade another reason why he

shouldn’t go through with this absurd arrangement, but I

caught sight of my mother.

Tears streaked her cheeks, crying softly at the sight of us.

My stomach twisted. I hated seeing her cry; it always made me

feel powerless.

Rising from my seat, I went to her side, brushing the tears from

her face with shaky hands. “Don’t cry, Mom,” I murmured,

voice breaking.

I too was holding back tears, but for very different reasons than

she was.

She clutched my hands, and I could see it in her eyes. She didn’t

look sad, on the contrary, she looked happy.

Glade had won her over, with just a few carefully chosen

words. Her faith in him made it seem pointless to fight this.

My shoulders slumped in defeat, and before I could step back, I

felt Glade’s arms around me.

The hug was gentle, but it suffocated me all the same. As his voice murmured reassurances, all I could think was how much

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Chapter 26: When the sky darkens.

I wanted karma to deal with Luciano.

Let him feel the betrayal he had so easily handed me.

Two days later, I was sitting in my film class, notes scattered

across my desk.

I’d thrown myself into studies, immersing myself so deeply that

the rest of the world didn’t matter. I had even completely

forgotten about Mike, failing to explain myself to him.

Mike, who had been sulking since I canceled our ‘date,‘ barely

acknowledged me now. Just as I’d expected, Mike had taken to

offering only curt responses, and passive–aggressive

statements.

It was a mess I couldn’t deal with. I was too busy fencing off

‘wedding preparations.‘

Everyday, like clockwork, my phone buzzed with pictures of

dresses, flowers, cakes, courtesy of my mother and Emma.

It was exhausting, to say the least.

I was supposed to go try on wedding dresses this afternoon. An

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Chapter 26: When the sky darkens.

occasion that would make any normal girl giddy with

excitement made my stomach churn.

I was terrified beyond belief, and I still couldn’t believe this was

real.

But deep down, I had already made my decision. No one was going to force me to say “I do” on the wedding. Not Jimson. Not my mother. Not Glade, and definitely not Luciano.

My life was my own, and I was determined to take it back, no

matter what.

Despite everything, I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

Glade didn’t deserve to be hurt. He was a good person, and he didn’t need to be dragged into this chaos. But I had to do this for

myself.

However, there was one thing I didn’t feel guilty about.

Wishing Luciano would rot in hell. He deserved that, and more.

Every time I thought of him, anger flared in my chest. It was

hot and unrelenting.

“You okay?”

10:12 pm P

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Chapter 26: When the sky darkens.

I blinked, pulling myself out of the pure rage I was feeling and

turned to see Melina leaning close to me, her brows knitting

together. “You look like you’re ready to murder someone.”

If only, I wanted to say. But I shrugged, trying to sound

nonchalant. “Family stuff.”

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Mike staring at me,

opening his mouth as if he had something to say.

Without waiting for them to dig further, I grabbed my

backpack and headed out. The classroom felt suffocating and I

desperately needed air.

I rushed outside, only to find a girl with striking red hair

leaning toward Matt, laughing at something he said.

As if he sensed my presence, he glanced up, and when he saw

me, his expression turned serious. The girl pouted as Matt began to move toward me, but he didn’t stop.

He strode over, grabbed my bag without a word and followed

1. me.

Tyler, Hunter and Rowan followed behind, while Matt stayed close. Ever since that day in the car, seeing me so distressed,

Matt had been… kind to me.

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Chapter 26: When the sky darkens.

It was quite an adjustment, since we’d never really interacted,

but I didn’t mind it. Tyler on the other hand, never missed an

opportunity to mock me.

We walked in silence for a moment before Matt broke it. “You

know,” he began cautiously. “Glade’s a good guy. He’ll treat you

right.”

I glanced at him, searching his face for a trace of judgment, but

there was none. Just quiet observation.

“You’d like to marry the man you love?” he asked suddenly,

catching me off guard.

I sighed, my breath heavy with frustration. It was much more

than that. “I just wish this was my choice.”

Matt nodded as though he understood, but I wasn’t so sure. “Why did you join the Mafia, Matt?” I asked, shifting the focus

away from myself.

He smirked, but there was no humor in it. “I was born into it,” he offered simply, as if that explained everything.

“But didn’t you have dreams?” I pressed, asking about him, but

it felt like I was speaking to myself.

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