shoulder. “He was too busy to care about what I was trying to tell him and sent me away. I thought about telling Stefania, but it was her son, and she was starting to get sick.”
“He had you trapped.” Shane’s tone was neutral, but the tense set of his body behind hers gave away his anger.
She nodded. “It escalated. Soon, my mouth.” She dipped her head, shame assaulting her all over again. “And…behind.” Even now, her sphincter tightened as she remembered the horror of Aldo penetrating her there. “When he did that the first time, I freaked out and told my father what was happening.”
He let out a low growl, but his hand remained gentle around hers. “What happened?”
“He told me not to make trouble, and that there was more to grasp than I could ever understand.” Tears blurred her eyes as she recalled Vadim’s cold features and the complete lack of concern he’d shown. Now she knew he must have been referring to the tenuous truce between the families, but it still hurt to know he’d chosen his criminal alliances over protecting his young teenage daughter.
That had been the day she’d completely stopped loving the man who had contributed genetic material to her makeup. “The bastard suggested I should be flattered, as though it was an honor to be desired by Aldo.”
“You were just a child. How could he be attracted to you?”
Mia managed a small, genuine laugh. “I guess I must be like catnip for psychos. Normal guys sometimes like me, but they don’t cross the line to batshit obsessed crazy.”
He snorted, though it was difficult to tell if from anger or suppressed laughter.
“Aldo found out I’d gone to my father, and he threatened me.” A chill crawled down her spine as the sensation of cold steel against her heated flesh came back to her. “He pressed his gun to my forehead and told me he would shoot me if I tried to tell anyone again. He promised I wouldn’t die. He’d just make sure I was paralyzed, so I couldn’t escape him. My body would be his plaything, and I’d be unable to stop him.”
Shane’s embrace tightened. “How did you manage to keep your virginity, baby girl?”
“Honestly, I think he was teasing himself again. In fact, I know he was, but I didn’t find out why until I was seventeen. A few times when he was really into what he was doing, he seemed poised to rape me there too, but when I resisted, he reined himself in and found other ways to amuse himself.”
“What did you find out when you were seventeen?”
“He revealed his master plan to me. My father had agreed to let him marry me, so he was saving my virginity as a wedding present to himself.” Nausea churned in her stomach, and a tear streaked down her face. “He told me Vadim had relented and was prepared to sign the marriage certificate so we could get married before I turned eighteen.”
Turning slightly, though her legs remained pinned, she curled a bit closer to Shane instinctively. “That crazy bastard was planning to make me marry him within days. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let him keep me, so I went to Stefania.”
The tears came faster as she remembered the frail woman lying in the bed. Her stepmother had been as pale as the white bedding behind her, but her eyes had sparkled with anger, and her cheeks had turned red as she had listened without interrupting as Mia confessed years of sexual abuse at the hands of her son.
“What did your stepmother do?”
“She saved me.” Mia drew in a deep breath. “I don’t even know how she did it exactly, but she helped me escape that house and found me a job with Arvin Lovelle. He’d been her boyfriend long ago, and I think he still loved her.” She shrugged. “Stefania gave me some money and helped me find an apartment. I know she concealed my whereabouts for a long time.”
A tremor racked her. “One night, Aldo was waiting for me outside Lovelle’s . He never spoke to me. It was just his unnerving, creepy stare that
“He had you trapped.” Shane’s tone was neutral, but the tense set of his body behind hers gave away his anger.
She nodded. “It escalated. Soon, my mouth.” She dipped her head, shame assaulting her all over again. “And…behind.” Even now, her sphincter tightened as she remembered the horror of Aldo penetrating her there. “When he did that the first time, I freaked out and told my father what was happening.”
He let out a low growl, but his hand remained gentle around hers. “What happened?”
“He told me not to make trouble, and that there was more to grasp than I could ever understand.” Tears blurred her eyes as she recalled Vadim’s cold features and the complete lack of concern he’d shown. Now she knew he must have been referring to the tenuous truce between the families, but it still hurt to know he’d chosen his criminal alliances over protecting his young teenage daughter.
That had been the day she’d completely stopped loving the man who had contributed genetic material to her makeup. “The bastard suggested I should be flattered, as though it was an honor to be desired by Aldo.”
“You were just a child. How could he be attracted to you?”
Mia managed a small, genuine laugh. “I guess I must be like catnip for psychos. Normal guys sometimes like me, but they don’t cross the line to batshit obsessed crazy.”
He snorted, though it was difficult to tell if from anger or suppressed laughter.
“Aldo found out I’d gone to my father, and he threatened me.” A chill crawled down her spine as the sensation of cold steel against her heated flesh came back to her. “He pressed his gun to my forehead and told me he would shoot me if I tried to tell anyone again. He promised I wouldn’t die. He’d just make sure I was paralyzed, so I couldn’t escape him. My body would be his plaything, and I’d be unable to stop him.”
Shane’s embrace tightened. “How did you manage to keep your virginity, baby girl?”
“Honestly, I think he was teasing himself again. In fact, I know he was, but I didn’t find out why until I was seventeen. A few times when he was really into what he was doing, he seemed poised to rape me there too, but when I resisted, he reined himself in and found other ways to amuse himself.”
“What did you find out when you were seventeen?”
“He revealed his master plan to me. My father had agreed to let him marry me, so he was saving my virginity as a wedding present to himself.” Nausea churned in her stomach, and a tear streaked down her face. “He told me Vadim had relented and was prepared to sign the marriage certificate so we could get married before I turned eighteen.”
Turning slightly, though her legs remained pinned, she curled a bit closer to Shane instinctively. “That crazy bastard was planning to make me marry him within days. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let him keep me, so I went to Stefania.”
The tears came faster as she remembered the frail woman lying in the bed. Her stepmother had been as pale as the white bedding behind her, but her eyes had sparkled with anger, and her cheeks had turned red as she had listened without interrupting as Mia confessed years of sexual abuse at the hands of her son.
“What did your stepmother do?”
“She saved me.” Mia drew in a deep breath. “I don’t even know how she did it exactly, but she helped me escape that house and found me a job with Arvin Lovelle. He’d been her boyfriend long ago, and I think he still loved her.” She shrugged. “Stefania gave me some money and helped me find an apartment. I know she concealed my whereabouts for a long time.”
A tremor racked her. “One night, Aldo was waiting for me outside Lovelle’s . He never spoke to me. It was just his unnerving, creepy stare that
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