Bound by Obsession

chapter16 :Shadows of the Past

** chapter16 : Shadows of the Past**

Isabella and Alexei stood together at the edge of the dimly lit park, waiting for Tristan to arrive. The tension between them was palpable, each aware that the confrontation ahead could change everything.**

When Tristan finally appeared, his eyes locked onto their intertwined hands. His jaw tightened, and without a word, he stormed towards them, grabbing Isabella roughly by the arm.

"Tristan," she hissed, trying to pull free, "you said you wanted to talk. What’s this about?"

"We’ll talk at home," he growled, glaring at Alexei. "Let’s go."

As they walked towards the waiting car, Isabella glanced back at Alexei, who was watching them with a mix of concern and determination.

"Alexei…" she began, but Tristan cut her off.

"He’ll be treated properly," Tristan snapped. "As long as you don’t piss me off."

She swallowed her fear, forcing herself to remain calm. They reached the car, and the ride to the airport was silent, the tension suffocating. The flight back was no better—neither spoke a word, the quiet broken only by the occasional rustle of fabric or the hum of the plane’s engines.

When they finally arrived at Tristan’s mansion, he yanked her out of the car and dragged her inside. The staff in the mansion looked at Isabella with a mixture of pity and fear, but Tristan’s furious shout sent them scurrying.

"Get out! All of you, out of this mansion, now!" he bellowed. The maids and servants hurried away, leaving Tristan and Isabella alone in the grand, oppressive silence of the mansion.

He dragged her to his room, throwing her onto the bed with a force that made her wince. Standing over her, he spoke, his voice low and dangerous.

"It was all a lie. You were a mafia queen, Isabella, but that doesn’t scare me one bit. Yes, I underestimated your capabilities, but now I’m in power, and I get what I want."

Isabella sat up, glaring at him. "And what is it that you want, Tristan?"

He smirked. "You. I want you. I love you, Isabella. But what you did was unacceptable. You were with another man while being engaged to me. How could you?"

She met his gaze with a steely resolve. "You forced me into this, Tristan. You forced me into this shitty engagement, something I never wanted. And when I finally found someone who loves me for who I am, who takes care of me, you came crashing back into my life. I didn’t want this—I didn’t want the mafia, any of it, after losing someone so close to my heart."

Her voice trembled slightly, but she pressed on. "I’ve never begged in front of anyone, and I’m not about to start now. Even if I wanted to, I could raise a war against you, Tristan. I could kill you. But I didn’t. I hoped you would understand and just… let me go."

His eyes darkened, fury simmering beneath the surface. "What do you mean, Isabella? You lost that best friend of yours because you were in the mafia, rt?"

He continued, "You loved him, but you never confessed, and now you’re paying the price. You kept yourself away from your family to protect them, and now you think you can just walk away from all this?"

He took a step closer, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper.

"The only reason you didn’t start a war against me is because you know, deep down, that I’m stronger than you. You know how many people stand behind me, how powerful I’ve become. The mafia has grown since you left, and I am its king. You can’t do anything to change that."