Mafia Billionaire’s Forlorn Wife
Chapter 55

Arabella

“Bella…”

Leo’s voice distracts me from my thoughts but I still don’t look away from the ceiling that I have suddenly started to find more fascinating than anything else.

I know Frida and Vernon are currently by my side, I know they are watching me with worried expressions on their faces while Frida holds my hand in hers.

I don’t even feel her grip.

It’s like my entire body is numb because of everything that has happened, and right now, all I want to do is just close my eyes and let time wash my remains away.

My heart hurts and my soul feels like it has been trampled under the weight of this entire world. I’m unable to even begin to think straight and that is all because of the agonising fear that something has happened to my baby.

Dr. Ming was very adamant about getting me checked up in her clinic, doing an ultrasound to ensure that the baby is okay, because I know that early miscarriages mostly happen because of the stress on the mother’s body and I have had plenty of it since the last week since I have probably been pregnant.

Rhys has put me through hell and that is not something that I am ever going to forgive him for.

“Bella, I’m so sorry, I should have been there to protect you…” Leo whispers as he comes by my other side and takes my free hand in his while caressing my hair gently as he looks down at me with what I’m sure is concern filling his eyes.

“It wasn’t your responsibility to protect me.” I whisper, my own voice surprises me as I slowly divert my gaze to meet his eyes. “It was Rhys’. They were his enemies, it was his job to protect me. And he didn’t.” My voice cracks but I gulp down my emotion as I lay there, not wanting to cry right now and put myself in more stress, just in case my baby is still with me.

I believe it is.

I don’t know if it is a mother’s instinct or my delusion, but I have a feeling that I still have a shot at knowing true happiness and if I let someone take it from me now, then there is no bigger fool than me.

I turn my head towards Vernon and Frida, “can you guys give us some privacy?”

Immediately, the two of them nod as Frida comes to take my hand, “we’ll just be downstairs, in case you need anything. And I’ll make sure to give that moron a piece of his mind while I’m down there.”

I don’t even feel like exerting a reaction to her words as I simply nod my head and watch as Vernon reaches out to give a gentle squeeze to my hand before both of them walk out of the room, leaving us in here.

“Bella…”

Leo’s voice is coaxing me to look at him but I just continue staring at the ceiling, wondering what a disaster my married life has been.

“It’s so funny…” I whisper with no trace of humour in my words, “how I have been married to this man for six months and today is the first time that I am actually seeing the ceiling of this room.”

Leo curses under his breath as he bends towards me to k**s my forehead, “please stop thinking like that?” He whispers, “I want you to close your eyes and sleep for a while.”

His words don’t affect me in the least as I sigh, “can you help me escape?” I ask in a soft whisper, afraid that someone might hear and they may inform Rhys about this.

Leo looks at me with concern, “are you a hundred percent sure that this is something that you wish to do?” He asks softly, “because I know how much you love Rhys and—”

“Loved.” I interrupt him in a cold voice that surprises my own ears. But I push through, “I don’t love him anymore, Leo.” I say, emphasising my sentence to cover up for the fact that my voice cracks even thinking about something like that.

Leo does not look convinced and I let out a whimper as more tears escape my eyes, “I’ve faced enough, Lee. Please, I’m really done with him at this point. Completely done.”

“And you never want to see him again? Because you should know that he will hunt you to the ends of this world, Bella, he won’t stop coming after you and neither will your father.”

Leo’s words send a sliver of fear through me but then I shake my head before beginning to sit up straight. Leo helps me do so, and as my head hurts and spins because of the experience that I have been through today, I still manage to find my strength and look him straight into his eyes.

“Then I will make myself stronger. If my child is still inside me,” I gulp, praying that it is, “if I have ever done something good in my life, then I know that my destiny cannot be as cruel as something like that. I will fight for my baby, and for myself, but I will not let anymore harm come to us again. No matter what happens.”

Leo looks at me with his face void of emotions before the darker side of him flickers through and his lips turn up in a sinister smirk, “I know exactly how to get you out of this hell hole. And what you will be doing in order to ensure your safety in future.”

