Forbidden Temptation My Mafia Fiance's Alpha Father (Brooklyn and Aden) novel Chapter 65

Chapter 65
Brooklyn

After all the effort I went through to find some dinner, I end up picking at it all night, the food not tasting quite right ever since I realized what was going on in the basement.

This world is so confusing to me. On one hand, there’s so much beauty to it—the two days spent at the stables were some of the happiest moments of my life.

But everything that happened last night—and now, knowing what happened downstairs—what still might be going on…

I’m so uncomfortable, knowing that I’m living in a world where the happy parts are bought with violence and pain.

Eventually, I drift into an uncomfortable sleep. I had hoped that Hudson might come by, talk to me, maybe put my mind at east. But he never showed up.

I’m restless all night, waking up at every perceived noise.

I must have fallen into some sort of deep slumber, though, because when someone shakes my shoulder, I’m suddenly awake, gasping, shocked.

How the hell did they get into my room without me waking up?

I spin in my sheets, terrified, my eyes adjusting to see a dark figure crouched there.

I cringe back, but stop when I hear a soft, familiar shushing sound.

“Shh, shh, Baby Brooklyn, it’s all right,” Jayde says, putting her hands on my shoulders.

“Jayde!” I cry, sitting straight up in bed, instantly awake.

She turns her head towards the door at my noise, worried, and puts a finger to her lips, shushing me.

As her face is turned, the light from the window falls on her face, revealing a deep bruise starting along her cheekbone, under her eye. Her lip is swollen, too, a little cut down its left side.

“Jayde,” I say more softly, reaching out towards her face.

She flinches away from me but then works to put on a smile. I can see that it takes effort.

“What happened to you,” I ask, but in the pit of my stomach, I know.

“Don’t worry about it, baby,” she says, giving me a truer smile now. “How are you, are you okay?”

“Me,” I say, aghast. “Jayde, you—”

“Brooklyn,” she says seriously, cutting me off, “we don’t have a lot of time. Tell me—are you alright?”

Surprised by the question, I nod. “Sure, Jayde. I’m fine.”

“Okay, sweetheart,” she says, putting a hand on my cheek.

“I’m going to go away for a while,” she continues, glancing back at the door over her shoulder. “But I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to you.”

Worry collects in my stomach and my chest as I study her face. “Where are you going? Why—”

“I just gotta get out of here,” she says, working again to keep the fear off of her face, but I can tell by her quickening words that her time is growing short.

“Jayde, did he—”

“Don’t worry about it,” she says, trying to smile again, though there are tears in her eyes.

“Just stay on his good side, okay? He won’t do anything to you if you do what he says. Lie if you have to—just…” she hesitates now, “do what you need to do to survive. But at every turn, let him think he has the upper hand. His Alpha side can’t handle anything else.”