Strong-willed, badass and bounded by the chains of an arranged marriage, Isabela Arias dreams of the freedom to live and love as she chooses.
Being sold to the Italian mafia wasn't exactly on Isabela's to do list...
As she's forced to navigate the r...
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Regret pools in my stomach.
Two bracelets.
One internally damaged, and one physically damaged — the perfect metaphor for us. Isabela is the latter, physically damaged. Her spirits taught her better than to let her life fall apart after rejection. My fingers rub the muddy dirt across the golden shine of the moon. I'm tainting her light, dimming her when I'm supposed to brighten her up.
I'm internally fucked up.
Isabela's heartsick expression, and her last words, repeatedly play through my head. Being an asshole was the only way to get her to listen, but I didn't think my chest would ache like this. I thought I had more time with her. To enjoy the small bursts of joy she shared with me.
I wanted her to yell at me for treating her like garbage— to get all the anger out of her system on me. Hit me until my body aches like my soul does, but Isabela would never. She wouldn't hurt a fly even if it bit her.
A bright soul with not enough room to shine.
She made a friendship bracelet for me, and I shitted all over her parade. I wanted to punch the walls until my knuckles bled. Under different circumstances, maybe we could've found comfort in each other, but we weren't gifted that.
Thud!
My attention darts towards Isabela's window, slamming her glass shut and an item resting on the ground below. Curiosity gets the better of me as I leave the porch to inspect what she threw.
A pang pierces my chest.
It's Cuddles— my replacement for Button. Isabela's cuddle buddy. God, I never thought I would ever want to be an inanimate object until Cuddles-- at least before she met her demise. Her fur is damp from landing in a puddle, shifting her to a shade of brown. One ear is torn apart, leaving Cuddles incapacitated.
Maybe she could hurt a fly.
I understand.
But the aching feeling lingers like a ghost haunting my nightmares. I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of this. Scary thoughts float into my mind. Should I stay? Rafe can hook me up with another job that doesn't have me comprising my judgment at every turn. But I don't want to leave Isabela defenseless.
Who knows what Damien's pack will do to her without my supervision? I'm her only chance at any sense of freedom. I won't stop her from hanging out at clubs and drinking as long as I'm not what she's after. The depressing part is I want to be the guy she searches for. But it can't be. It took every bone in my body to treat her like garbage, and I won't be able to say no to her again.
I don't want her to see me as another Damien, but we can't always get what we want.
Sighing, I dump Cuddles into the garbage can. I don't think she will ever want her back, and I have no use for a teddy bear. My pillows are what I snuggle at night. Cuddles's neutral expression bores into my gaze as I trek away from it, unable to take my eyes off it. She's begging for another chance-- I don't think it's right to abandon her.