And at that moment, for the first time in the night, my lips curl up in a genuine grin as I match his darkness with my own, “that’s the whole reason why I asked for your help.”

There is a whole different side to Leo’s life and family business that not even Rhys or my father knows about. And that is something that I intend to take advantage of, especially when it comes to staying under the radar.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

Rhys

My mind is completely riddled with worry for Arabella and her health, and even as I drive ferociously through the downtown city while Nikolas barks orders to the rest of the men on phone commanding them to surround the warehouse that Amelia is supposed to be in.

I am raging at everything that she did to my Arabella and I am going to make sure that she suffers for every single one of her deeds.

The way she has manipulated me, the way she has always made sure to sully Arabella’s image in my head, and for the endless things that she did to my wife— Amelia is going to pay for all of it.

Yes, I have been an a*****e and I will make sure that Arabella knows how sorry I am for not protecting her. I have my own issues to deal with but I should have never let anyone harm my wife.

Yes, Dominico killed my father. Yes, Arabella came into this marriage with ulterior motives, but irrespective of all that, I have seen and felt the love that she has in her heart for me and every single wrongdoing that I have committed against her outweighs any that she might ever do against me.

She could have died…

My heart shudders to a stop for a brief second as my control on the wheel wavers as the vehicle swerves for a moment before I tighten my grip on the steering again. Nikolas gives me a concerned look from the passenger seat but I don’t respond to him as I try suppressing the maddening thoughts inside my head.

The sight of Christopher’s hands on my wife’s body and the way he had been pressing the gun against her temple is still fresh in my mind and I am going to make sure that he suffers for longer than the number of days that he has been alive.

The way he was holding her by the neck was not half as painful to watch as the way Arabella’s face looked completely void of hope was.

At that moment it looked like she had completely given up hope and there was nothing in this world that she wanted to live for.

That is what made all the b***d in my veins dry up.

And that is the reason that I did not protest when she asked me for a divorce. Because it showed how she still had some of her fire left inside of her, it was proof that her spark hadn’t been stepped on entirely.

Besides, I know that I am never going to let her walk away. I have been feeding off of my anger and hatred for far too long to realise what was in front of me all along.

There is still a chance that our baby survived and is still growing in Arabella’s womb and I will die before I let her walk away like that.

I have far too many enemies and I will never let Arabella be exposed to them. Especially since I know that Dominico is never going to help her.

Ace and Leo might try to protect her, but they can’t do it as efficiently as I can.

This whole fiasco has proven that enemies might pop up unannounced from anywhere and I will never let Arabella face this hell again.

“Are you going to let Arabella leave?” Niko questions in a worrisome tone and I just shake my head.

“Never.” I mutter out, taking a swift left on the road before continuing on a smaller, gravelly route that leads into the woods. “She’s my wife. She belongs with me.”

“What about the conversation she had with her cousin?” Nikolas reminds me but his tone doesn’t sound angry or accusatory, instead, he sounds like he is testing me for my response.

I sigh, passing him a fleeting glance before I turn my gaze back to the front, “I’m going to talk to her about this. I have a feeling that like all the other things I have been misguided about, that is also one of them. I have made the mistake of misjudging Arabella and now she’s pregnant and wants to divorce me. I have been such a f*****g screw up!” I slam the heel of my wrist into the steering wheel in anger as I feel my own tears stinging behind my eyes.

I was such a f*****g fool.

She was begging me to love her and for six months I did nothing but make her life a living hell.

I am never going to be forgiven for that.

But I just hope that maybe, just maybe, she’s a bigger human being than I am. I know she is.

She’s an angel.

An angel whom I hurt.

Shaking my head, I bring my car to a stop and find my soldiers already standing at the entrance of the warehouse as I get out at the same time that Nikolas does.

“Viktor is already holding her hostage. She’s bitching and moaning but she’s been stripped of all the weapons that she was carrying.” Nikolas explains and I roll my eyes.

“I would have shot her down even if she was armed to the teeth and viciously firing in my direction.” That’s how mad I am at the moment.

I enter the room where Viktor is holding her captive and I find Amelia sitting tied to a chair as she looks down at the ground with a pathetic scowl fixed on her lips.

