Chapter 5: His Dark Obsession

Late that night, the massive master bedroom was quiet as a grave. 

Iliyana sat on the edge of the king-sized bed, clutching the soft blanket. Her ankle was tightly wrapped in a clean white bandage. 

Her life had changed so fast. Not long ago, she was just an ordinary girl working at a small café, living a quiet and simple life. And now, out of nowhere, she had been turned into the wife of the city's most dangerous mafia boss. It felt like a terrifying nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

Hot tears poured endlessly down her cheeks. 

Slowly, Iliyana pushed herself up from the bed. Limping on her uninjured foot, she walked over to the tall full-length mirror and stared at her reflection. 

She was still wearing the white wedding gown. 

For every young woman, a wedding day is supposed to be the happiest start of a new life. But staring at her reflection, all Iliyana felt was cold emptiness. Neither Adrin nor John cared about her heart. To both of them, she was nothing more than a prize to be bought or taken by force. 

Behind her, the bedroom door clicked open. 

John stepped inside. 

He had taken off his dark suit jacket, wearing only a black shirt with the top buttons undone. Seeing Iliyana standing by the mirror, John walked silently across the wooden floor. 

He came up right behind her, sliding his large arms around her waist from behind. 

He pulled her back against his hard chest, burying his face deep into the warm curve of her shoulder and neck. 

"Finally, honey," John whispered against her skin, letting out a heavy, satisfied breath. 

Hearing that word, something inside Iliyana snapped completely. 

All the fear, panic, and heartbreak she had been holding back exploded. 

With every ounce of strength left in her body, Iliyana shoved him backward as hard as she could. 

"Don't you dare touch me!" Iliyana screamed, her voice echoing off the walls. She stumbled back against the vanity table, shaking with raw hatred. "Stay away from me! I do not love you! Stay the hell away from me!"

John took a step back, stunned. 

In his entire life, not a single person had ever dared to lay a hand on him, let alone shove him like that. 

A dangerous, suffocating rage flared in John’s dark eyes. His jaw locked tight, and his large hands curled into tight, trembling fists. But he didn't attack. He just stood there, towering over her, his chest heaving as he fought with everything inside him to keep his violent temper in check. 

Iliyana couldn't stop. She broke down, crying hysterically as she pointed a trembling finger at him. 

"You destroyed my entire life!" she cried, gasping for air between her heavy sobs. "Why did you do this to me?! Why couldn't you just leave me alone?!"

John took a slow, heavy step toward her. 

"Stop!" Iliyana threw both her hands up, backing away until the wall stopped her. "I know what men like you are! You don't see women as human beings. You don't care about a woman's happiness or her feelings. You are full of filthy lust, and that's all you want from me! You just want my body!"

John froze in his tracks. 

"And once you get bored of me," Iliyana yelled through her tears, her voice raw and bitter, "you will throw me in the trash! Or maybe you'll just hand me over to your men and your friends so they can have fun with my body too! Isn't that right?! Because to you, I'm not a person. I am just a slave!"

The word slave hit John like a whip. 

Hearing her say that he would ever let another man touch her completely shattered his restraint. 

A terrifying darkness washed over John's face. 

Before Iliyana could take another breath, John crossed the distance between them in a flash. He slammed his body against hers, pinning her flat against the cold wall. 

He grabbed the back of her head and crashed his mouth against hers in a rough, bruising kiss. 

Iliyana gasped in shock, trying to push his rock-hard chest away with her hands. But John’s large hand came down, grabbing both her wrists in an unbreakable iron grip and pinning them firmly against his chest. 

She couldn't move. She couldn't fight. 

John kissed her with wild, breathless fury, completely overwhelming her. 

He dragged his lips away from her mouth, moving down her jaw and pressing harsh, open-mouthed kisses along the sensitive skin of her neck. Losing all control to his rage and desire, he sank his teeth into the soft side of her neck, biting down hard. 

A sharp cry of pain tore from Iliyana's throat. 

Hearing her cry, John stopped instantly. 

He pulled back, his heavy chest heaving against hers. His dark hair was messy, and his eyes were wild with raw intensity. 

Iliyana leaned against the wall, trembling violently, her chest rising and falling fast as she stared at the monster holding her. 

John leaned down until his lips were right beside her ear. When he spoke, his voice was a low, terrifying rasp that vibrated straight through her bones. 

"Don't you ever use that filthy word for yourself again," John warned, his breath burning against her ear. "Do you hear me? If you ever call yourself a slave again, the punishment will be far worse than this, Mrs. Iliyana John Alex."

His hand tightened around her wrists just enough to remind her of his absolute power. 

"And as for giving you to my friends to have fun?" John growled, his eyes burning with lethal possessiveness. "I will never let a single dirty eye look at you. If any man in this city even dares to look at you with lust, I will burn him alive with my own hands."

He leaned in closer, his dark eyes locking onto her wet, terrified gaze. 

"You are my wife," John whispered, his voice deadly serious. "That is your reality now, and you will accept it. I don't know anything about sweet love, Iliyana. But I am completely, violently obsessed with you. You are my dark obsession."

Without another word, John let go of her wrists. 

He turned on his heel and stormed toward the bedroom door. 

SLAM!

He slammed the heavy wooden door shut with so much force that the glass on the vanity table rattled. 

The loud crash made Iliyana flinch in terror. 

Her legs gave out under her. She slid down the wall and collapsed onto the cold wooden floor, curling into a ball in her ruined white gown. 

She buried her face in her knees, crying so hard her whole body shook. 

"Mom..." Iliyana sobbed into the dark, empty room, clutching the fabric over her broken heart. "Where are you, Mom? Why did you leave me all alone in this cruel world? Please come back... please just take me with you..."