All Chapters of Rafael: The Mafia's Substitute Wife: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

•ANEIRA•The door slammed shut behind Rafael, and I took a moment before letting the tears I was holding roll down my cheeks.I grabbed my phone with trembling hands and called Noleen. She was the only person I could trust, and who had my back like she was family.“Noleen,” I whispered when she answered.“Aneira? You sound—what happened?”“Tell my mother I will never forgive her,” I said, my voice breaking. “Do you hear me? She sold me to him. She put me in Narra’s dress, told me to answer to Narra’s name, and shoved me into Rafael’s hands like I was a piece of debt she could bargain with.”“Aneira…” Noleen’s voice was small.“Tell her she buried me with Narra. Tell her I don’t have a mother anymore.”“Aneira, she thought—”“No!” My voice cracked. “She didn’t think about me. She thought about saving herself and the family name. Saving the money. My mother gave me away to the man who murdered my father and Chris in front of me. I will never forgive her.”The line went quiet for a long

•ANEIRA•My alone time was shattered when Rafael stepped into the room, his tall frame filling the doorway, his presence thickening the air.“Aneira,” he spoke. “Freshen up. You have a guest waiting in the sitting room.”I turned my head and looked at him. “A guest?” My voice cracked slightly, surprise laced with suspicion. “Who would want to see me?”He strode closer, stopping only when his breath brushed my skin. “Does it matter?” He looked at me. “You will wash your face, change into something decent, and go down. I don’t like to repeat myself.”“And if I don’t?” I challenged him, though my voice came out softer than I intended.Rafael’s lips curved into a smile that wasn’t a smile at all. His hand reached out, cupping my chin with just enough pressure to remind me of the strength he held. “You will,” he said calmly, “because you know what happens when you disobey me.”I swallowed hard, pushing his hand away. “You think fear will keep me in line forever?”His eyes darkened. “Not fe

•ANEIRA• "Oh, Narra. I'm sure you were shocked when you saw me last night, weren't you?" Amari chuckled as she circled me in the sitting room. "It must come as a shock that the same man who chased me from his house because I laid my hand on you is the same man who kissed me in front of you and told me not to mind your presence." She laughed, and I could tell that she couldn't imagine greater joy than seeing me scrub the floors and attend to her every need while Rafael pampered her, despite his act of protecting me when she and Polly attacked me. The betrayal in his eyes when he told me she would spend the night felt like the cherry on top after everything he had done to me. I thought I had misjudged him until he murdered my father and Chris right in front of me. Then he brought her back and almost fucked her while I was in the room. I hated him. My skin crawled, and bile rose to my throat when I thought of the times I willingly gave my body to him, thinking it would soften hi

•ANEIRA• “Straighten the skirt perfectly, Narra. I don’t walk around with wrinkled clothes in the mall,” Amari instructed from the couch while I was ironing her clothes in Rafael’s bedroom. My stomach tightened every time I looked around the room, thinking of the time Rafael was slamming his body against mine and whispering my name in my ear. My face flushed, and I cleared my throat, trying to rid my mind of Rafael’s thoughts. He was the worst man I could’ve offered my body to. “Yes, ma’am,” I whispered as I straightened the skirt as best as I could. I was doing everything I could to survive until the next day. So long as Rafael spared me, Amari could order my release. “When you’re done, I want you to hand-wash my clothes. I don’t want the dryer to ruin the fabric. Okay?” She glanced at me before returning her gaze to her cellphone, tapping nonstop on the screen. I looked at her as she lay on her back on the couch and felt like slamming the iron into her face. Everything I could

•RAFAEL•“This is your gift, Father. Polly and I are grateful for being there for us when we lost our parents. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you and my late aunt.” I handed him the small gift box, and he took it with a smile on his face.Uncle Cyprus took us in with his late wife, Jenn, and raised us alongside their son and daughter. And he never discriminated against us.“Another gift after all the ones I’ve received?” He chuckled. “My son, you and your sister were a blessing in our lives.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and leaned close. “Can we talk in private?”I looked at Sophie, Polly, and Neville to give us a moment, and they nodded as they headed to the door and left us in the dining area.When it was finally just the two of us, he leaned back and sighed. “What are your plans with Ethan’s daughter? Polly told me everything that happened when you threw her out of the house because she gave this girl a beating. How could you make her think you can throw your own siste