Page 176 of Divine Obsession

“I didn’t mean to. I just… I thought she’d taken you away forever.”

I stared at him, the weight of his confession crashing down on me. Everything I thought I knew – about my mother, about him, about myself – was just anotherlie.

Trevor’s voice was a quiet storm beside me. “And you let her believe it was an overdose all these years?”

My father’s face morphed into anger. “Stay out of it, Su.”

“Don’t you dare talk to him like that.” Wrapping my hand around my boyfriend’s arm – making our relationship clear – I stepped back, shaking my head. “I will never forgive you for this.”

“Natalia,please,” He begged, standing up and reaching toward me.

Trevor stepped in front of me protectively.

“I don’t want anything to do with you,” I said, my voice breaking. “Not you, not the mafia, none of it.I’m done.”

Without another word, I ran out of the office, Trevor’s presence steady beside me as I held back the tears threatening to fall.

The moment the elevator doors closed behind us, I broke down.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” Trevor tried to comfort me, pressing my face into his chest.

I looked up at him, my vision blurred. “Why does it feel like I lost everything?”

“You didn’t lose everything.” He cupped my face, his hold on me steady and warm. “You still have me.”

And with that, we left behind a world I wanted no part of anymore.

The lights in my apartment were dim, the faint hum of the city filtering through the windows as I stepped into the bedroom. Natalia lay curled on the bed, her back to the door, her shoulders rising and falling with the weight of exhaustion.

A cup of tea steamed faintly in my hand as I walked toward her, placing it gently on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed.

She didn’t move at first, but when she finally rolled over to look at me, her eyes were glassy and raw, her voice hoarse from crying. “Trevor…”

I frowned, leaning closer. “Yeah?”

She swallowed hard before she forced the words out. “You were right.”

I frowned but kept quiet, letting her speak.

“I should’ve never taken the Omertà. I want out.” Her voice cracked on the last word, the admission breaking something inside her.

“Then you’re out,” I said, my tone firm and final.

She shook her head, her lips pressing into a trembling line. “It’s not that simple.”

I reached out, gripping her chin gently but firmly, tilting her face up so she couldn’t avoid me. Her skin was warm beneath my fingertips, her vulnerability cutting through the icy exterior she usually wore like armor. “It is. It’s my problem to deal with now.”

Her tear-filled eyes searched mine, the fight in her wavering as if she wanted to argue but didn’t have the strength.

“I mean it, Natalia,” I brushed my thumb lightly against her jaw. “I’ll handle it.”

For a moment, she stared at me, and I could feel the weight of everything she wasn’t saying.Trust. Fear. Relief.

Finally, she nodded, whispering, “Thank you.”

“Drink the tea,” I said, softening my tone. “And get some sleep. I’m here for you.”

She reached for the cup; holding the tea like it was the only thing keeping her together.

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