THE MAFIA KING BROKEN ROSE novel Chapter 66

Chapter 66

She sucked in a breath.

“I should punish you for it.”

Her throat bobbed.

But she didn’t look away.

“Haven’t you hurt me enough?”

I clenched my jaws so tightly as I stared at her.

I exhaled sharply, releasing her chin and stepping back before I did something reckless.

She blinked.

Like she hadn’t expected me to stop.

Like she didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to steady my rage.

Then, I pointed at the couch. “Sit.”

She hesitated.

“Now, Gattina.”

She did.

I took a slow breath.

Then, in a voice that was nothing but ice, I said-

“You ever pull that shit again, and I swear to God, you won’t like what happens next.”

She held my gaze.

But for the first time-

She didn’t argue.

She sat there on the bed, her arms crossed, her breathing uneven, her pulse fluttering at her throat. I could see it–the tension in her shoulders, the way she was trying to hold herself together.

But I wasn’t in the mood for her defiance.

Not tonight.

I had been patient. More patient than I should have been. I had let her push me, humiliate me, challenge me in a way no one else dared to.

And she knew it.

I took a slow step forward, the sound of my boots heavy against the floor. “You think I’m just going to let this go?”

Aria didn’t flinch. “I think you like hearing yourself talk.”

My jaw ticked. “You keep pushing me, Gattina.”

She rolled her eyes. “And what, Dominic? You’ll lock me up? Punish me?” She tilted her head. “Hurt me. Don it. Or what are you afraid?”

I stilled.

Afraid?

I wasn’t afraid of anything.

But the way my blood boiled when I saw her dancing in front of my men when I saw her move like she was free, like she wasn’t mine that had been something I wasn’t prepared for.

She knew it, too.

I grabbed her chin again, forcing her to meet my gaze. “You don’t feel remorseful at all.”

Aria’s POV

I rolled my eyes.

Successfully unlocked!

“Remorseful? Over what? You?” I asked, my voice unppiny with mockery. I didn’t care if he was upset. I didn’t care what he thought.

“Do you feel remorseful for hurting me? Spanking my ass until it was red? Or did you enjoy it like the sick freak that you are?” I spat, looking him right in those cold, emotionless eyes.

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Chapter 66

His jaw ticked.

Good. Let him feel something for once.

He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, suffocating–but I didn’t move back.

I refused to.

“Careful, Gattina,” he murmured, his voice dark, edged with warning. “You’re testing me.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Testing you? Oh, no, Dominic. I’m just reminding you that you only owe me in paper.”

His eyes darkened.

But I wasn’t finished.

“You can drag me back to this house. You can control what I wear, where I sleep, who I talk to,” I continued, my voice rising. “But you can’t control me. Can’t control my emotions and can’t control how I react. Know that and know peace.”

His hand shot out, gripping my chin, forcing my head up.

My heart skipped, but I held my ground.

“Do you really think I enjoy punishing you?”

I smirked. “Yes. Because you do. Don’t lie to yourself, you sick fuck.”

His grip tightened–but just for a second. Then, suddenly, he let go, stepping back, his eyes burning into mine.

I should have felt victorious.

I should have felt powerful.

Instead-

A wave of lightheadedness hit me.

My body swayed before I even realized what was happening.

Shit.

I blinked, my vision blurring slightly.

The adrenaline was coming down.

And that’s when I felt it.

The fatigue. The nausea. The deep ache that had been lurking under the surface, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Dominic noticed.

His eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”

I clenched my fists, forcing my body to stay upright. “Nothing.”

Lying. I was lying.

And he knew it.

He stepped forward again, slower this time, watching me carefully. “Aria.”

I tried to breathe through it, but my chest felt tight. My legs were weak.

I felt my knees buckle.

Dominic caught me before I could hit the ground.

His arms wrapped around me, firm and unyielding, holding me against his chest.

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, his voice suddenly different. Less anger. More… concern.

“You’re cold,” he said, his grip tightening.

I shivered against him.

I was cold.

Cold in a way that went beyond temperature.

Cold in a way that seeped into my bones.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force the dizziness away, but it was getting worse.

Everything felt distant, like I was floating outside of my own body.

I knew what this was.

I had ignored the signs.

The fatigue. The weight loss. The weakness.

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16:35 Thu, 1 May

Chapter 66

I had told myself I had time. That I could fight through it.

But my body was failing me.

Dominic shifted, adjusting his grip as he picked me up, carrying me like I weighed nothing.

His voice was sharper now. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat.

I couldn’t tell him.

I wouldn’t.

Because if I did-

If I admitted it-

It would make it real.

And I wasn’t ready for that.

His grip tightened. “Aria, talk to me.”

I pressed my forehead against his chest, my breathing uneven.

“I… just need a second,” I murmured, trying to ground myself.

“You’re lying,” he snapped.

I felt his frustration, his fear.

And for once, I didn’t enjoy it.

Because this time?

This wasn’t about control.

This wasn’t about power.

This was about me.

And the truth I had been running from.

The truth that I was getting worse.

That I was running out of time faster than I expected.

Dominic’s voice dropped, low and dangerous.

“If you don’t tell me what the fuck is going on-”

My vision blurred again, my fingers curling weakly against his shirt.

I hated this.