Page 23 of Forced Innocent Bride By the Bratva

I’d be here, waiting patiently for the day she’d break, the day she’d lose this fight. Things seemed to be getting even more interesting by the day, and I could feel my anticipation growing with each passing minute.

Chapter 14 – Scarlett

Daniel was on to me. He was starting to suspect the way I looked at him, and I hated how speechless I’d been when he confronted me about it. Damn it!

I should have denied it. I should have told him that he was wrong and just said something to defend myself. However, his words had caught me off guard, and my brain immediately abandoned me in my time of need.

Hearing him make such a bold claim about how he’d spotted me staring at him multiple times was both disturbing and embarrassing. It was a fact that I’d yet to come to terms with. My guilt wouldn’t let me. I couldn’t even bring myself to think about the possibility swirling in my head because I’d die of shame if I faced the truth.

These days, I’d become so aware of Daniel Tarasov—his regular routines, his every move, his every glance—and I hated it. It would have been a different case if all of these were a part of my scheme to study him, to find a weakness and escape. They were at first, anyway, but lately, I found myself being drawn to Daniel’s darkness.

It was almost like I couldn’t stop myself from being super conscious of his presence. The scent of his cologne that I once hated was now a fragrance to my nostrils; his smirk was still annoying but not as it was a few weeks ago. This was a fucking problem.

Daniel was gradually sneaking his way into my head, invading my thoughts and clouding my judgment. His constant presence was a distraction that I did not need at the moment. The most annoying part of all of this was that I couldn’t stop myself from finding him…attractive.

God, no!

This wasn’t the plan. I shouldn’t be feeling this way about my captor, yet the more I tried to stop myself, the more impossible it became. I couldn’t explain how I moved from plotting his demise and my escape to entertaining the thoughts of his looks.

I’d seen him shirtless more than a few times before, considering we shared the same bed, but never had his masculinity caught my attention. Until now. It was almost as though a veil had been taken off my eyes, and I could see him for the ridiculously attractive man that he was.

The slightest chance I got to feast my eyes with his pleasing physique, I would jump on it—discreetly, of course. This was both wrong and creepy, especially because I was supposed to hate him.

What the hell had Daniel Tarasov done to me? Why couldn’t I focus on my mission anymore?

I was distracted almost every time he was around, and he was mostly around, teasing me. This was an unspoken game, one that I could tell I was already losing. But I wasn’t the only one guilty of staring at the other; Daniel was guilty of that, too.

He still hadn’t touched me yet—well, not more than necessary, but when hedidfeel a part of my body, his touch would linger, causing me to tremble. His hand brushing against my skin, his breath in my face, and his fingers in my hair were all subtle gestures that stirred up a strange emotion within me.

I didn’t have a name for what I felt, for what he made me feel, but one thing was certain: It was wrong. It wasverywrong. And the worst part was that my body was now starting to betray me in ways I never thought possible.

One night, I sat perched on a stool, elbows resting on the windowsill as I gazed out into that night. The city, a concrete landscape, stretched out before me like a canvas of twinkling stars, the towering buildings piercing the darkness like shards of glass.

A gentle breeze brushed against my skin as I listened to the distant wail of sirens echoing through the night. Across the horizon, the city lights danced, vibrant colors casting a mesmerizing glow over the darkened street.

The view before me was a bittersweet reminder of the freedom that I longed for, and the city’s twinkling lights seemed to whisper promises of escape. However, as my gaze swept across the horizon, I was acutely aware of the gilded cage that held me captive.

I sat there, alone, lost in thoughts, my mind filled with imaginations of the life I would have had if I’d married Liam Callahan. He should be recovering by now. The man would be worried sick about me, wondering what this monster Daniel must be doing to me.

Tonight, thoughts of Ireland, Liam, and my father occupied my mind. I couldn’t help imagining what could’ve been—being married to the man of my dreams, being loved and adored by someone who genuinely loved me. In reality, I was living the exact opposite of the life I dreamed of, the life that I always wanted.

The sound of approaching footsteps, slow and calculated, snapped me out of my thoughts, but I didn’t look behind me. I didn’t need to. I already knew who it was. By now, I was familiar with Daniel’s cologne and the way he walked. It was impossible not to be, anyway.

He halted at my back, his height towering over me. “Still thinking about your old life?” he asked, tone soft and gentle.

For some reason, his voice was devoid of sarcasm or any form of sass.

“You miss who you used to be,” he continued, still behind me. “And also fantasize about who couldn’t have been.”

Where was the lie? He’d successfully read me like a fucking book. I should be pissed at how he could see right through me like a house made of glass. But on the contrary, I wasn’t. Nor was I disturbed by his presence.

“Would you blame me?” I asked, my voice low and even. “Thinking about my past and imagining the future that you robbed me of is the only thing keeping me from losing my mind.” I released a soft sigh, my chest rising and falling with slow breaths.

“The past is in the past,” he said, his tone mild and casual.

My brows knitted together, accenting the faint scowl on my face. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who’s being held against their will.” I paused for a moment. “At least back then, I knew who I was…what I wanted,” I added, my voice dropping to almost a whisper.

I felt his hands on my shoulders, fingers digging into my flesh in a massaging motion that I found rather relaxing. My muscles began to unwind, the tension melting away under his skilled touch. The sensation was super calming and unsettling at the same time, and my body betrayed me by responding to his gentle ministrations.

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