Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Mafia's Substitute Bride: Kabanata 181 - Kabanata 190

CHAPTER 181 – People Who Shouldn’t Be ThereAlecia quickly packed up, not caring if she did so properly. She just yanked a duffel bag from the closet, stuffed it with enough clothes to get her through a week, maybe two, and left before Marco could say one more thing to make her feel like she was insane for expecting basic respect from the people around her.It seems they all saw her as easy, nothing.She drove into the De Luca mansion and the sound freightened the working staff.Why was she back again? They all wondered.Alecia sighed, looking at the building. She’d always hated how quiet it got at night. The place echoed when she walked, like even the walls were bored. But for now, it was the only place she could go that didn’t feel like she was choking. Her father wasn’t around, thankfully. And she wasn’t stupid—she knew where he probably was. Bianca had returned to town, and if history had taught her anything, it was that men like her father didn’t age with dignity. They aged with

Maybe it was the distance or their relationship, whatever the fuck it was that made her brothers think this was a good time to visit was beyond her.How the fuck did they even know her place?Was it Valentina again?She'd take another delivery of orchids and fruits over this. Anytime, anyday."Well, looks like the right house!" the taller one grinned."Jeez! are you gonna stand there all day or are we allowed in?" the other one chimed in, already nudging past her into the house like he owned the place.“What the hell are you two doing here?” Camila asked, blinking like they were a mirage that had walked off a desert road.Rafael, the older one by three minutes, or two years threw himself on the couch without asking. “Nice welcome. We fly across the country and get attitude. What's for lunch? I'm hungry”“You didn’t even tell me you were coming! Forget that— how the fuck did you find this place?” she snapped, shutting the door behind them as Nico, the younger one with a mouth that neve

Alecia stirred slightly the next morning, her cheek pressed to the carpet, limbs heavy and unresponsive for a few seconds too long. Her body felt like it had been left behind after something violent—and it had. She blinked slowly, her lashes stuck together with dried mascara, her throat dry, and her ears still buzzing from the day before. She just wanted to cut it off, and she might, if her hands weren't cold and hurting so bad.The broken lamp sat a few feet away from her, it was as if someone kicked the shards away. The phone she'd hurled after hitting a million times, had really cracked open on impact, but she didn't care to check if it still worked. The room was a wreck—but what stood out most was the neatly folded blanket draped over her. It smelled faintly of laundry detergent, and it made her chest twist in a way she didn’t like. She pulled it off slowly and sat up with effort, her joints groaning in protest. Her hands stung as she moved—and when she looked down, there were thi

The gates creaked open as Olive drove through. Whatever had happened back at the house that morning, it couldn’t have been good. In all her time working in Bellavista Hills, she’d never seen her boss’s wife this angry.The woman looked like she could kill a horse with her bare hands. And maybe she actually would.She sat stiffly in the back seat, hands clenched over her bag, bloodshot eyes fixed on the window like she wanted to set the whole world on fire.Val bit the inside of her cheek. Every second in the passenger seat made her want to shove Olive out and take over the wheel. The driveway stretched longer than she remembered — or maybe resentment just did that to memory. It stretched and darkened everything until even places that once felt like home became impossible to recognize.The car came to a quiet stop near the entrance.Val didn’t wait for Olive to open the door. She stepped out herself and shut it with more force than she meant to.She took a breath. Straightened.If this

By the time they got home, the house was quiet—eerily quiet for a place that large. Rue didn’t come bounding around the corner barking like she usually did. Even the subtle noises and the usual faint whirs from cleaning machines were missing. It felt like the entire building was holding its breath.Lucas helped her out of the car and up the steps without saying much. She still had on the thin shoot dress, the jacket from earlier slung over her shoulders. Her eyes were glassy from crying but dry now, the heaviness of the day settling deeper into her chest with each step she took.Inside, he helped her out of the jacket and walked her straight upstairs.And without a word, he guided her into their bedroom, sat her at the edge of the bed, and walked into the bathroom. He turned on the tap and ran warm water into the sink.When he returned, he brought a soft dampened and warm cloth. He knelt before her and gently wiped off the makeup clinging to her face, rubbing a little to hard on the f