Page 28 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

“We scoured the whole place, but we can’t find Dominic.”

“What?”

“The warehouse is empty, and it looks like nobody has been here for some time now. Dominic and what was left of his things are gone,” he said, voice carrying how serious the situation seemed to be.

My stomach dropped at that, and I leaned back against the chair. Running a hand down my face, I let go of a deep breath to compose myself.

That wasn’t good.

We didn’t know where Dominic went or what his plan was. He could’ve been anywhere from New York to Boston, conspiring with God only knew.

He was a loose cannon, and something had to be done about him eventually.

“Alright, you two come back home then. Keep me updated if anything changes.”

Chapter 11 - Grace

The condo felt even more abysmal as time went on, and the few things I could do were growing increasingly more boring.

I had streamed more than my fair share of movies and TV, I put together every puzzle, and I read as many books as I could get my hands on. Everything had been brand new, and I had the feeling Yaro hadn’t used any of it before. He didn’t strike me as the kind of person to sit down and pour hours into a puzzle by himself.

Without much left to do, I was bummed, and I didn’t know what to do.

Apparently, I was a wife instead of a student, and I didn’t know what that entailed. I didn’t exactly have that role model growing up. I had no idea what was expected of me, and each time Yaro came home at the end of the day, I just felt like a centerpiece in the condo.

Two weeks had passed since the wedding, and I felt down. I felt restricted, not because of how Yaro treated me, but because my choice had been taken away from me.

I was aimless, and not having anything to do left me with too much time to dwell on everything I lost.

I didn’t want to seem ungrateful for the nice roof over my head or the meals I was given, but it was hard to be completely thankful when I felt locked in a cage.

Going to university had been my only mental and physical escape. It was the one thing I wanted more than anything, and it helped motivate me when I doubted myself.

But without that crutch anymore, I didn’t have anything else to rely on.

Forgetting about my schooling and my program felt like mourning a loss. One I would never get back again.

Yaro himself was another story entirely.

While he was gentle with me and never pushed me into anything I didn’t want, he was quick to anger. In a way, he felt like another version of my dad. Like I had gone from one questionable man to another, but I was legally married to him.

I couldn’t run away from Yaro. It was physically impossible.

Fitting in another puzzle piece, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the doorbell rang.

Confused, I got up and hesitantly went to the door. Not expecting anyone, I looked through the peephole and let go of a breath when I spotted the girls on the other side.

“Grace?” One of them asked.

Reeling myself back in, I unlocked the door and opened it for them.

I was met with their smiling faces, all looking more than excited about something I was unaware of. They greeted me in almost complete unison.

They were all there. Adrienne, Raya, Violet, and Maria.

Wearing different variations of luxurious-looking clothes, I knew Yaro hadn’t been lying about the money part. They certainly had more than enough.

“Hi,” I managed, feeling a small lump in my throat.

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