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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Monster.
I always saw myself as one, but never a monster harboring a green heart. There were moments when I was younger when I envied those happy families. To be happy to see their father coming home from work. We were never happy. My father made sure of that.
But today, I'm being consumed by the venom. It's nasty and rooted deep into my skin like a tick. The monster sucks my blood dry, inhaling any fruit of happiness. It's only been a few days since I made the terms clear between us, but tonight might be my breaking point.
I can handle staying away from Isabela.
I can handle keeping a lid on my feelings for Isabela.
I can handle Isabela hating me.
And I thought I could handle Isabela going on a date, but I fucking can't. I thought boot camp was brutal— boot camp trained me for this very moment. It takes every living breath not to rearrange Jaxon's face whenever he wraps his arms around Isabela's waist.
She doesn't even brush it off.
No, she glares in my direction as if she's asking for approval, but ignores it anyway. She can't seriously like him. He has no sense of humor— all of his jokes failed to earn a chuckle from Isabela, and she laughs at anything.
That's how I know he has the personality of dry paint. I don't have much of a flirting game, but fuck, is Jaxon just embarrassing for the male species. He's the definition of why girls assume we think only with our dicks.
No matter how much I loathe this guy, Isabela eats it all up. I mean, she doesn't have a rude bone in her body. Even if this is a terrible date, she wouldn't admit it to him, but I think she likes it. He's going for quirky, and she's falling.
After blasting Isabela's cell phone for ten minutes straight, she finally called it a night with Jaxon. Hallelujah!
Isabela and Jaxon stroll out of the venue into the parking lot, holding each other's hands. Spite nips at my chest. I fucking hate him. To give myself a fucking break, I leave to take a quick piss before the thirty-minute drive back home.
On my adventure to the bathroom, I flip the camera on, watching the entire scene through Isabela's eyes. It might've been a little excessive, but I forced Isabela to wear a camera on her sunglasses and taped a microphone to her bra.
For security purposes.
It wouldn't be sharp of me to leave her unguarded while I'm in the restroom.
"Don't you find it a little awkward?" Jaxon asks, his face scrunch with a cringe.
Isabela hesitates. "I mean... yeah, but my parents trust him. They wouldn't let me go on this date without his supervision. It was the only way."
Sadness fills his face. "Would he get the same treatment? Would they be scared to let you date him? He's the one that hurt you— not me."
"He didn't hurt me." Isabela insists. "It's complicated. Just be happy. I'm here with you. I want to be here with you. I'm not interested in him."
