Mine Forever: A Dark Mafia Romance

Chapter 15 Sonia -Breathe

I can't believe it. He's going to let me go.

Technically I am his prisoner, but Dante seems to trust me enough to know that I'm not going anywhere. At least not yet.

Somehow he's drawn me in and made me want to stay with him. Even though I know I should be trying to get out of here, running away to the city, there is a deep part of me that wants to see where being with Dante could get me.

And so I leave his master bedroom and walk down the hall with elation in my heart. I haven't felt this way in so long. I suddenly believe that life is worth living, like I could be happy. This is such a different feeling than I'm used to. I don't want to die anymore. I see the light. I can see what happiness might feel like.

I can't wait to experience the sunshine on my face, literally and figuratively, and for the dark cloud that's been following me to be lifted.

Dante has shown me a deep, passionate side of life. He pulled things out of me last night that I didn't know I could have—dark, forbidden seduction and sensual pleasure. He made me come over and over, and he made my body react to his in an eruptive, excitable way.

This is so unlike me. With all the rules my family has put in place for me, I don't usually sleep with men, especially not when they've kidnapped me.

But Dante? He's changed all the rules. He makes me want to be a different person, the sexy vixen that I was last night.

I get to the end of the hallway, going down the giant staircase to find the kitchen. The house is not teeming with people. In fact, there's not a soul in sight. I don't even see Romano or Ludovica. But I imagine there are guards everywhere, even if out of sight, making sure that I don't go anywhere too far. And, I'm sure that Dante has the house secured with a top-of-the-line security system.

I grab an apple in the kitchen, make myself an espresso that I drink quickly, and try to find my way out of here. There has to be a backdoor, some way to get out onto the grounds.

Going down another long hallway off the kitchen, I see a door leading into what looks like a library. I can't help but go in. It's just so beautiful. There are stacks and stacks of books, all harbored within beautiful woodwork.

This place truly is gorgeous. Everything is done so magnificently, with intricate detailing on the shelves that lead up to a gold-embossed ceiling. Large windows overlook the fields beyond and the distant forest.

I walk around the room, envisioning how many days Dante has spent here looking out over the lush fields. What does he do? Does he read? Does he drink whiskey by the fireplace?

But then I notice his desk. It looks like his desk anyway as there are several computer monitors set up, and a bunch of paperwork is stacked on top of it. So this must be his office.

Imagining him in his element, conducting business, reminds me of how powerful he is and of the fact that he's running a mafia empire that rivals my father's.

I run my fingers across all his things, wondering how he spends his days. There are file folders and a framed picture of Dante with someone who looks a lot like him. It must be a relation. His brother? But then I stop in my tracks when I find a file with my name on it. I can't help but grow curious and open it. Once I do, what I see stops me in my tracks.

There are photos of us taken last night. He and I are sitting closely together at the table at la Déesse Ovale. I sweep my hands over the pictures, wondering who took these and why. There are photos of us shopping too. It looks like someone was following us, stalking our every move.

I take the pictures in my hands and flip through them, imagining what this could mean. That's when I see the note.

It reads...

I know you have my principessa. I want her back. You have three days.

x Leonio Gavino

My breath hitches in my throat as I realize the implication of what this means.

Daddy knows that I'm here; he knows that Dante has me.

Part of me feels relieved, but another part feels despair at knowing that my father will find me. I don't want to go home, back to my life as his princess. I was so unhappy there.

But as I look over the pictures, I realize what has happened. Dante's made it look like we're together. He knew that my father would have men following us, and he wanted it to seem like he and I were a couple, like I ran away to him. He used me.

The realization sinks in, and it makes me feel sick. How could he have done this to me? Everything I experienced with him last night was a lie.

He used me to get to my father. I should've known...

Dante doesn't care about me. He's not the man I thought he was. And I feel stupid for having gotten wrapped up in his game.

My skin feels heated with anger as the understanding sinks in that I've been played. I instantly feel like I have to get out of here, like I can't breathe.

Running out of the library and down the hallway, I know one thing—I need to escape. Dante is a monster. He's the devil. I never should've trusted him.

To my relief, I find a door that leads outside. I run out of it as fast as I can, not stopping to think of Dante and if he's told the guards that I can go.

I just need to run.

Once I break out into the cool morning mist, I feel a little more like I can breathe, like I won't break in two from the agony of the betrayal, but I don't stop running. I just keep going and going.

I have to get away from Dante.