Page 51 of Forced Bratva Hostage

The sight of a woman so close to my husband, her hands roaming his chest and eyes locked on him, stole my breath away. My jaw clenched with a blend of anger and hurt at how he just stood there, watching her caress him.

He was married, for Christ's sake! There should be boundaries to how he interacted with other women.

Hold on a minute….

I peered closely at the woman being so intimate with my husband. My eyes misted at the realization of who she was—the same woman he was fucking that day I caught them.

It happened before we got married, and I’d thought that he'd put an end to his affair with her and essentially every other woman he'd had a fling with.

How foolish of me!

My lips trembled, chest rising and falling as I watched her slide her hand down to his groin. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I sprinted away before they'd notice me.

At this point, my poise and confidence didn't matter to me; I just needed to cry out my feelings. My heart was racing, pounding noisily in my chest, as I rushed out of the hall, oblivious to everything around me.

Why? Why would he do this now that I was starting to build my hope for a better life with him? Why did he have to prove me wrong?

I knew the man I married was easy on the eyes and could be a flirt most times, but I’d genuinely thought that he was starting to feel something for me. I thought we had a connection that transcended sex and the circumstances behind our marriage.

I thought we had something good and promising going on. But clearly, it was all in my head. Afanasy didn't love me enough to show some respect and set boundaries with other women.

I'm sorry, Julia, but I guess you're wrong,I thought, storming into the garden, my tears flowing like a river.

My legs were too weak to carry my weight, my heart too heavy for me to keep moving. I tripped on my heels and almost fell. However, I was quick enough to grab the armrest of a nearby bench, upon which I sat.

Under the cold and distant stars, I cupped my face in my palms, weeping profusely—sniffling intermittently. I realized that he only married me so he'd take away my innocence, so he'd be the first and the only man to explore my body. Afanasy married me because he wanted a nice, innocent, and naive girl to play his wife while he fooled around with his other women.

How could I have been so stupid to ever think that he was capable of loving me and only me? Even if that would ever happen—which was, by the way, very unlikely—it wouldn't happen so quickly.

Afanasy was a natural flirt, a womanizer, and a chronic cheat; such people didn't just change overnight. I wasn't mad at him for being who he was—okay, maybe I was a little—I was angry at myself for letting my emotions cloud my judgment.

If I hadn't grown so attached to him, I would’ve never felt this much pain. If I didn't allow myself to feel something deep for this man, his infidelity wouldn't have bothered me.

I should've been prepared for this.

Afanasy was officially the second man after my father to shatter my heart into a million tiny pieces. And to think I thought that he felt sorry for how my dad treated me. What a dumb girl I was!

He said he'd always protect me—that nobody was ever going to hurt me again—and as foolish as I was, I believed him. Maybe he wasn't lying, after all, because he never said anything about not being the one to hurt me.

And, my God, he hurt me! He hurt me so badly. Was I exaggerating this?

I heard the bushes rustle, like someone or something had moved in it. Alarmed, I raised my head, wiping my tears as I looked around, scrutinizing the beautiful landscape.

I'd chosen this spot because it was away from the party; it was a place in the garden that was lonely, and I could cry without anyone seeing me.

The sound of a twig snapping stole my breath, my eyes widening as I recalled the night Afanasy abducted me. It was dark out here, and I was all alone. Maybe being alone wasn't such a good idea.

With my heart racing in my chest, I rose to my feet, chest rising and falling in absolute fear as a man stepped out of the bushes, glaring at me.

I didn't recognize him, but he had a distinctive feature—a scar across his face.

Chapter 19 – Afanasy

Veronica's eyes widened in shock, her chest heaving as she watched me, disbelief etched on her face. She couldn't fathom how I suddenly became so cold toward her.

She blinked rapidly, wincing slightly at the pain of my grip squeezing her wrist. Her throat wobbled, her nose flaring in anguish as though my rejection was a physical blow.

I watched her face contort in agony and drain of color, leaving her skin pale and fragile-looking. Her body tensed, lips quivering as she fixed her eyes on me. I tightened my grip around her wrist, watching her eyes flash with pain and surprise.

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