Semua Bab S.I.X: The Mafia's Kryptonite: Bab 31 - Bab 40

SixI left Arabella’s door without looking back. If I looked back, I’d stay. And I couldn’t afford that—not right now.I’d seen the way her eyes lit up when she opened the door. I saw the need in her eyes; I felt it in the way she gasped when I touched her.She couldn’t even meet my gaze, cheeks warm, fingers tugging at the edges of her robe. Cute. Dangerous.That damn robe. It barely covered anything, and it didn’t help that I had put to memory what she looked like underneath it.But I did what I came to do. Gave her the book. Told her to read it. Told her to come find me after.And then I walked away. I had to.I made it halfway down the hall when a figure stepped out from the corner. Federico.He was a tall, lanky man, wearing a black dress shirt and black pants. His hair was slicked back, making his face appear even broader.His eyes scanned me like I was something suspicious he’d found under his shoe.“Well, well,” he began, a wry smile on his face. “Who do we have here?”I stare

ArabellaI dabbed my eyes, blinking back the tears. “Oh, you’re so pathetic, Arabella,” I muttered under my breath. I fluffed the pillows on my bed for lack of anything better to do.My bedroom was tidied to perfection. I picked up a book from my bedside table and hopped into bed.I flicked through the pages, but I couldn’t bring myself to concentrate. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Actually, I do—I just don’t want to admit it.I slammed my book closed for the third time in ten minutes. It wasn’t even a real slam. Just enough for the pages to make a snapping sound.Katherine’s laugh still rang in my ears. Sweet, delicate, perfectly timed laughter. I’d heard it all morning—she was laughing at everything he said, like he was a comedian.I picked up the book again and stared at the same paragraph. Some nonsense about courage.I couldn’t focus because every time I tried, Katherine’s voice popped into my head, her touching his arm at every slight chance.I should have left. It was awkw

ArabellaI blanked out so I wouldn’t feel.Not his pressing weight on me, or the sharp pain I felt at my hilt. His fingernails dug into my waistline, and I lay there helplessly. I couldn’t move. I didn’t move.Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared into space.And then, just like that, it was over.He stood, breathing heavily, his eyes raking over my body like he’d conquered something. Like this proved something. Like I was something to be claimed.He turned to look at me, his expression unreadable now, like the fire had burned out. “You should be grateful,” he said. “I didn’t hurt you.”I blinked back the tears and averted my gaze. I couldn’t look at him. Couldn’t stand to see what I’d once trusted become a stranger.Then he turned and walked out.And I broke.I don’t know how long I lay there. It might’ve been minutes. Hours. Maybe longer.Eventually, I dragged myself up and locked the door behind him. My hands were shaking. My body didn’t feel like mine anymore. My voice was gone, l

ArabellaI didn’t know how long I had waited in my room, waiting for everything to quiet down, staring off into space, lost in my own thoughts—the same thought that had plagued my mind all day.I rose to my feet and quietly tiptoed to the door. It was well past midnight; surely no one was up, I thought to myself. I gently opened the door, careful not to make any noise.My bare feet made no sound as I slipped out of my room. I wrapped my arms around myself, bowed my head, and kept to the shadows. I didn’t want anyone to see me.Not Marco. I was sick of him—and especially not Six. I had spent the whole day trying to avoid him, with terrible attempts, but at least it had kept him away from me. I couldn’t face him, not feeling the way I did now.The kitchen was dim, lit only by the moonlight spilling through the tall windows. I reached for a glass and opened the tall fridge.Light flickered through as I grabbed a carton of milk and poured myself a glass, my hands trembling slightly as I b

SixI bumped into Francesco at the doorway as soon as I stepped into the mansion.He looked up at me with a smirk on his face. “Six, what a pleasant morning it is, isn’t it?”I could never engage Francesco in small talk, especially not today. I was going through it.The night before, I had just learned that Arabella had slept with Marco, and I still didn’t know how to process it. I had shelved it to another part of my head, but I still couldn’t sleep.I made to walk past him, but he stopped me. “Oh Six, aren’t you always the uptight one? You know we should get along. It looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time together. Don’t you think we can learn to tolerate each other at least?” He extended his hand towards me. “Truce?”I appeared to think about it for a few seconds, then shook my head. “No,” and brushed past him.“Marco has asked you to come up to him; he has something important to discuss with you.”I studied the amused expression on his face, wondering why he was all smiles. “