Page 55 of Sinful Queen (Dark Mafia Sins 5)

“Did. You. Use. The gallery?”

“I hadn’t yet.”

“So, it was only a matter of time before you did, and now it’s gone. I should have known better. Gifts always come with strings attached. Nothing in this life is free, not even from your own spouse.”

“Are you listening to yourself? You could have brought a bomb into the house.”

“I’msorry! I thought it was fromyou. The deliveryman said it was from you to me. Obviously, if I had known it wasn’t, I would have never opened it.”

“All because you won’t obey! You could have been killed. And then I’d be out a wifeagain!” he yells.

My hand goes to my chest, my heartbeat speeding back up, out of control. My hands shake from the adrenaline surging through my nerves.

“I’m done,” I finally say, slipping on different shoes next to the door.

“You walk out that door, and this truce with your family is over.”

“Don’t worry. They’re used to me disappointing them.”

“The problem is, Katrina, you hide away from everything in your life. Now you’re walking out on me and your daughter.”

“I willneverwalk out on my daughter.” I walk closer to the door. I need fresh air and time to think clearly. I can’t do that when I’m worked up like this. This man infuriates me. How could I have been turned on by him a moment ago and now want to stab him in the throat?

“What do you call this?” he hollers at my back.

“It’s called taking a moment so the kids don’t have to hear us yelling at each other. Maybe you should try it!” I walk out, slamming the door. At least I know the girls are in good hands with the nanny.

Chapter 28: Demetri

Iwatchmywifestorm out of our house, my hands gripping onto my hair. She was on the gallery video less than ten minutes before the cameras cut out, and I’d say roughly fifteen minutes before Eva was murdered. Her phone dings on the floor, and I walk over to it.

Her brother’s name shows up, and I open the text message.

Family first. It’s the sacrifice we all have to make. You made the right choice.

My gut turns, thinking my wife is the one setting me up. She was the one to demand we get married. She has made me chase her every step of the way. What if it was all a ploy to crush me in the end? I’ve been a fool for trusting her too quickly. I know better than to get close to anyone. Every time I let my guard down, people die around me. I won’t let that happen.

I knew better than to marry again. My first wife’s death flashes before my eyes. My molars grind against each other. I would murder a whole bloodline if something ever happened to any of my girls. Why can’t Katrina understand that? She makes me go crazy.

“Daddy, was he a bad man?” My heart stalls as I look down at Charlotte, her eyes wide, looking at the dead man in the entrance. I have no words. I was supposed to shield her from my way of life. But instead, I killed a man in our home. This is what happens. I find inner peace, and I let my guard down.

I pick up Charlotte. “You should have never had to see that.” I walk her toward her room and inwardly curse Polina for not being able to control two children. I can hear Capree wailing at the top of her lungs in the backyard.

“I love you. Don’t be mad.” She wraps her small arms around me to the best of her ability.

This was never the life Nina wanted for her daughter. She tried to shield her from it the best she could. She tried to have a normal life, and because of that, she was killed. There’s no such thing as normal or safe in my world. Anyone close to me will always be in jeopardy.

“Please don’t make Polina go away,” she whispers into the crook of my neck. “Everyone I love always ends up leaving me. Everyone but you, Daddy.”

My heart twists and shatters at the same time. She’s not wrong. No matter how hard I’ve tried, I’ve allowed my darkness to creep into my family. It’s best if I let Katrina go. Capree still has time to keep her inner light, if I allow her mother to take her from here.

I was never made to be a father. I look down at my oldest, and when she looks at me with such adoration, I know I should send themallaway… from me.

I take out my phone and make a quick demand. “Call off all visible guards on Katrina.” I’ll let her think she has the space she needs.

Isitinthedarkness, waiting for her. I’ve had time to think. I will not let Katrina be hurt by an enemy of mine. The more I think about it, the more I realize she needs to fear me in order to respect me. My vows were “until death do us part.” I’m never going to let her go.

She walks into the room, keeping the lights off. I watch as she paces the small space, mumbling to herself about having to go back.

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