Entangled with the Mafia Don novel Chapter 16

***Trigger Warning***

Davina's POV:

The soft click of the front door latch echoed in the sudden silence of the house, a sound that felt amplified in the aftermath of the club's relentless noise. A wave of bone-deep exhaustion washed over me, the cumulative weight of fear, humiliation, and the gnawing anxiety for my family's safety leaving me feeling hollowed out. All I craved was the oblivion of sleep, a temporary escape from the terrifying reality that had become my life.

Just as I eased the door shut, a dark, hulking figure lunged from the narrow space behind it, a silent predator emerging from the shadows. Dexter. His hand clamped roughly over my mouth, stifling the startled gasp that rose in my throat, the rough skin of his palm pressing against my lips, cutting off my air.

A jolt of pure, icy terror pierced through my exhaustion, every muscle in my body tensing in immediate alarm. His other arm snaked around my waist, his grip tight and suffocating, the stale odor of cheap beer and sweat instantly assaulting my senses.

"You little bitch," he hissed into my ear, his voice low and venomous, laced with a simmering rage I had witnessed before, but never directed so intensely at me. "You think you can just waltz back in here after the smart mouth you gave me?"

Panic surged through me, a suffocating wave that threatened to drown me. I thrashed wildly against his suffocating hold, my muffled cries barely audible beneath his hand. His grip tightened, digging into my ribs, and he began to drag me further into the darkened hallway, away from the fragile safety of the doorway.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!" I struggled desperately, kicking out with my bare feet, my heels connecting uselessly with the wooden floor, a silent, frantic plea for release.

My muffled screams, however weak, were enough to penetrate the quiet of the sleeping house. A soft click echoed from upstairs, casting a warm glow through the partially open bedroom door. A moment later, my mom's voice, thick with sleepiness and a rising note of concern, drifted down the stairs. "Davina? Is that you? What's going on down there?"

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