Russian Bastard | A Mafia Novel ✧

Chapter 12

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Chapter 12

Tatiana

"You're engaged," she stated dumbfoundedly after a few moments.

Zeke ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Look, let me explain—"

"Don't." She cut him off, scrambling away from him as fast as she could, wrapping a sheet around her nakedness.

"Tatiana—"

"I understand perfectly." She cut him off once again in a detached voice. "You are engaged to a woman, to be married, bound together until death," she recited, her impassive expression hiding the storm of sadness, hurt, but most of all the white-hot, utter rage brewing within her. Divorce wasn't an option when you were in the mafia world. Marriage was a big deal to them, a symbol of a binding alliance. They took the 'Till death do us part.' in the vows seriously.

But mafia politics and marriage semantics took the least amount of attention in her mind. He cheated. And he made her the other woman.

Bile rose in the back of her throat as he tried to explain himself. "I only recently found out that it was a confirmed arrangement." Now, he ran both his hands through his hair, distressed. "Mon ange, it's not what you think—"

"You know, you should really check to see if you're currently engaged before leading some girl on, stringing her along with no consideration of her feelings, and fucking her." Her voice whipped like lightning, making him flinch slightly. It was the least he could do to actually appear shameful for what he'd done, though it alleviated nothing on her end. Her skin crawled at the thought of what they'd just done, at the thought of what leaked between her legs until now.

After a few moments of calming herself down, she smoothed her face into impassiveness. "I'm leaving," she said, shoving the sheet off her and quickly getting dressed. She hissed in pain when she accidentally nudged the bandage against her skin.

"What is it?" Zeke's voice questioned immediately, grabbing her to inspect what happened. She knocked his hand away. "Don't touch me," she said so viciously that he stepped back as if she burned him.

Tatiana quickly tied the ends of her wrap dress and ran her fingers through her hair. He didn't look at her—just as she didn't look at him—staring at the wall behind her as she passed him and left, slamming the door behind her.

He didn't try to stop her.

***

Zeke

He slid down the side of the bed, leaning against it, bone-weary at what just happened. He heard two people conversing—Tatiana and his brother, Francesco—through the door to his bedroom before the other's footsteps receded into the hallway. A few moments later, someone knocked on his door and Francesco walked in. He looked to where Zeke was sitting, shrugging and coming to sit next to him on the floor but not before tossing him a sheet to cover himself.

"So, what happened?" he asked casually, leaning back against the frame.

Zeke sighed. "We fucked, I told her I was engaged, then she stormed out."

Francesco stared at him for a few moments. "You told a girl that you just screwed that you were engaged to another woman," he deadpanned before busting out laughing. "You're not the smartest tool in the shed, little Zeke," he said, ruffling his hair slightly. Zeke only rolled his eyes at him, shrugging off his hand.