Dark Romance: A Cruel Obsession

Vivian didn’t know how Mrs. Yazmin had negotiated with Alajos, but when she returned to the apartment that day, Alajos indeed did not bring a family doctor to examine her, nor did he insist on her going to the hospital for a check-up, which made Vivian feel considerably relieved.

At the same time, in the uncertain situation of her possible pregnancy, Vivian began to behave more cautiously. She was no longer enthusiastic about shopping, nor did she schedule any more massages. Instead, she spent more time lounging on the living room sofa watching TV or hiding in her room reading.

Her life moved forward calmly, except for the increasingly severe morning sickness she experienced every day. But she was grateful that Alajos always left before she woke up.

On the second day of the engagement ceremony, Vivian overslept a bit, feeling tired. She lingered in bed for a while before getting up to freshen up.

Haylee had already prepared breakfast for her. As per Alajos’s request, today’s breakfast consisted of a bacon and egg sandwich, a fruit and vegetable salad, and a cup of hot milk.

The moment Vivian picked up the hot milk, she regretted it. She rushed to the bathroom, vomiting for three minutes amidst Haylee’s exclamation and Mare’s furrowed brow.

Mare, arms crossed, stood at the bathroom door, expressionless, and told her, “I will tell Alajos.”

Mare’s surveillance and the discomfort in her stomach made Vivian furious. She tossed the towel into the basin, staring with her blue eyes wide open, “Speak up. What do you have that you don’t report to Alajos?”

Vivian asked Haylee to take away the milk; she didn’t like drinking it now.

Vivian angrily jabbed at the strawberries in the salad with her fork. Just then, the elevator “dinged,” and Vivian saw someone she didn’t expect.

“Luzia!” Vivian’s face lit up with surprise.

“I’ve missed you, Vivian,” Luzia said, her voice slightly choked up, as she embraced Vivian.

Vivian felt a twinge of unease; her surprise faded instantly.

“Have you had breakfast?”

Luzia nodded.

Vivian silently scrutinized Luzia, ensuring her face was unharmed. Only then did she relax a bit, pulling Luzia to sit on the sofa. “Are you alright?”

Luzia’s tears began to fall instantly. “I…”

After crying for a while, Luzia continued, “I’m fine.”

She was lying.

Vivian’s heart sank. “He hit you, didn’t he? That jerk, Joseph!”

Vivian cursed her brother in her mind, unable to fathom how he could do this, especially on the second day of her engagement.

Luzia dabbed at her eyes with several tissues, pressing them against her eyes. “He’s a brute,” she said softly, crying. Vivian keenly sensed the truth from her tears. She took Luzia upstairs, evading Mare’s gaze.

Vivian reached out, pulling down Luzia’s collar. There were still bruises on Luzia’s collarbone, along with other marks.

Vivian trembled with heartache. Instinctively fearful and unable to control herself, she rolled up Luzia’s sleeves and lifted the hem of her shirt… Vivian’s tears fell before she could clearly see those distressing scars.

Luzia’s fair, flawless skin was covered in bruises, with clear finger marks around her slim waist, indicating how intense the encounter had been. Vivian could even imagine the ferocious expression on Joseph’s face as he violently assaulted Luzia.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Vivian shook with rage because the most dreadful thing wasn’t the traces of their intimacy on Luzia but the savage wounds amid those bruises. They were from a belt, long and swollen, some even oozing blood.

How much pain that must have caused.

“Damn it! Damn it!” Vivian was like a trapped beast, her hoarse cries subdued, her tears falling on Luzia’s hand, mingling with Luzia’s tears. “How could he do this to you? How could he!”

“Because I’m not his first,” Luzia said, wiping her tears. “Giving a man a woman’s virginity is something he can boast about. It earns him the envious and admiring gazes of men, giving his hypocritical heart immense satisfaction.”

“But I’m not. I gave my virginity to my first husband, Paavo. I can’t fulfill Joseph’s vanity, and that’s a shame to him.”

Luzia covered her face with her hands, crying, her fear palpable. “Last night, he forced his way intomy room. My parents couldn’t stop his savagery. He pounced on me like a wild animal, tore my clothes, positioned me as he liked, and forced himself on me. He even made me perform oral sex on him.”

“Whenever I resisted, he choked me, whipped me with a belt. I couldn’t escape. I’m going to die, Vivian,” Luzia cried, embracing Vivian and wailing loudly. Vivian had never seen her cry so loudly and painfully, as if this was her only chance to vent, and from then on, she would be forever trapped in darkness, unable to find release.

“He knows I’m not his first. He hung me up and beat me, making me admit that I’m a whore, a slut. He’s humiliating me. I’m not his wife; I’m just a tool for his carnal desires. What should I do, Vivian?”

“I’m sorry,” Vivian couldn’t think of anything helpful. The news of Houston and Los Angeles’s union had already been released, and the wedding was set for next month. Regardless of whether Alajos would worry about Luzia and send someone to monitor her, Joseph wouldn’t give her much freedom.

Luzia was already trapped.

From the depths of her heart, Vivian felt sorrow.

Both she and Luzia were the closest relatives of the Capo family. They were the highest-ranking women in the mafia, able to enjoy the family’s wealth, live in luxurious mansions, and frequent high-end restaurants and spas.

But they were not happy because they lacked freedom.

They were the family’s gifts, the husbands’ captives.

Luzia cried fiercely, and Vivian cried with her, their sobs loud and desperate. Mare stood silently outside the room, leaning against the wall, gazing into the void for a long, long time.

After what seemed like an eternity, the room door clicked open.

Mare snapped out of his thoughts.

It was Vivian.

Vivian hadn’t expected Mare to be standing here. Her eyes swollen, she stared at Mare for a while.

Mare opened his mouth to say something but ultimately remained silent.

Vivian’s voice was hoarse from crying. “Do you have a first aid kit?”

Luzia’s wounds looked terrifying and needed attention.

Mare nodded silently and turned to leave the room. Soon, he returned with a first aid kit and even prepared ice packs for her eyes.

“I can handle this,” Vivian said, taking the items and blocking Mare’s path. “I learned some medical first aid at a private girls’ high school. My instructor was an excellent doctor. You can trust me.”

“You coming in won’t be convenient.”

Indeed, Luzia was now Joseph’s fiancee.

Just as Luzia feared Mare’s punishment, Mare also didn’t want Luzia to suffer because of him. So, he obediently nodded and took a step back.

Vivian closed the door, and Mare leaned against the wall, continuing to stand at the door in silence, occasionally hearing the muffled conversation between Vivian and Luzia inside the bedroom.