Page 110 of Mafia King's Forbidden Obsession

But she shakes her head, her expression resolute yet filled with sadness. “I don’t want to be part of this world anymore. I want our child to have a chance at a normal life, Ezra. If it’s a choice between you and the mafia, I have to choose what’s best for the baby.”

The words cut deep, each one a dagger twisting in my chest. I understand her reasoning, but it doesn’t lessen the hurt. The thought of losing her feels unbearable.

I reach out, taking her hands in mine, feeling the softness of her skin against my rough palms. “I can’t imagine my life without you,” I admit, my voice thick with emotion. “I love you, Raven. I–I don’t want you to lea...”

“Ezra…” her voice breaks slightly as she shakes her head, and I see the pain in her eyes. “We need to think about this baby’s future.”

The silence that follows is suffocating. The last thing I want is to push her away. I want to beg her to stay, but I know the truth in her words.

I swallow hard, my voice barely a whisper, “If you need to go… I won’t stop you.” The words taste bitter, but I mean them. “ButI’ll always be here for you and our baby. I’ll do anything to keep you both safe.”

Tears well up in her eyes, and before they can fall, I wipe them away with my thumb, trying to hold myself together as best as I can.

“I’ll always love you, Ezra,” she says, with certainty, her voice trembling.

As the reality of her truly leaving sinks in, I pull her closer. Wrapping my arms around her, I bury my face in her hair, not wanting to let her go…

Not yet…

Not ever.

Chapter thirty-five

Raven

It’s been seven days— an entire week since I’ve woken up alone in my own bed. This morning, like every other day, I lay there for a moment. Rays of sunlight filter into the room through the partially drawn curtains, casting a soft glow on the flowery wallpaper.

Home. After everything, it feels strange to be here. But what feels even stranger is not getting up for work.

The thought alone makes me sit up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. Today, I’ll go back. I have to.

Taking a deep breath, I get out of bed, heading straight for the shower. The warm water cascades over me quickly, and soon, I’m slipping into a simple blue top that covers the slight swell of my stomach and a pair of well-fitted pants.

I stand in front of the mirror, my gaze drawn to the subtle curve beneath the loose fabric. I will myself to believe that I’m ready, but the nervous flutter in my stomach says otherwise. Harper’s questions flash through my mind, the interrogation she subjected me to the moment I returned.

It took some time but I eventually told her everything—how Ezra kidnapped me, and how I was enmeshed in the mafia’s life– except for this. My fingers trace over the bump, and I know I’ll share it when the time is right. A small smile slips onto my lips when I recall her reaction to the news.

She’d first freaked out that I was kidnapped by a don and had an affair with him before she pulled me into her embrace and restated how happy she was that I was back. She also told me how she had my back in case the don went loco and searched for me. Harper knows I love Ezra but, for the sake of our baby, I can’t bring myself to stay in his world.

My heart clenches at thoughts of him. It’s been seven days, and he hasn’t called or stopped by. Perhaps I overestimated myself and thought he’d pick me over the mafia.

With a loud sigh, I leave the bedroom, crossing the living room to the open kitchen, where the scent of fresh bread immediately greets me.

Harper stands by the counter, carefully wrapping a sandwich. She looks up and gives me a cheerful smile. “Good morning, Raven!” she sings, while handing me a plate with a sandwich. “I made you breakfast.”

“Thanks,” I reply, my voice a little shaky as I push away the pang of guilt in my chest, taking the plate and setting it down. Thankfully, a sandwich isn’t part of the food that nauseates me so it makes it a tad bit easier to hide my morning sickness from Harper, as it’s what we have most mornings.

I grab the sandwich and take a bite. “God, I’ve missed this,” I moan, as the sweetness of fresh bread hits the inside of my cheeks.

Harper winks at me, taking a bite of her own sandwich while packing up two more in parchment papers. “I see the workaholic is out again. Already going back to work? You sure you don’t want to rest a little longer?” Harper questions, lifting a brow at me.

I swallow and lick my lips. “I’ve had enough rest. Besides, I need to salvage my residency. I’ve been gone for months, Harper. They might not even want me back.” My brows furrow together in worry.

Harper scoffs. “I’ve told you time and again, all through your absence, your supervisor and everyone kept asking when you’d return from visiting your sick relative in Alaska.”

Of course, Harper has told me this many times, and honestly, I won’t put it past Ezra to have worked it, but that still doesn’t erase the fact that I’ve been absent for months, and without even notifying them in advance.

“You know, I won’t put it past your mafia boyfriend to have pulled strings. As a matter of fact, I am sure he did pull the strings cause there’s no way they would just accept any resident back from a sudden months-long absence!”

---