A Princess
His eyes locked on mine. And for the first time, I didn’t just see anger, I saw something unhinged. Dangerous.
I should’ve been scared.
But I wasn’t. I was too angry to be scared. Too betrayed. I wasn’t going anywhere. Not until I found that woman and told her exactly how I felt. How dare she sleep with my husband. Her own brother-in-law.
But before I could take another step, Cullen grabbed my arm in an iron grip.
“Let go of me!” I shouted, but it didn’t matter.
He yanked me out of the hallway, dragged me down the steps, and shoved me into one of the rooms, pulled me inside, and slammed it shut behind us. I barely had time to catch my breath before he locked the door.
Then he turned to face me. And what I saw made my blood chill.
Cullen looked furious. Not just mad....furious.
His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might crack. The veins in his neck and forehead were bulging, his hands opening and closing like he was trying to stop himself from doing something violent.
He was barely keeping it together. I knew that look. I had pushed him too far.
And I also knew something else. He wanted to hurt someone. And right now, I was the only one in front of him.
We stood there in silence, just watching each other. Like prey caught in a cage with its predator. His breathing was steady, but his eyes? His eyes were wild.
And suddenly, I felt it.
Fear.
I was locked in here with him. If I screamed… would anyone even come? Would they hear me? Would they help me?
My eyes flicked to the windows. Could I reach one before he caught me?
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Cullen snapped, his voice slicing through the stillness.
I blinked. Once. Twice. My throat tightened as I just… shook my head.
“ I..... I... Nothi....,” I whispered to myself.
“What even brought you here?” he barked. “Why the fuck are you here?”
“I came to see Bella,” I murmured, voice cracking.
“Since when?” he roared.
I flinched.
“I was here yesterday,” I said, more quietly now. “I knew Cyrus wasn’t home. I just… wanted to spend some time with her. I was alone at the house.”
The way he looked at me... like I was lying like I was pathetic, it cut deeper than I expected.
“You just have to ruin everything, don’t you?” he muttered like he wasn’t even talking to me anymore.
“What have I ever.....”
“Shhh.” He raised a hand sharply, and I fell silent.
Then he took a breath. Calm. Too calm.
“I’m going to give you a friendly warning,” he said, voice now low and deliberate. “I don’t think anyone’s told you this. So I’ll be the one to.”
I nodded. Even though every part of me screamed don’t. Don’t nod. Don’t listen. Don’t let him say whatever he’s about to say.
But I nodded. Dumbly. Powerlessly.
“Bella,” he said like her name was sacred. “You see that woman? That Beautiful amazing woman? Who do you think is your little friend? Your adopted sister?”
I nodded again.
“She is nothing like you. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” I answered, quietly. “I understand you.”
“No. You don’t.” His tone sharpened, and he stepped closer.
“She is a real princess,” he said like he was declaring scripture. “Beautiful. Charismatic. Energetic. Carefree. Charming.”
Every word he spoke dripped with adoration. Like he believed it with his whole soul.
“She’s royalty, Sarah.”
His eyes had glazed over like he wasn’t even seeing me anymore. Like he wasn’t in the room. Like he was talking to some fantasy version of Bella that only he could see.
“Are you listening, Sarah?”
“Yes,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the sting behind my eyes. A tear slid down my cheek before I could stop it. I wiped it quickly, hoping he didn’t notice.
But I don’t think he saw me at all anymore.
He was lost in her. In Bella. And I was just the shadow standing in the way of his light.
"I know you think you're a princess too," he said with a scoff and then he laughed. Not a light laugh. A cruel, mocking one, like the idea was so absurd, it deserved ridicule.
A princess. Me. An Irish Mafia princess.
Nothing. That’s what he saw when he looked at me. Nothing.
“Have you seen Her?” he asked suddenly.
I blinked, caught off guard. What was he even talking about? I shook my head because honestly..... how do you even answer that?
He didn’t wait for one anyway.
“She represents the Italian Mafia,” he said, his voice hard. “She represents us. Our family. And if you insult her… if anybody hears that you’ve insulted her, disrespected her, tried to taint her in any way…” He leaned in closer, his voice now cold and steady. “I won’t take it easy on you. And not just me.”
I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling how small I really was at this moment.
“So don’t ever,” he growled. “I know you’ve got some feelings against her, even though she thinks you two are friends. But don’t you ever....”
“What did I say?” he snapped when I didn’t respond fast enough.
“I won’t,” I mumbled, tears rising again. “I won’t ever.” I wiped my face quickly.
“Yes,” he hissed. “Don’t you ever.”
He wasn’t finished.
“What you said today… even lesser words than that, never again. What happened at the door today? That is never to repeat itself.”
His eyes locked onto mine, and I felt like I was being dragged through barbed wire.
“All you’re going to do with Bella is smile. Laugh when she makes a joke. Do whatever she wants. If she wants you to be a friend, you’re her friend. If she wants you to act like her little sister, that’s how you’re going to do it.”
My chest ached with humiliation, but he kept going.
“But what you’re not going to do is think you're on the same level. You do not challenge her. You do not fight her. Because you can’t. And if you even try… just know that you will lose.”
He stepped forward, towering.
“And nobody, nobody..... will be on your side.”
I felt myself shaking.
“I will be your number one enemy,” he whispered, eyes dark, lips curled in warning. “You’ll have to start running from me, Sarah. If I even learn that you said something that upset her… If she starts acting awkward around me, even if she doesn’t say anything I will know... it’s because of you.”
His voice dropped to a chilling murmur.
“And I will make your life a living hell.”
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