Page 115 of Mafia King's Forbidden Obsession

This is it.

This is what happiness should feel like, I think to myself. The pasta on the stove continues to simmer, forgotten as I close my eyes and let the moment wash over me.

His phone suddenly vibrates, jarring our quiet peace. He draws back to pull out the device, his fingers flying over the screen as he types a response. I squint mischievously, folding my arms across my chest while he grins at the phone.

Gosh, I missed that smile.

“Really?” I mock playfully, pretending to sulk. “You’re checking your phone right after I tell you my bombshell news? What is it? Another woman making you smile?”

Ezra glances up at me and lets out a nervous laugh. Just then, the doorbell rings.

“Oh, that must be Harper,” I mutter, already heading for the door. “She always forgets her keys.”

He reaches for my hand, stopping me in my tracks. “So, there’s good news and bad news,” he starts, his voice steady but his gaze is locked on mine. “And I can't ask which you want first because... well, it’s a full package.” His words trail off, his eyes shifting toward the door.

“Alright..” My brow furrows, curiosity piqued as he gently pulls me toward it, leaving me both confused and intrigued to see what’s waiting on the other side.

He swings the door open, and standing there as calm as ever, is Elio. I blink in surprise, glancing between him and Ezra.

“Raven,” he greets. I can tell he’s holding back a smile, too.

“Elio? What’s going on…”

Elio moves out of the way and my throat goes dry. Behind him is a man. Someone I’d struggled to move on from many years ago…

It’s my father.

I feel a tightness grip my chest as the world turns into a blurry haze around me. His dark hair and brown eyes are unmistakable despite the wrinkles on his face. He’s alive, staring right at me,but the look in his eyes is filled with a mixture of pain and longing. He may be older and thinner, but it’s him.

“Raven, I found him.” Ezra’s voice breaks through the fog, bringing me back to the present. “After I learned he disappeared from your life, I needed to be sure he was alive so I could kill him myself for abandoning you,” he echoes behind me.

I turn to Ezra, my heart hammering in my chest. “So w- why’s he here then?” Tears stain my cheeks.

Ezra steps forward, his hand resting gently on my arm. “You should hear him out, Raven.”

I shake my head, the pain in my chest intensifying. “I don’t want to…”

“Please Raven…” My father’s voice trembles, a low plea hanging in the air. “I didn’t…” he sighs.

I look back at my father, who approaches me with slow, deliberate steps, his eyes brimming with tears. “I was in an accident years ago,” he says softly. “I lost my memory. The doctors said it was the grief that caused my amnesia,” his voice quivers with regret. “I’d picked up another name.”

My gaze meets the floor as the words sink in. That explains why he was never found.

He swallows hard, stopping just at the threshold. “For years I… I lived alone…and lonely in California,” he croaks, voice laced witha pain that gnaws at my heart. I don’t know if the pain I feel is because of how…distraught he looks or because of how alone I felt during those years without him.

He continues, “Bits of my memory started coming back three years ago. It comes as flashes in my head…sometimes as dreams every night. I used to see you…your face, but I remained in confusion of who you were until Ezra found me and showed me your picture.” My heart falters at the tears that stream his cheeks. “And then, gradually, the pieces started fitting into place. My daughter.”

My lips quiver at his words.My daughter. How I’ve longed to hear those words again.

I can’t begin to imagine the emptiness he must have felt all those years, searching for something he couldn’t fully grasp. And now, standing before me, I could see him battling with the guilt and regret. The reality is overwhelming for both of us.

I glance at Ezra, who shoots me a tiny, reassuring smile. Both he and Elio stand in their spots, not interfering.

A bubble lodges in my throat, making it hard to speak. “But why did you even leave me…why did you leave at all?”

He steps closer still, his gaze locked on mine. “The day of the accident, I hired a car and drove to California to get your mother’s favorite flowers in preparation for her death anniversary. I wanted to get them before you got back from the library, but... I never made it home.”

The tightness in my chest makes it hard for me to breathe. I’ve waited a long time to hear his voice, to feel his presence again.

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