Page 60 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

“What are we going to do about Father? If he finds out you’re missing, he’ll come for me,” Vivian said, and an idea immediately came to me.

I glanced at my watch again, making sure we had enough time. “So, I’m going to tie you up and abandon you for the cleaners to find.”

Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets at my words, but I continued. “My calls to you held no details, so even if he checks your phone, he’ll figure out you didn’t know what you were walking into. Then I’ll make an insane withdrawal from your account and mine to convince him I tricked you into coming here so I could rob you and disappear.”

Vivian’s brows knitted in worry. “What if he asks for your motive? What would I say?”

“Anything. Tell him the project became too much for me. Tell him I wanted freedom. Tell him I fell in love with some guy.Honestly, he’d believe anything you say. He knows how much I’ve wanted out of the agency. Mikhail was supposed to be my last mission. He already pointed out I was already slacking in reports. Tell him it’s because I was planning my escape. You can add that I stole from Mikhail too, and you’ll need protection because I promise you Mikhail will come for you.”

She nodded slowly. I didn’t think a broken heart could break again, but watching Vivian tore me apart in ways I never imagined.

“I love you, Viv, I always will, and when my baby is born, if it’s a girl, I’ll name her Vivian, and I’ll tell her about her wonderful aunt, who is the best human in the world.”

She let out a dry chuckle. “And if it’s a boy?”

“I’ll still tell him about Aunt Vivian.

“Alright. Chop, chop,” she said, wiping her tears and getting off the floor. “We need to get you disguised and ready for your flight. Time is racing towards us.

We quickly packed my bags and piled up my hair, hiding it beneath auburn curls. I made sure all the documents I needed were with me before proceeding to make my withdrawals. I would need enough cash to get me a place and keep my head down till I could find something worth doing.

“This is it,” Vivian sniffed, staring at my stacked box.

I pulled her into a quick hug and held her for a moment before swiftly ripping her shirt. She shrieked in surprise but relaxed when she realized what I was doing.

I turned the room upside down, making sure everywhere looked like a proper struggle happened before I pulled out a belt and tied her to the bed frame.

I took one last look at her, tears welling up in my eyes, before giving her a quick hug and rushing to the check-in.

*****

I could feel myself slowly relax as the plane took off. My panic slowly gave way to fear and uncertainty as the aerial view of New York grew increasingly smaller. Everything seemed so bleak. I rested my head on the backrest of the seat, sucking in a deep breath as the events of the past few days finally caught up with me.

The morning sickness I mistook for flu, the spotting I mistook for my period, Maya commenting on how dull my skin looked at breakfast, and finally, the notification from my health app about my missed contraception and absent period. There was the race to the pharmacy to purchase the tests, the speed with which I parked my essentials and fled the house.

My throat tightened, and I could feel tears burning at the corner of my eyes as the memories washed over me. The chaotic scenarios finally merged into dark eyes, a sharp jawline, and a playful smirk.

The pain in my heart felt so real I had to rub my chest in an attempt to soothe it. I bit my lips hard to hold back the sob clawing at the walls of my throat and begging to be let out. The tears finally made their way past my shut lids, and I sat there, nursing the greatest pain of my life, while the couple in the cubicle next to mine chatted about their vacation plans.

The last weeks with Mikhail were easily the best days of my life. As much as I hated him for what he was, I couldn’t deny how happy he made me, how much he loved me, or how much I loved him. And worse, I couldn’t deny how much he would’ve loved our child. He would’ve made a wonderful father, but I guess our story was set in stone, and happily ever after was never in the cards for us.

There was Father. No matter how hard he became over the years, he remained the man who saved my life. He gave me the life I had, and I had betrayed him.

I had betrayed the only important men in my life, and I wasn’t even brave enough to own up to my actions. I tucked my tail between my legs and ran for my life like a coward, but if a coward is what I need to be to protect my child, then a coward is exactly what I would be.

CHAPTER 26

Mikhail

Two months later

I tipped my head and bottle back, welcoming the intense burn of the liquor down my throat. It did very little to numb the pain, but it distracted me from the ache and helped with the memories.

I took another swing and was met with slow drops and trickles from the bottle. An annoyed groan left me as I struggled to my feet and staggered to the bar. I pulled out the last bottle of straight vodka, making a mental note to order more. I resumed my position on the sofa, kicking the empty pizza box out of my way and making myself comfortable.

Heartbreak. I always thought people exaggerated the feeling. I’ve read works by writers describing it as staying alive while everything in you died and constantly pleading for life to return to you. It was a good enough description, but it didn’t come close to what the past two months had been.

Maybe I would’ve felt better if I’d had the chance to at least confront her. Maybe I would’ve found my closure in making her grovel and suffer just like I was, but she had vanished by the time I got home. She didn’t even have the decency to pack every bit of herself on her way out. She left her clothes, shoes, perfume, and lingerie. Even her moisturizer was still in my bathroom, hardevidence of her presence and the damage she had done. Every morning I walked into my bathroom, drunk and hungover, it mocked me.

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