Page 57 of Forced Bratva Bride

In fact, I realized I shouldn’t even be there. I wanted Gio to have his right to privacy, and if he knew I had heard every word spoken and that I stayed until the very end of this drawn-out argument, he would be overwhelmed with guilt because of what I overheard.

To give them privacy, I settled on an impulsive plan. My presence would only make things worse, or so I told myself as I retreated from the living room. The best thing I could do for them would be to give them space.

Would it be so wrong if I took this opportunity to step out? Perhaps to hit the stores?

By now, I had started to feel more like a guest and less like a prisoner in Gio’s home. The line blurred more each day, and I convinced myself thatyes, I could get out of the house for a while and let the brothers sort out their mess.

In the hallway, something caught my eye—two phones lying on the mantelpiece. Gio must have left them in his haste to meet Caspian. I knew he always carried an extra, and without giving myself time to reconsider, I swiped the black one and slipped it into my handbag. Just in case, I told myself. Just so I could call him if needed.

I made my way to the side door, the one the housekeepers used for smoke breaks. The guard who usually stood there was missing. The mid-afternoon sun was so hot that I figured he’d snuck out for a little rest in the shade. Their distraction was my opportunity. I slipped out, my heart beating frantically against my ribs.

I walked without looking back, right out of the mansion, down the tree-lined avenue. Gio’s house disappeared in the background and it was then that I realized that this was the first time in a long, long time that I was out alone in the world. Only when I reached the main road did I allow myself to celebrate that fact. I waited for a taxi with utter excitement, and I directed the driver to the nearest shopping center. I pulled out some cash from my purse, saved from the money Gio occasionally gave me for ordering things I might need around the house.

At the mall, I tried on dresses I couldn't afford, sprayed perfume on my wrists, and bought a warm coffee. All the while, my mind raced with possibilities. I could keep walking, find a bus station, disappear. The thought should have filled me with desperate hope, but instead, a hollow ache spread through my chest.

Two months ago, I would have run without looking back. Now, the thought of never seeing Gio again made my throat tighten painfully. It wasn't Stockholm syndrome—I wasn't that far gone. But something had changed between us. We both wanted to prove something different to one another, yet somehow, had become a team.

I sat on a bench near the fountain, watching couples pass by. And the whole entire time, I had a soft smile playing on my lips as all the memories from last night rushed by. No. I didn’t want to run. I could. But I didn’t.

It was confusing, this revelation. For a moment, I felt guilty all over again. My brothers must be worried sick. But now I knew there was another way. I could go back and in time, convince Gio to tell my brothers I was alright. I could convince him to work with me and ask for my brothers to prove their innocence or guilt. He’d work with me on this, I knew, if I returned.

WhenI returned.

Just then, I was brought back to the present when I saw a hulk of a man in an Italian suit walk by.

A familiar Italian suit.

That's when I saw him—Dom, my bodyguard.

My blood turned to ice. What the hell was he doing here? Did he see me? What if he called my brothers and they took me back right here and now? Panic surged through my chest at the thought of disappearing from Gio’s life without a word. He’d think I betrayed him, and I couldn’t bear the thought.

My brothers would bring hell on him when they discovered he took me, and that thought alone was enough to make me jump to my feet and rush after Dom.

I had to check he wasn’t making any calls. I had to make sure he didn’t misunderstand and cause Gio trouble.

But as I followed an unsuspecting Dom, I realized he hadn’t seen me. I could walk out of here.

Yet, as I was about to do so, I felt an instinctive tug to hold that thought. This was an opportunity in disguise to finally find peace for Gio.

Dom was close to my brothers, almost in on everything. I knew from experience that I couldn’t exactly ask my brothers the truth about their involvement in bombing Gio’s operation. They’d tell me it was none of my business, and if they even got a hint that Gio and I had gotten…involved, they’d lock me in a room and throw away the key.

But Dom. Dom was different. He’d always had a soft spot for me. If I could use Dom to gauge the truth about my brothers’ involvement, or lack thereof, in the attack on the operation without being forced back home, then Gio and I could put this matter to rest.

I moved through the crowd carefully, making sure I stayed within sight of security cameras and large groups of shoppers. Safety in numbers. Dom couldn’t exactly throw me over his shoulder while I screamed and carry me back home without alerting security. In this crowded space, I felt a sense of peace knowing he couldn’t force me out of here.

I could go back to Gio.

When I was close enough, I deliberately bumped into a teenage girl, loudly apologizing for my clumsiness as she spilled her bubble tea all over herself and shouted expletives. The commotion caught Dom's attention. Our eyes met across the sea of people.

His face registered shock, then something I couldn't quite read. Relief? Guilt? He pushed through the crowd toward me, and I led him on a short chase, just enough to reach the food court—crowded enough for safety, loud enough for privacy.

“Larissa,” he gasped, catching up to me and grabbing me by the arm, forcing me to turn and face him. “Where the hell have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you.”

I allowed confusion to wash over my features. “I’m fine, Dom. What are you doing here?”

Dom glanced around nervously. “Not here. We need to get you out of here. Your brothers—”

“My brothers sent you to find me?” I interrupted, trying to confuse him because I didn’t want to tell him Gio had kidnapped me. I couldn’t, without causing repercussions for him.

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