Page 52 of Forced Innocent Bratva Bride

Something had broken in me last night. My feelings were hurt, and my spirit was crushed by his outburst. I lost my will to fight back. Alexei robbed me of my confidence, stole the fire in me and left me weak, cold, and completely empty.

I felt like he was starting to tame me, like he was turning me into the woman he wanted.

Was I losing myself? Because I could barely recognize the person I was becoming.

Was this change a good thing? Was I letting him have too much control over my life?

At this point, there wasn't much that I could do about the situation. It was as if every day, things just got more and more complicated—messy.

I couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning, considering I was starting to see him differently.

I despised this growing affection I had for him, and a part of me wished I could stop myself from feeling what I did. I wished I could rip this affection out from the roots, but I couldn't, even if I tried. I was helpless against this feeling, and my shoulders slumped in dismay.

My palm slapped against my forehead, knowing things had now taken a different turn. The fact that I was feeling something for Alexei only made things more complicated.

Chapter 19 – Alexei

Had I been too hard on her?

I sat reclined in my chair, fingers absently drumming against the mahogany table, my mind replaying the events of that night.

Yes, she never should have snuck out of the house, but was my reaction worth it? Couldn't I have handled the situation better?

The hint of fear and disappointment laced in Alexandra's tone when she’d told me that Lorena shouldn't be stressed out in her condition made me question myself.

In my defense, I was angry at her, with good reason. Lorena was an arrogant little brat who needed to be straightened out on how stuff worked. I couldn't have her insult me. I was her husband, and it was her duty to submit, to be respectful.

However, I'd been doing some thinking, and maybe, just maybe, I might have taken things a little bit too far.

Usually, I wouldn't mind the fear in her gaze, but that night, Lorena wasn't just afraid; she was terrified. She stared at me with so much horror in her eyes, like I was some kind of monster.

I was supposed to be used to people seeing me as such, but with her, it felt different. It felt…wrong. She was my wife, and even though the rest of the world was afraid of me, she shouldn't be.

Why did I care about how she felt about me? She already despised me, a feeling I used to believe was mutual. So, why did I feel this much guilt for inflicting her with fear?

Her misted eyes flashed in my head, then her flared nose, quivering lips, and reddening face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I’d felt my stone-cold heart melt at the sight of her tears, and something broke within me. An unfamiliar feeling of discomfort had overwhelmed me on the spot, a feeling that I later realized was guilt.

The only time that she was permitted to shed tears, the only time that I loved to see tears in those amazing green eyes, was when she was crying out in sheer pleasure.

As her husband, it was my duty to make sure she was happy at all times. I'd put down anyone who dared hurt her without hesitation, hence the reason I never should inflict pain on her, especially when she was pregnant with my child.

She hadn't spoken to me ever since, and the silent treatment was getting to me more than I cared to admit. I thought that I didn't give a fuck, but it turned out that I did. I thought that I didn't care, but clearly, I did.

Ididcare, which was strange, and no matter how I tried to mask it, I was uncomfortable with us not being on talking terms. I never thought that I'd miss her arrogance and our banter over unnecessary things, yet here I was.

I hadn't been able to get over that incident, and although it had happened just last night, it felt like an eternity already. The only thing on my mind had been how to fix my mess. Lorena was all that I could think about—how I hurt her and how to make things better.

However, as it turned out, I had no clue how to deal with situations like this. I’d never had a reason to, and now, I was struggling.

No one had told me that getting married and gradually developing affection for my wife would be so tedious. I was in a muddle about what to do next, and on my own, I couldn't seem to come up with a rational plan to fix this.

As gruesome as going to war with a rival gang was, it sure was a better option, an easier one compared to the complexityof this situation. At least I knew how to deal with my enemies—I understood the strategies to apply when preparing for a battle.

This, on the other hand, was a whole new territory, one that I was unfamiliar with. It felt like I was on uncharted waters, navigating through treacherous currents with no clear course in sight, and that left me baffled.

I couldn't fathom why this was so difficult; I'd been in worse situations—life-or-death situations—multiple times, but none bothered me as much as this. I'd faced down rival gangs, negotiated with cunning, cold-hearted bastards, and made tough decisions that impacted the fate of our organization.

---