Page 47 of Forced By the Bratva

“Thank you.” I forced a smile as I took the kerchief from him. I wiped my face and dropped it.

“My life was never perfect the way you think,” I told Feliks. I knew he’d always thought I had grown up as a princess. “I didn’t grow up with my father—his wife is not my mother. My mom and I had to struggle. We hawked on the street and did all kinds of menial jobs to survive. It wasn’t easy at all. Maybe that’s why my mom fell ill.”

Tears began to drip down my cheeks again. “Maybe th-tha—that’s why she’s in this condition. Because of me.”

Tears seized my voice, and I kept waiting for it to come back. I grasped the handkerchief and wiped my face again. I could feel Feliks's eyes on me. It was as though he could see through me at that point.

“I wanted to save my mother’s life. The reason I got into this. . .” I paused and gulped hard. “... into this marriage was because I wanted to save my mom.”

Feliks stretched his legs. I realized that my legs had been folded for a while. They began to hurt, so I stretched them out and freed them from my hands.

“That day, I went to the hospital because of my mom. The doctor called, and I had to run there. I am sure Veronica called Leo to inform him I was there.”

I tilted my head slowly and faced Feliks. He stood up and walked toward the table. He’d been staring at it the whole time, which distracted him.

He opened the platter on the table. My breakfast was there, untouched. He lifted his head to look at the clock. It was already noon. He turned to look at me, and I blinked twice before looking away.

He walked back to the bed and sat beside me. I thought he would scold me for not eating, but he didn’t. He didn’t even mention it.

“Go ahead,” he said with a neutral tone. “I am sorry about the interruption.”

I nodded and continued. “Veronica and her mother have never been nice to me. I think they wanted you to kill me—that was why they decided to set me up. You fell for their plan. They hurt me again, but this time, they used someone else.”

Again, I burst into tears, and Feliks hugged me. His chest still felt the same. It was warm and comforting, but I was too broken already. It would take a while for me to heal.

His palm ran down from my hair down to my back. “I am so sorry, Jenna,” Feliks apologized. “I should have trusted you, but I didn’t. I let my emotions blind me. I almost lost something so precious, someone I could never replace, because of how stupid I was. I am so sorry, Jenna. Please forgive me.”

I continued sobbing in his arms. It seemed like his apology triggered the tears even more.

He said, “I was close to you and didn’t even see what you were going through. I failed you twice.”

I shook my head, stopped crying, and sniffled. Feliks picked up the damp kerchief and wiped my tears. We both fell quiet for a few moments; it seemed like he was waiting for me to calm down.

I knew that Feliks had more to say, so I waited for it.

“I should have noticed earlier. I didn’t even know about your mother’s health. I didn’t know about the hardships you went through or what you’re still going through. You should have told me about everything at once—about your mother. Maybe if I’d known why you went to the hospital, none of this would’ve happened.”

I opened my mouth and eyes wide.

“No, no... no,” Feliks said as he placed his hands on my shoulder. “You know that’s not what I meant. I mean, — I am not trying to blame you for this. I just feel sad because you didn’t say anything to me. You kept it from your husband.”

I nodded my head.

“I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have kept anything from you, but I just didn’t think. I didn’t want to bother you with my problems—the circumstances surrounding our marriage and all that.”

Feliks shifted closer to me. He stared deeply into my eyes, and I didn’t blink for a second. We stared into each other’s eyes for a while.

“I am sorry for everything,” Feliks repeated.

I smiled. I didn’t know how, but I forgave him so easily. He’d hurt me so badly when he tried to kill me, when I’d done nothing wrong. He didn’t even try to hear me out. I shouldn’t have been able to forgive him at all, but surprisingly, I did.

I didn’t tell him that, though. I kept quiet and stared down at my fingers as I played with them.

“What can I do to make up for this? I don’t know how else to show you that I am genuinely sorry for everything that happened. “

I sucked my teeth and shook my head. “It’s fine.”

Feliks took my hands. “Are you sure?”

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