Page 83 of Forced By an Obsessive Bratva Stalker

“Can I ask you something?” She held my gaze, her voice soft and tender.

I nodded, unsure of what she was about to spill.

“Do you think this can work?” She gestured between me and her. “Us. Do you truly believe we can work?”

“I believe anything’s possible.”

“That’s not a straightforward answer.”

I drew a deep breath. “I think whether we work or not is highly dependent on you.” A pause. “I know where I stand, Aria. I just don’t know where you stand.”

“I don’t either.” She exhaled sharply. “God, I wanna hate you—I wanna hate you so badly for what you did to me, for ruining my life and stealing my future.” Her voice was calm and composed, yet laced with venom.

“Aria…”

“Let me finish—” she cut me off. “I’m gonna try my best to be a good wife. I will smile in public; I will support you—I’ll do anything to keep our home.” She paused, her eyes boring into mine. “But I cannot guarantee you’ll have my heart.”

Something shattered inside me, weakening my knees.

“I’ll love our child. But I don’t think I can ever love you.”

Her words struck me like sharp arrows to the heart, and in that moment, something died inside me. I knew she was still hurting and might not mean what she just said, but it didn’t stop it from ripping my stone-cold heart to shreds.

I never knew what it was like to experience this kind of pain—heartbreak. And it hurt like fuckin’ hell.

When she pulled back and walked away without another word, my shoulders dropped as heat climbed up my body from my feet to my head. I thought the conversation was veering in the right direction. She smiled at me and was polite from the beginning, and I thought we had finally found common ground.

I was wrong.

I combed my fingers through my hair, thinking maybe she might never forgive me for how her life turned out. Perhaps I’d hurt her too deeply because of my selfishness. Perhaps I didn’t deserve redemption.

Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life? And if I did, how would I correct it? Because I couldn’t live like this with the one woman I wanted the most in the world.

“Are you falling for this girl?” Ilya’s voice echoed in my head. And I couldn’t help asking myself the same question.

Was I falling in love with the same woman whose dreams I’d shattered to pieces?

Chapter 25 – Aria

Two Months Later

I was already settling into my new home, and my baby bump was slowly growing bigger every day. My body was in constant pain all the time, but ironically, Rodion was always there to make me feel better.

The man I’d told, bluntly, that I would never love was the same man who was there for me every minute and every second of the day. He refused to let my words affect him, and instead of keeping his distance, he chose to shower me with care and affection.

Of course, I didn’t mean what I said that evening on the rooftop. I just wanted him to feel a fraction of the pain he caused me. I tried to hate him, though I really did. But I couldn’t—not with him being so caring and protective of me.

I’d lost count of the number of times he’d gone out of his way to make sure I was comfortable. Even in the middle of the night when I was woken up by a random craving—specific ice creams, pizzas, and basically anything edible—this man would go out himself to get it for me.

He never returned without what I was craving. Not once. And he was always on time. If I complained about body aches, he’d immediately switch to my personal masseur. And his massage sessions were always relaxing.

Rodion would rub my swollen feet early in the morning before fetching my breakfast from the kitchen. On several occasions, he would even bathe me himself when I was too tired to do that. This man had been pampering me, never losing his temper even when I was being a bitch for no reason.

One time, he got me the wrong ice cream flavor, and boy, did I raise hell. He tried explaining to me that there must’ve been a mix-up somewhere, but I wouldn’t have it and wouldn’t stop raging either.

This man didn’t yell back or ask me to shut up; he simply closed the distance between us and embraced me tightly. Just like magic, all that anger I was feeling went out the window, and I broke down crying in his arms. I had no idea why I felt the urge to shed those tears, but I couldn’t help it.

These past few months had been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster for me. One minute I was happy and bubbly, and the very next second I’d be sad or angry for no reason. Little things upset me, and even the slightest irritation was enough to trigger an outburst.