One Night Mistake… Now I Carry the Mafia Heir

Chapter 65: 65/Duty vs. Reality

Chapter 65

Stephanie’s Point of View

I struggled to force a pale smile onto my dry lips. "I... I’m fine now, don’t worry, Mr. Victor."

But the truth was far from it. I wasn’t fine at all. My heart was tearing into tiny pieces. At that moment, I wanted to slap myself a thousand times for being naive enough to ever let that man touch me. Here he was, using my weakest and most sacred moments as a means to hurt me, hurling the most hideous descriptions and accusations at me without any regard for me or the babys.

"Stephanie, my daughter," the Grandfather said in a firm yet sympathetic tone, "the doctor emphasized that you must stay away from any source of anger or stress. You must take care of yourself for the sake of the little ones, so that what happened today does not happen again."

I let out a suppressed sigh and closed my eyes. I thought to myself that going to live on Mars alone would be much easier than applying his advice in this palace full of wolves. I had only been here for twenty-four hours, and all this destruction had already befallen me! I simply settled for nodding in silent agreement.

"Now, since I am reassured that you have regained consciousness, I will leave you alone to rest a bit and recover your strength," Mr. Victor said, rising slowly and leaning on his cane.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Victor," I said with sincere gratitude.

He stopped suddenly and frowned with a mock sternness that hid his affection. "What did I tell you before about that name?"

I lowered my gaze toward the quilt and said with slight shyness and a small smile: "I’m sorry... thank you, Grandfather."

The Grandfather smiled widely. "Well, that’s much better. I’ll go to my room now. Rest well."

I watched him with weary eyes as he quietly left the room. As soon as the door closed, I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. I felt a single, hot, salty tear carve its slow path down my cheek, disappearing into my pillow.

I rose from the bed, my body swaying slightly as if every cell within me refused to surrender to this weakness. I felt an overwhelming urge to flee the walls of the room, which had begun to close in on me, crushing my breath. I needed fresh air something to restore the breath that Cedric had stolen from me with his poisonous words.

I descended the stairs with slow, cautious steps. On my way, I encountered a maid who stopped with profound respect, bowing her head slightly as she asked: "Madam, do you need anything? Shall I bring you some juice or food?"

"I don’t want anything, thank you," I said curtly, not even bothering to look at her.

"Very well, Madam. I am at your service if you need anything," she replied with immediate obedience and stepped out of my way.

From a distance, I spotted a massive glass door overlooking the backyard. I headed toward it with weary steps and opened it, letting the cool breeze brush against my face, reviving my withered soul. I walked quietly amidst the greenery and flowers until I reached a lush, comfortable sofa directly overlooking the large swimming pool.

I sat down, trying to gather the scattered pieces of myself. I contemplated the vastness of the garden, which stretched before my eyes like an endless forest, with its stunning landscape and rare trees. I whispered with bitterness and mockery at such lavish luxury: "Filthy mafia business must grant them a lot of money to live in this paradise."

Suddenly, a calm, steady voice pierced the silence from behind me, making my heart jump slightly: "Stephanie... are you here? I looked for you in the room and couldn’t find you."

I turned my heavy head to see Alexander approaching with confident strides, marks of concern and care clearly etched on his attractive face. He stood directly in front of me, monitoring my features with a low, friendly tone: "How are you feeling now? Grandfather told me you lost consciousness. Are you okay now? I was worried about you."

"I’m fine. There’s no need for all this concern," I said with total coldness, trying to build an insulating wall between us.

He didn’t just stand there; he sat beside me on the sofa. I felt the heat of his body near me in a way that made me involuntarily tense. He scrutinized my pale features and said softly: "The air is getting colder here, Stephanie... don’t you feel the chill? We don’t want your condition to worsen again."

"I don’t feel the cold," I replied, my eyes fixed on the faint reflection of the moonlight on the stagnant surface of the pool. "In fact, I don’t feel anything at all right now."

He slowly reached out, attempting to take my hand and comfort me, but I pulled it away gently and swiftly as if escaping the touch of fire. He spoke with a quiet insistence: "Shall we go inside? The weather will become harsher in a while, and that’s not good for you."

I turned to him with a slight sharpness, my patience beginning to burn out. "Go in yourself, Alex. If you’re cold, no one is stopping you," I said in a dry, harsh tone. "But why do you insist on forcing me to do what I don’t want?"

For a moment, a look of hurt and distress crossed his face, and his voice dropped to a more apologetic tone: "I’m sorry, Stephanie... I didn’t mean to annoy you. I’m just worried about you and your health; it’s my duty."

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, trying to suppress the urge to scream. Then I opened them and looked at him with a final, firm tone that put an end to this false closeness: "Please, don’t worry... and save that care for yourself.

Always remember that I am not your wife in reality, and this marriage is nothing but a piece of paper. So stop playing the role of the loving husband... I don’t need it."

[An extra Chapter to thank you for your amazing support. I love you. "Shawnnie" "FBC_9715" "Rockst3ady" l love you]