Page 46 of Forced By the Bratva

I felt his presence in the room even before I heard the footsteps. I jerked when he closed the door behind him. I didn’t lift my head to look at him. I could feel life slipping out of me as his footsteps approached my bed.

What did he plan to do to me? Had he decided to kill me?

My thoughts were not helping matters at all. I heard the sheets ruffling. I could feel Feliks sitting beside me. I didn’t look at him, but I could feel his eyes on me.

He didn’t say anything for a while. My heart raced, and I tried not to think about what he planned to do to me. After a minute of dead silence, Feliks finally cleared his throat.

“Your hair is a mess,” he commented and chuckled lightly.

It sounded like the chuckle was to suppress some pain. I slowly lifted my head to look at him.

“Jesus, Jenna,” he said softly but not without concern. “Your eyes. The dark circles. Your skin...”

He paused and examined me from head to toe.

“Your skin is pale. You look weak.”

He took his eyes slowly to my neck and fixed his eyes there. I could tell he was staring at the red mark on my neck. The mark he’d given me while he was trying to choke me.

I tried to hide it with a pillow, but he grabbed it and dropped it on the floor. “Why haven’t you been taking care of yourself?” he asked, swallowing hard.

I wondered why he was suddenly so concerned. I relaxed a little but still didn’t let my guard down. I didn’t know what his plans were. Was he genuinely concerned, or was this the calm before the storm?

I lowered my head and said nothing. What would I say, even had I wanted to speak?

Feliks let out another deep sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

It almost came out as a whisper, but I’d heard him. I lifted my head slowly and focused on his eyes briefly. My eyes moved from his eyes to his lips and back to his eyes.

There was pity in his gaze. I could guess what was happening, but I didn’t want to hope.

“Why did you keep quiet all this while?”

It dawned on me that he knew the truth. I tried to blink back the tears that had gathered in my eyes, but my emotions got the better of me. I burst into tears, unable to respond.

Feliks watched me as I cried. Maybe he wanted to let me cry it out. The saying was that crying was good for the soul. Maybe he believed in that, too. I cried for a few more seconds before wiping my face.

I lifted my head and stared at Feliks, but I could not read the expression on his face.

“You didn’t give me the chance,” I said and sniffed. “I wanted to tell you, but you would not even let me speak. You wouldn’t let me explain myself.”

I paused and inhaled sharply. My tears were threatening to fall once again, but I waited a few more seconds. Once everything was back to normal, I breathed heavily.

“You just didn’t want to listen to me.”

Feliks shook his head. He moved closer to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulder. I felt shivers run down my spine the moment his hands touched my shoulders.

“I should have listened to you, but I was too angry. It was my fault.”

I leaned sideways and enjoyed the comfort of his hands. I missed having Feliks around me like this.

“Life hasn’t been easy for me at all,” I told him. I laughed lightly. For some reason, the laughter suppressed my pain for some time. I sniffled and exhaled deeply.

“Whatever happened was a setup—but before I tell you the story, I think I should start from the beginning. “

Feliks let go of my shoulders. He sat comfortably and leaned on the bed frame. “We have the whole of today and even tomorrow. I am ready to listen to you now. Just tell me everything. Tell me anything.”

I nodded my head. I wiped my face with the back of my hand. Feliks pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me.

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