Unraveling Him | A mafia Story

Chapter 56 - The abused and the abuser

"They'll tell you how more often than not the abused become the abuser."

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Natalie's POV

FLASHBACK
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A couple of months ago...

"What are you doing here?" I shot out, my eyes widening as I instinctively retreated from the edge of Dad's bed to face him. Bewilderment etched across my features, incredulous at his reappearance into my life after what he made me do, "I did what you asked, I broke up with him, why are you here, what more do you want from me?!"

Amusement danced like spectral flames in his eyes, and he nonchalantly shook his head, "Oh sweetheart, but our work is nowhere near done yet."

"What do you mean?" A vice tightened around my chest, the memory of Nikolas's battered form haunting my thoughts like a malevolent ghost, "You've hurt him, you've beaten him up, I saw him... haven't—haven't everything you've done enough already?"

He pushed his hands into the depths of his coat pockets, advancing on me with a determined stance, a madman on a mission to annihilate the whole world. That's who he was — a man possessed by the desire to manipulate everything at his whim, to exert control over every soul within his grasp.

His eyes briefly darted to my father behind me before settling his penetrating gaze upon me. "No, it's not enough. I will not stop until he is left with nothing," he declared, the malevolence emanating from his eyes sending a bone-chilling ripple down my spine.

"Why?" I grated out, my hand on the side curling into a fist, a burning desire to hit him, punch him, rip him from the inside out. My eyebrow raised, "Did your father not love you enough that you are doing the same to him now," I added with a mocking scoff.

The corner of his lips pulled up, his eyebrow arching just slightly, "You really are as blunt as your mother once was," He said and I gritted my teeth, hating how he mentioned her, as if he knew her...he shouldn't, he shouldn't have known her, "But you see, it was cute when she did it because I loved her."

The comfortable smooth way that word slipped out of his mouth had a heavy rock settle at the pit of my stomach, "But you," He brought his hand to my face, "I am starting to not like you as much, considering your infatuation with my son," He attempted to move a strand of my hair behind my ear, but I pushed myself back and away from him, a gesture of defiance against his unsettling touch.

"What do you want from me?" I grated out, stressing out on each word.

"Straight to the point? Okay, as you want," He said, ever so casually, "It's simple actually, you will just do everything I ask you to do."

My eyebrows pulled closer, "What do you mean?" I mumbled, "I already broke up with him, what more could you possibly ask me to do?"

Oh, I had no clue to what extent he was willing to take this. No clue whatsoever.

"There is so much left to do," He said, a sick smile creeping up his face, "I think you and I are gonna have so much fun together," He added, his words dripping with a twisted delight, "I have much better plans, more twisted than you just breaking up with him. It all starts tonight, actually."

"Tonight?"Why is he always speaking in code? God, He is proudly owning up and embracing his villain title, isn't he?

"You see, as you and I speak now," He said before his gaze flickered down to his watch, "Nikolas, Alex, and their sweet mother are leaving the restaurant, and in three, two...one," A loud breath pushed out of his lungs, a relieved one, "I could almost feel it, a world without Leya," Both anger and annoyance flickered in his tone, mingling with the sudden relief that swept across his features, relaxing, "I've waited long enough for this day."