Bound To My Mafia Stepuncles novel Chapter 168

Aria – First Person POV

I’ve been avoiding them.

All three of them.

And not because I wanted to hurt them. Not because I didn’t care. But because I didn’t know how to look them in the eyes without crumbling.

Everything had been moving so fast. The attack. The interrogation. The Russian mafia. My father’s secrets. And now… the talk of moving me again. Of taking me away from Italy. From them. From the only people who made me feel like I mattered.

I didn’t know how to be around them without falling apart. So I stayed away.

I would wake up before they did and slip out into the gardens. I ate meals late or early–never at the same time as them. If I heard footsteps in the hallway, I ducked into a different room. If someone knocked, I stayed quiet.

I thought they’d get tired of trying.

But they didn’t.

Dante left small notes outside my door. Things like “Please eat today,” or “Let me know if you need anything.” Matteo tried once to catch me in the hallway, but I mumbled something like “headache” and kept walking. He didn’t stop me.

And Enzo…

He didn’t say much. But I could feel him.

Always watching. Always near. Always waiting.

Until today.

I was curled up on the library sofa, pretending to read some old mystery novel I hadn’t even looked at beyond the first page. My knees were tucked under me. My fingers were gripping the book too tightly.

I didn’t hear him until the door clicked shut.

I looked up.

Enzo.

He didn’t say anything right away. He just looked at me. Then he walked across the room and turned the lock behind him.

My heart jumped.

“Hi,” I said quietly, suddenly nervous.

He didn’t answer. He just stood there for a moment. His jaw was tight. His eyes didn’t have that usual softness. No gentle smile. No teasing calm.

This was different.

“You’ve been avoiding us,” he said. His voice was low and steady.

1/3

Chapter 168

“I haven’t been–” I started.

“Don’t lie,” he said, walking toward me now. “You’ve been slipping around this house like a ghost.”

I swallowed hard. My fingers curled tighter around the book.

“I didn’t mean-” I tried again.

“You’ve avoided Dante,” he continued, stopping right in front of me. “You’ve dodged Matteo. You’ve barely even looked at me.”

“I just needed space,” I whispered.

“Fine. But space comes with a price,” he said. “Because now I’m not talking to you as your boyfriend. I’m talking to you as your Dom.”

My breath caught in my throat.

That word. That shift.

I blinked up at him.

His eyes locked with mine. Not cruel. Not angry. Just… firm.

I didn’t know what was scarier–how serious he looked or how much I liked it. My stomach flipped, heat curling low in my belly, and it was so wrong because I was still mad, still confused, still hurting, but the way he looked at me made my heart pound like I’d just been caught doing something forbidden. There was no teasing in his voice now. No soft edges. This wasn’t the playful Enzo who made me laugh in the kitchen or whispered silly things in my ear to distract me when I couldn’t sleep. This was the Enzo who didn’t ask, he commanded. And the craziest part? I didn’t want to run from it. I wanted to listen. I wanted to give in. Even though my brain screamed at me to stay in control, my body reacted before I could think. My pulse raced, my breath hitched, and every inch of me tuned in to his presence like he had some kind of invisible pull over me. My hands trembled around the book, not because I was afraid–but because I wasn’t. I wanted to know what came next.

“Put the book down,” he said.

My hand hesitated. But I did it.

He leaned down slightly, reaching out. His fingers brushed under my chin, lifting it until I had no choice but to look at him.

“Speak when spoken to,” he said calmly.

That heat rushed through my chest and down to my stomach so fast it made me dizzy.

I didn’t know what to say. I felt caught between shame and something else. Something warm. Heavy. Real.

“You’ve been shutting us out,” he said. “And I let it go because I didn’t want to push you. But that stops now.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

“You did,” he said. “All three of us.”

I looked down, but he didn’t let me. His fingers tightened just slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to make me stay still.

“I don’t love one of you more than the others,” I whispered. “I love all of you. That’s why this is so hard.”

That softened his face. Just a little.

“I know,” he said. “And we’re not asking you to pick. But we are asking you to stop hiding.”

2/3

Chapter 168

He took a slow breath and then reached down, taking my hand. Ilis touch was warm. Solid.

“You’ve been running from the one place you’re safest,” he said. “With us.”

My chest felt too tight. I wanted to cry. Or kiss him. Or both.

“I was scared,” I admitted. “Not of you. Just… of how much I need you.”

His lips curved into the smallest smile. “Then don’t run anymore.”

He pulled me to my feet gently, then sat down on the couch and tugged me forward until I was sitting across his lap. My legs on either side of his thighs. My hands pressed to his chest.

“You’re going to listen to me now,” he said softly. “Understand?”

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