“Release her.” I spit, gaining both of their attention as Viktor gets to work and Amelia looks at me with a grin on her lips.

“RHYS!” She squeals and I clench my fist with nothing but pure anger, “look what your lackey is doing to me! I mean, I was enjoying a perfect evening at the Ritz and suddenly he was there, dragging me out of that place and bringing me to this godforsaken place! How insane is this!”

I don’t even wait for a moment before I dash towards her and grab her jaw harshly, turning her head backwards until I see pain flashing in her eyes, “how dare you attack and kidnap Arabella?” I hiss at her.

That is when her eyes widen and she tries to shake her head out of my grip, “what are you talking about? Why would I attack your that b***h and—”

That is when I move my hand to her neck and squeeze hard enough to cut off her airways, “stop lying!” I hiss, “I saw the footage of you attacking her at the gala and Christopher has already confessed to working for you!”

She tries to claw at my hand for a few seconds, choking on her breath, shaking her head as she thrashes in my grip while trying to be free.

However, it only goes on for a few more seconds longer before she falls still and her entire face relaxes as her lips curl up in a sinister smirk.

A f*****g smirk.

And then she says, “choke me harder, baby, you know how much I loved that when we were together.”

That sentence springs hatred and disgust through my body at the speed of light as I recoil and remove my hand from her skin at once.

Scowling down at her, I watch her chuckle as she twists her neck side to side before meeting my gaze in a manner that makes me question her sanity.

“So you did manage to fall for the tramp.” She chides bitterly. “How many times did she have to spread her legs open for that to happen?”

I don’t even need to raise a finger as Viktor steps in and grabs her by the back of her head before tugging her head backwards till it becomes painful for her.

“Careful of how you speak about the boss’ wife.” He growls at her and I frown.

“Leave her. And release her.” I order him once again.

Every ounce of pain that Amelia will face from now on will come from me.

I will make sure of it.

Viktor doesn’t doubt me as he quickly undoes the cuffs that were holding her wrists and legs to the chairs as Amelia stands up and looks at me with a pleased grin.

“You always were a little bit of an emotional fool.” She drawls, “but, oh well, that had worked quite well for a while. I mean, dad did tell me to play on your heart and we will keep getting our results.”

That is what catches me off guard.

Amelia’s father has always been a close friend and to hear that he has been in on plotting against me is something that is surprising as well as offensive— considering the fact that it is all a testimony to how clueless I have been.

“You should have never come after Arabella.” I hiss, staring at her in a manner that ensures the fact that she knows what is waiting for her at Tartarus. She is never going to see the light of the day again. I am going to make sure of it.

Amelia shakes her head laughing, “you were always so focused on her that it was almost too easy to distract you from the real stuff.” She coos, “all those media reports, those secret little rendezvous, creating those misunderstandings between you two…it was almost too easy. You don’t even know half the things that have happened right under your nose in the last few months.”

I don’t care about that.

I don’t care about any of it.

I can lose every single thing in this world.

But right now, I just need to make this woman pay for coming after Arabella.

My Arabella.

“Dad told me about how you’re so crazy about the wench that you wouldn’t even see his plans coming. Your entire company is going to be dissolved into nothingness by the next week and your entire fortune will be gone. All your power, your status, everything. It was a long game that we have been playing for years and while you thought that you were playing Dominico, my father and I have been playing you. Arabella’s entry in your life was just a blessing for us and a curse for you.”

Anger rushes through my veins as I listen to her voice. The longer I stand here, the angrier I feel at myself for letting Arabella be used like a pawn in Amelia and her father’s games.

Dashing towards her, I grab her by the neck and then throw her into the wall to my side with her head hitting the wall so hard that I swear I hear a sound of a c***k as she hisses loudly.

Before she can gather herself, I have her choking in my palm as I slam her head back into the wall a few times until I see red on the plaster, “listen to me, Amelia,” I hiss, staring at her as her body weakens and her eyes start to droop, “from now on, you will only know pain. Suffering. Agony. You will pray to see the light of the sun but you will burn in its fire and even then you won’t be granted the mercy. You will bleed, and cry, and piss and s**t yourself but you will not receive the sweet blessing of death. Your sins far outweigh any sympathy I had for you and from now on, you are going to see the side of me that will tell you exactly why so many people are afraid of me.”

