Mine Forever: A Dark Mafia Romance

Chapter 17 Sonia -Formidable

I run, and I run, and I run. My legs can't carry me fast enough. I need to get away from Dante, and from all the evilness he represents.

Storm clouds begin to form overhead. The bright sunny morning has given way to a dark afternoon. I spent the day foraging around Dante's property, trying to find a way out, but there isn't one. His estate is as caged as any place I've ever seen. There are miles of fields surrounding his mansion, and after that, a thick forest provides a barrier that seems impenetrable. After hours of walking and running through the fields, I've finally met the woods.

I peer up at the large formidable trees, wondering if I should go in.

With these storm clouds overhead, the forest seems darker than usual, more forbidding. But there isn't any other option for me. The forest provides the only way out. It's either this or go back to the mansion.

I'm only wearing jeans and a light cashmere sweater, so the sudden chill that's overtaken the air penetrates me, making me feel uncomfortably cool. I put my arms around myself, trying to shake the chill out of my body, but it comes in nonetheless.

What am I doing here? Is this the right move?

But even as I think those thoughts, I know that it is. I can't stay with Dante. The man is a monster like I've always known. He took me away from my father, from the city, the only home I'd ever known. And while I was not completely happy there, at least it was relatively safe.

My father might be in the mafia, he might also be an evil man in his own way, but at least I knew what I was getting there. With Dante, I have no idea who he is or what he represents.

I can't believe that he staged things to make it look like we were together. Everything with him was a big ploy to get back at my father. I should've known. Again, I want to kick myself for being so stupid, for thinking that he could've liked me.

Looking up at the giant forested trees, I decide to go in. It's now or never. I have to walk through this to find a way off this property.

Dante must have extraordinary security measures in place, but even he can't see into this thicket of woods. It's too ominous and foreboding. It stretches on for miles. There's no way he can have men surrounding every inch of his property or cameras back here, in the thick terrain that is this woodland.

I take a step in, hearing leaves and sticks crack under my feet.

This is it.

Once I walk in, the rain begins to fall overhead. It doesn't hit me because the canopy of the trees is too thick. At least in here, I'll be safe from getting wet.

Instead of running, I decide to walk, needing the break. I haven't eaten anything besides the apple I took with me this morning, and now it's late afternoon. Wondering which direction I should go in, I decide to follow my intuition and go to the left, along the treeline. I imagine it's easy to get lost in here. I can't even see the sun to use for my direction as my guiding light.

So I start walking, hoping that I'll come up upon a road or a fence or something that will help me navigate where I am. As long as I find some way off this property, I'll be safe.

But as I walk, I start to wonder about him. Dante. How could I have been such a fool? I let myself become caught up in his charms. I let myself fall in love with my captor—such a stupid thing to do.

I think about his tall, dark demeanor, his dark eyes, and sculpted body. It was enough to let me forget myself and who I am. I allowed myself to be seduced by him.

I've been so lost in my life, so unhappy living in the penthouse in New York, almost being married to one of my father's wealthy friends, that I think I was ready to be swept off my feet. I was pining for it.

The problem is, I didn't see him coming.

Dante is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He's the devil in disguise.

I walk, and I walk, and as I do, the forest becomes darker and darker.

Eventually, I lose sight of the treeline altogether and am surrounded by just trees.

I can hear the rain falling more heavily now, and every once in a while, a drop or two will hit me, but mostly I'm kept dry under the thick cover of the woods.

The problem is that there's no road, no fence, nothing to mark time by.

How long have I been out here?

As it becomes increasingly dark, I have to wonder if I'll ever find my way out or make my escape. And it becomes apparent to me that I'm lost.

I wander through the trees with a feeling of dread and try to make some sense of where I am, but it feels like I'm walking in circles.

Have I been here before? I swear I recognize that bush.

As I become colder and more lost, it seems like more of a mistake to have left the warmth of Dante's house. I was angry at him, and I still am. But this was a stupid, reckless move.

Feeling utterly exhausted, I have a little rest by sitting down on a tuft of grass by a rock. Leaning my back against it, I take a moment to relax.

I'll find my way soon. I have to. I've chosen this path, and there's no going back now.