THE SUBSTITUTE BRIDE FOR THE MAFIA DON

Amelia’s POV I sat frozen, staring at the two messages glowing on my screen. “You will regret this, Melly .” That was from Maxwell. “Stop disturbing me with your calls. Enjoy your hellish marriage, dummy.” That was from my sister. I let out a bitter laugh. Yes, I was a dummy. She wasn’t wrong. My entire life had turned into one big, pathetic joke. The clothes on my back weren’t even mine. They were Cynthia’s, the ones she claimed she didn’t like anymore. I had thought I was being considerate by accepting them, trying not to waste Father’s money. But now I realized the truth. I wasn’t considerate. I was just a fool. I chuckled at my own stupidity, the sound hollow in my chest. Dragging myself to the wardrobe, I pulled it open. Lying there was the wedding dress. White, elegant, shimmering under the light. The kind of dress any girl would dream of wearing. But not me. To me, it looked like rags. If it had been Maxwell waiting for me at the altar, maybe it would have been the most

“You are wasting time, Cynthia,” he said. Thank God he didn’t see through our lies. But how could I strip before a stranger, a stranger whose eyes held no warmth, no tenderness, only coldness? I glanced at him again and froze. The deadly look on his face made me tremble. With shaky fingers, I reached for my zip and slowly pulled it down, his gaze fixed on me like a predator eyeing its prey. The dress slid off my shoulders, pooling at my feet. I stood there in nothing but my bra and panties, shame burning through me. Taking a deep breath, I unhooked my bra, baring my breasts. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, but his expression remained unreadable. Finally, I slid down my panties until I stood completely naked before him. A stranger oh my God. This was something I had never allowed Maxwell, the man I once thought I loved. All he had ever stolen from me was a kiss. And now here I was, stripped bare, wondering if this was how I would lose my precious virginity. “Climb on the bed,”

Amelia’s POV He didn’t even ask me if I wanted to work, he just announced it like a royal decree. The audacity. I grumbled inwardly, but the sound of clapping and cheering dragged me back to the present. “Welcome, ma!” voices rang from different corners of the room. I forced a polite smile, nodding here and there like I wasn’t screaming inside. “Come with me, wife,” he said firmly. I trailed after him, sheepishly matching his pace. My gaze, however, snagged on a girl standing off to the side. She was dressed like she’d raided the closet of a desperate nightclub performer, and her eyes, sharp and hostile, burned into me as though I had snatched something precious from her. Who the hell is she, and why is she glaring like I stole her last breath? I stuck my tongue out at her like a brat, then quickly picked up my pace to catch up with my husband. Yes…husband. Since we’re married, I might as well keep calling him that, even if the word still feels foreign on my lips. H

Justin’s POV“Take this trash out of my sight,” I ordered, my voice cold and sharp. The look on her face was priceless, and it took everything in me not to burst out laughing.I had sat there and let her tend to my wound, and for the life of me, I don’t even know why. I wasn’t supposed to let her touch me. I was supposed to be breaking her, showing her what real pain feels like. Yet, for some reason, I held back.Maybe it’s those silver-colored eyes of hers. Every time they lock on mine, I want to throw her on the bed and make her scream my name until her voice breaks. But then I remember, the lies. The betrayal. She and her parents deceived me, and for that, they’ll pay. I just haven’t decided how… yet.The way she cleaned and wrapped my injury was flawless, like a trained health practitioner, quick and precise, almost tender. But that doesn’t matter. If she thinks caring for me will earn her a place in my heart, she’s mistaken. She’ll learn the hard way that I don’t do love.The sud

Justin’s POVI snatched my jacket and stormed out of the room, my chest tightening with every second wasted. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I gunned the engine and tore down the road.It’s not like I care about her. No, I don’t. But she’s mine. Only I have the right to break her. Only I can decide how much pain she should feel.The mansion loomed ahead, but when I pulled up, silence swallowed me whole. Too silent. My stomach knotted.I slammed the car door and charged inside, my voice echoing against the marble walls.“Cynthia!”No reply.“Cynthia!” Louder this time, my throat burning. Panic clawed at me as I bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time.Then, relief hit me like a blade pulled back from my throat. She appeared at the landing, walking groggily, her hair mussed, her expression annoyed.“Why are you yelling my name like that?” she muttered, frowning at me.I didn’t answer, Instead, I brushed past her and searched the rooms, my pulse refusing to slow down.For the fi