A Beautiful Mistake: A Mafia Romance

BEFORE YOU BEGIN, I WANT TO MENTION THAT THIS IS A DARK BOOK, WHICH MEANS IT HAS DARK THEMES THAT MIGHT BE A TRIGGER FOR SOME. IF YOU WISH TO KNOW THE TRIGGERS, SEND ME A DM ON MY IG: amal_a_usman; I WILL SEND THEM TO YOU. THANK YOU. *** I slowly open my eyes but immediately shut them as a sharp pain shoots through the back of my head. Gingerly, I touch the area, feeling a wound with dried blood. When I open my eyes again, terror grips me as I take in my surroundings. I'm in a cell. Again. I rack my brain, trying to remember how I ended up here. My heartbeat quickens as flashes of memory return - two men in my room, grabbing me. Another abduction. My thoughts immediately turn to Melina. She must be frantic by now. I whip my head towards the cell door as it squeaks open. My heart pounds against my ribcage as footsteps approach. I wrap my trembling arms around myself, pressing into the corner. A prayer whispers through my mind, hoping this time will be different. The footsteps stop, and a strong, intoxicating cologne fills the air. "Hello there," a deep voice says, thick with a Spanish accent. The scent of cigarettes and alcohol wafts over me. "Don't hide from me; show yourself.". I lift my head to look at the man standing before me. Relief washes over me as I don't recognize his face as one of the monsters who harmed me before. Their faces are forever imprinted in my brain, haunting my dreams. As I examine his features more closely, I'm struck by his appearance. His hair is as dark as a night sky with no stars, framing perfectly shaped, natural-looking brows. The man's long eyelashes fan his face as he blinks, his beautiful green eyes searching for me by the edge of the wall. His nose is straight and slightly pointed. My gaze is drawn to his lips, and I find myself wetting my own. They're pink and the ideal size. I come to my senses when I notice his lips are adorned with a cigarette. He takes a drag and blows the smoke in my direction. Despite the circumstances, I can't help but notice how handsome he is, which only adds to my confusion and fear. "I suggest that you step out on your own before I f*****g drag you out." His words send a cold shiver down my spine. He rises and moves away from me. He must be waiting for me to heed his warning. I learned from my previous experience that I should always obey men like him. I noticed they would be gentle with me if I did what they asked. So I slowly lift myself off the ground, my muscles protesting. I lean against the wall, gathering my strength to walk toward him. I worry about what he will do to me and hope I will be able to handle it. After taking a deep breath, I emerge from the shadows. His eyes widen when he sees me but quickly darken in anger. They explore every inch of my body. I'm not sure if he's disgusted or pleased by what he sees, but I soon find out. In the blink of an eye, the man pushes me against the wall. My dress does little to protect my skin as the man snarls in my face. "Who the f**k are you?" he snarls, his breath hot on my face as anger radiates from him. I look at him, confused. I believe it should be me if anyone should wonder about the other's identity. "Didn't I ask you a question?" he growls at me, his grip tightening around my neck. I lock eyes with him and gaze into his beautiful green eyes, which are blazing with rage. I find it saddening to see such lovely eyes filled with rage. "Franky," I rasp out, finding it a little difficult to speak properly with his hand around my neck. He isn't blocking my airflow, but having his hand there is still uncomfortable. "Why the f**k are you here instead of Melina?" he asks, and my eyes widen, realizing they weren't supposed to take me. Thank God they got me instead. Melina has suffered enough already. It's good that they made a mistake and kidnapped me. His grip around my neck starts to hurt. I realize he's waiting for me to answer his question. "I don't know," I say as he punches the wall, a hand span away from my head. My eyes close as he rips the wall open and yells 'f**k' into the room. When I don't smell his cologne, I slowly open my eyes. He throws his cigarette to the ground and extinguishes it with his feet. He looks at me for a good minute before walking toward the door. "Please don't harm my sister," I say, halting the man for a second before he continues walking to the door. "Please, I beg you, please don't harm her," I continue. "Why the f**k should I listen to you?" He stops walking and turns to face me. "I'll give you anything you want." "Anything I want," he laughs drily at my statement. "What the f**k can you offer me?" he asks, walking back toward me. "A lot of things," I speak with confidence even though I don't think there's anything I could genuinely offer to him. "Even your head on a silver plate won't get me shit." "I know that, but I have a lot I can offer you." "I'm listening." He fetches a cigarette from his pocket and lights it. He takes a long drag before fixing his attention back on me. I ruminate on what I can offer him that I know he will appreciate. My mind suddenly suggests something that causes me to freeze. I consider the implications of offering what just occurred to me, and as much as it breaks my heart to do so, I believe it's the only thing I know a man like him would accept in place of my sister's life. I believe it's even a small price to pay for my sister to live. I will do anything in my power to make sure Melina lives. "My body." My heart quickens, waiting for his response. "Your body," he draws out as his eyes roam every inch of it. "Yes." I might not be showing it, but I'm concerned he might not accept it. I hope he's a lust-driven man and accepts it. It's the only thing I can offer. "Strip," he commands. "You want me to take off my clothes?" I had heard him correctly, but I was hoping he would reconsider if he saw how unwilling I was. I hoped he would agree, but I was not ready to offer my body to him just yet. "I don't think I need to explain to you what the word 'Strip' means." "No, you don't." My hands tremble as I move them to my shoulders and slowly pull down my dress. I have been naked in front of a man before, but it doesn't help build my confidence now because that was before consensual s*x. I force my hands to the side of my body and draw them into a tight fist. "Take everything off," he says, and my heart sinks into my stomach. I remove my bra and panties with tears filling my eyes. I have never felt more degraded than I do right now. I look to the ceiling as his heated gaze ranks my body. "Turn around." My tears stream down my face as I slowly turn around. I can't believe this is what my life has become. "I'll think about it," he says finally after what seems like an eternity. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and quickly pick up my dress from the floor. As he walks toward the door to leave, I put it on, along with my underwear. I know he didn't fully agree, but it's something. I will make sure to convince him. I must do everything I can to save my sister's life, even if it means suffering on her behalf. I walk back to the edge of the wall and drop to the floor. I begin to think about how I will give my body to a gender I fear more than anything else in the world touching me. I don't think I can ever be with a man again after what happened during the first abduction. Thinking about sleeping with the unknown man brings back memories of the pain those horrible men inflicted on me. I wasn't a virgin when they raped me, but I can't remember what it's like to crave a man's touch. I mentally facepalm; I can't believe I still went ahead to offer my body to a handsome man whose name I don't even know. I don't know how I will do it, but I will figure out how to save Melina from dying.