And with that, I slam her head back once again and then let her body fall limply to the ground— unconscious.

“Take her to Tartarus.” I order to both Nikolas and Viktor. “I am going back home to my wife.”

And with that, I start walking out but stop in my tracks to say, “find out what the f**k she had been blabbering about regarding my company and stop it.”

“Yes, boss.” Nikolas states, knowing full well that right now, I am not at all in my sound mind.

Right now I just need my wife.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

The moment I step back inside the house, my entire body chills and I feel the creeping sensation that something is most definitely wrong.

Without waiting for even a second I rush up the stairs and the moment I enter the wing that contains my room, I stop dead in my tracks when I find cans of anaesthetic gas strewn on the ground and I cover my nose with my handkerchief as I step further into the hallway.

I hear someone coughing up and I rush in that direction to find Vernon limping towards an unconscious Frida, seeming like they were both sitting on a bench in the hallway just outside my suite.

“What the f**k has happened here?” I ask with dread filling up my voice as I feel my heart threatening to jump out of my chest because of the pure fear that I am feeling.

I need to see Arabella.

I need her safe.

But I have a feeling that it is not going to be the case.

“I don’t know, we were just sitting here for Arabella to be done talking with her friend and suddenly there was this gas that caused us to fall asleep. It happened right after you left.” Vernon replies and I cuss under my breath as I dash inside my room to find Leo’s large frame strewn on the bed in a familiar unconscious state but to my pure horror and revulsion, there is no sign of Arabella here.

No…

She can’t be gone again.

How could anyone have taken her this time?

This house is a f*****g fortress.

I made sure to quadruple my security this evening.

How could someone have attacked her without me knowing about it?

There are so many things that we have done under your nose without you ever finding out about it.

Amelia’s words echo through my head and I feel my heart thundering in my chest.

I don’t care what they take away from me.

I don’t care if I am left penniless and homeless.

I don’t care if I am even stripped of all my powers as the leader of the Bratva.

But I need her.

I need my Arabella.

I need my wife.

She can’t be gone.

“I am going to f*****g kill her.” I hiss, planning more things to torture the truth about Arabella’s whereabouts out of Amelia’s mouth, “Amelia is going to f*****g regret taking her.”

I am so lost in my own thoughts that I don’t even notice Vernon stepping inside the room until he brushes past me and picks up something from the centre of the bed.

It’s a piece of paper.

He reads it for a moment before scowls, “I don’t think that Amelia is behind this one.”

And with that, he hands me the paper and I take it, not knowing what I am going to find out.

My eyes roam over the text written on it and I immediately recognise it as Arabella’s handwriting—

Pumpkin,

I know you did love me once. I know you once thought that I was worth loving. But that time has long since passed.

It passed long before we got married…I think you only loved me for the first few fleeting moments since after we met.

But sadly, I have loved you since the day I saw you for the first time and perhaps will have continued to love you till the day I died had you not put me and my child’s life in danger.

My breathing slackens as my eyes fill up but I somehow continue reading the letter of what are clearly Arabella’s last words to me…

My heart is struggling in my chest but I still force myself to read—

I would have stuck by your side. I would have loved you at your lowest and stood by you at your highest. I would have been there for you, cherished you in ways that no one ever has. I would have taken care of you like you have always craved for.

But sadly, I was never the right fit for you and I have now realised that I cannot spend my life proving that I am. I did the best I could but now I might have someone else to think about (if my baby is still alive). So yes, thank you for showing me how maddening love can be, and thank you for showing me just how cruel this world can be.

I’m leaving you. And I hope that you will respect me enough to respect my decision. Please don’t ever come after me because I don’t ever want to see you again.

Goodbye forever,

Arabella.

She’s gone.

And right in that moment, the paper falls from my shaking fingers and my knees give away from beneath me as they crash against the floor.

She’s gone.

A tear slides down my cheek and I realise that the woman I have loved…truly loved…

She just left me.

And now I am utterly and completely alone.