My Mafia Marriage

14

Natalia's POV

I awoke with a groan as my neck harshly fell off Ace's arm. Moaning as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I peeked my eyes open, closing them when the light hit them. Blinking rapidly to get used to the bright light, I glanced over at Ace's side of the couch to see him gone.

My head turns towards Jess, who is sitting up with fear in her eyes. I groan as I rub my head, finally beginning to hear all the commotion. The yelling belatedly registered in my mind as I became more aware of my surroundings. It takes me a long time to wake up, and I'm always grumpy when I do.

A loud gasp escapes my lips as my eyes land on Enzo, holding Ace against the wall by the collar of his shirt. Out of instinct Jess and I jump up off the couch, then freeze, not knowing what to do in our drowsy states.

"Why the fuck are you cuddling with my fiance?!"

My eyes snapped to Enzo as my eyebrows scrunched in confusion, which Ace mimicked, perplexed by Enzo's words. I wasn't cuddling with Ace. Sure, I might have fallen asleep on his shoulder, but it was far from cuddling in my eyes.

"I-" Ace gasps out, but Enzo pulls him higher off the ground, making him choke.

He slammed Ace into the wall, causing a loud boom to fill the room, nothing but rage filling Enzo's usual emotionless face. I whimpered as Ace hit the wall with a loud slam, grimacing at the sight and knowing the pain he is feeling. Ace gasps for air as he weakly claws at Enzo's hands, but it was no use.

"I told you not to fucking touch her!"

I was frozen in fear, staring at Enzo yell at Ace, feeling helpless and torn in the situation. Everything feels like it's in slow motion, and the way Enzo is manhandling Ace is making my anxiety take over. I struggled to breathe as memories from the past flashed through my eyes, which Jess seemed to notice. She grabbed my arm and made me look into her eyes, grounding me back on this earth, not letting me float into my memories.

"You need to stop him, Natalia. You are the only one who can calm him down," Jess panicked.

I weakly nodded, then turned back towards Enzo and Ace, grimacing at the horrid sight. Ace's face began to turn red as he still struggled against Enzo's grasp, careful not to hurt him even in the situation he is in. My eyes filled with tears as I shakily reached my hand out to touch Enzo, terrified that he'd turn on me, but more worried about Ace.

The second my hand grabbed his arm, his head snapped towards me. His eyes swirled with rage as he looked at me, making me gulp in fear. My trembling hand gripped his arm, feeling it shake with rage beneath me as my eyes pleaded with him.

"Enzo, please stop," I begged, tears filling my hazel eyes.

"We weren't cuddling. I just fell asleep on his shoulder last night," I sobbed.

Enzo followed my tears as they fell down my cheeks, calming some of the rage behind his eyes. Grumbling something under his breath, he made a grunting noise as he roughly dropped Ace to the floor. Ace gasped for air while holding his neck, which reminds me of what happened to me yesterday, making me cringe at the sight. Enzo jerked my hand off his arm, which made me take a step back from him, concerned he'd come for me now.

"If I catch you with your hands on my fiance again, I won't hesitate to put a bullet between your eyes," Enzo threatened before storming out of the room.

"Y- Yes, boss," Ace weakly replied as he lay in a heap on the floor.

We all took deep, shaky breaths as Enzo retreated from the room, slamming the door as he left. When I was sure he was gone, I turned towards Ace, who is staring up at me on the floor with concern filling his eyes. His throat is red from his shirt rubbing against it, but his face finally has some color to it. Tears streamed down my face as I studied him, repulsed by Enzo. Without another thought, I ran up to Ace and hugged him. He almost immediately hugged me back as he rubbed my back, holding me close.