The Mafia and His Obsession: Part 1 (Tainted Hearts 4)

There was so much more about him than what he seemed. He was a breathing mystery, and I wanted to know more about him, his thoughts—his plans for me.

Why is he here?

The words twirled and twirled in my head, leaving me in a mistful daze. My fingers unclenched from my dress, and without thinking, I grabbed his wrist, stalling his movement.

I needed to think, and with him touching me, I couldn’t even fabricate a coherent thought.

His gaze moved down to our hands. My eyes followed the same path too, until they rested on our hands, my fingers around his wrist, holding him still.

His hand and mine were a stark contrast. His—tanned, strong, and rough, as if it never knew a gentle touch. Mine—pale, small, and soft, as if it never touched the sun.

This man belonged to the same world that destroyed me, yet I couldn’t feel disgust. I looked up, and we just stared at each other.

I felt fear, desperation to know what he was thinking and what he wanted from me.

He is seducing me, but doesn’t he know the results of this play?

Doesn’t he know who I belong to?

If Valentin ever found out—Viktor would never make it out alive. And then I would have to bear the pain of both our mistakes.

The corner of his eyes wrinkled a little bit, and my gaze went to his lips to see him smirking. “You are so tempting, Valerie,” he said.

I watched his lips closely, following each word before I blinked up at him again. My heart stuttered, and my chest clenched. What was he doing to me?

My gaze went back to his lips again, not wanting to miss any of his words. It was the only way I could listen to his words.

My ears were useless—the sound they heard were muted. All voices felt like a blanket, falling in a deep hollow pit.

There were no sound, just small whispers that I could barely make out. If I focused hard on the sound, maybe I would hear a word or two. But even then, it sounded weird, like I was submerged deep under water and someone was whispering from above.

My loss of hearing was my weapon, my strength. I didn’t have to hear all the malice from my tormentors. The silence was a gift bestowed upon me in this chaotic darkness.

It was something everyone feared, a painful and regretful thing to others. But to me, I was blessed to have the silence. I praised it. I welcomed it with open arms.

But for the first time, I wanted to hear a voice—his voice. I wanted to listen to his words; maybe they would have been music to my ears.

For the first time, I felt the loss of my hearing cut me deep.

Viktor let me go, and I felt the cold wash over me in the most painful way. My hand fell to my lap, and my eyes moved to his hands. They were at his sides, his fists clenching tightly. The tattoos on the back of his hands looked more prominent with the angry lines of his veins.

Looking back up again, I stared at his face. He looked at me strangely, his head cocked to the side. Viktor studied my face for a second, his eyes moving from mine to my lips, and then up again.

“It seems whenever I am with you, I forget what’s right and wrong,” he said. I would have missed it if my gaze wasn’t already on his lips.

It seems whenever I am with you, I forget what’s right and wrong.

He couldn’t have spoken any truer words than these. It was as if he picked them right out of my mind. My eyes flicked back to his, and I knew, whatever I was feeling—he was feeling the same.

A strange man I have never seen before. A complete stranger but he gave me more than my husband had ever given me.

He gave me a chance to use my words; his touch was gentle, his eyes soft—every look shooting straight into my heart. He was everything I had been secretly craving—dreaming of.

I looked at the notepad and pen on my lap. Thank you, Viktor. I can’t thank you enough, and you will never know how grateful I am to have those stolen forbidden moments.

But whatever we had between us—we couldn’t have it.

I had to shoot it, put a bullet through it, before it even bloomed to something else.

Without giving him another glance, I took the pen and started writing.

You shouldn’t be here. Igor is watching us. He will tell Valentin, and my husband will hurt you. You say that he can’t do anything to hurt you, but you are so wrong. He is a powerful man. He can do anything he wants…and if he wants to hurt you, he will find ways to wound you so deep. So please, you need to leave. Viktor, you shouldn’t be here. Please, leave.