Entangled with the Mafia Don novel Chapter 12

Davina's POV:

A week had crawled by, each day an agonizing stretch of forced smiles and veiled fear. The opulent yet sinister world of the Devil's Club had become my unwanted reality, a place where the glittering chandeliers cast long shadows that mirrored the darkness in my heart. Tonight was my forced debut on the main stage, a prospect that filled me with a cold dread that dwarfed even the terror of Dexter's drunken assault.

Standing before the cracked, harshly lit mirror in the cramped dressing room, my fingers trembled as I meticulously applied a thick layer of heavy-duty concealer to the ugly tapestry of purple and yellow blooming on the side of my neck.

Dexter's drunken rage had left its mark, a visible testament to the violence simmering beneath the surface of my seemingly normal home life. The flimsy white and silver costume Devlin had laid out felt like a cruel mockery of clothing – a scant few strategically placed sequins and sheer fabric that offered little more than a suggestive outline. It shimmered under the harsh backstage lights, highlighting every curve and plane of my body, amplifying my vulnerability.

As a small, desperate act of defiance, a fragile attempt to cling to some semblance of anonymity in this degrading spectacle, I carefully positioned a delicate black lace mask, its intricate pattern obscuring the upper half of my face, hiding my eyes from the hungry gazes I knew awaited me. It was a flimsy shield, but it was all I had.

Devlin appeared in the doorway, her usual brisk efficiency softened by a look of genuine concern that flickered in her eyes. "Showtime, honey" she said, her voice carrying over the muffled roar of the crowd beyond the heavy velvet curtains. "Roy's about to introduce you. Try to breathe. Everything is going to be alright."

My stomach churned with a nauseating mix of fear and resentment. A tight knot of anxiety twisted in my gut with each heavy beat of the music that pulsed through the thin walls, a relentless rhythm counting down to my public humiliation. Taking a shaky, shallow breath, I followed Devlin towards the heavy velvet curtains that separated the dimly lit backstage shadows from the bright, leering eyes of the waiting audience.

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