The Mafia Boss's Pet Wife
The unmasked prince

**Sophia**

This time the punch came without warning, so hard that my vision went dark for a moment. The pain exploded on the side of my face, radiating to my jaw. The kitchen seemed to spin around me, and I clung to the counter to keep from falling. Tomas stood in front of me, his face red with anger, his eyes fixed on me.

"I told you not to burn the eggs!" he shouted, his alcohol-scented breath entering my nose. "You don't do anything right!"

I tried to defend myself, to say it had been an accident, but the words stuck in my throat. Tomás didn't care about excuses. He needed a target, someone to take his frustration out on, and I was always the perfect choice.

He pushed me hard, and I slammed into the kitchen wall, feeling the impact vibrate through my bones. Each of his blows was a reminder that I had no control over my own life.

"Sophia, you're lucky to be under my roof, to have food to eat!" he growled, before leaving me on the floor and walking away as if my pain meant nothing.

I tasted blood in my mouth, but I refused to cry. I'd learned early on that tears only increased Tomas's pleasure. When I finally managed to stand up, every muscle ached and the side of my face throbbed. I touched the sore spot, feeling the warm, swollen skin. The physical pain was bearable; the worst part was the humiliation of being treated like a disposable object.

I needed to get out of there. Daniel, my boyfriend, had always been my only escape. On the rare afternoons when I managed to get away from Tomás and Vanessa, I would run into his arms, believing that I was finally safe there. He was my refuge, my safe haven, the promise of a different future, far from the hell I called home. When he looked at me, I felt that maybe I was someone, someone who deserved to be loved.

Today, after another hellish morning, I was desperate to replace him. The last message I received from him was an invitation to have lunch together, something I needed more than ever. With my heart racing and the hope that he would bring some light to my day, I ran through the streets to the café where we used to meet.

The place was full of people, but I could see Daniel in the distance. His smile was brilliant, his blue eyes exuded a confidence that I envied. He was everything I wasn't: safe, loved, belonging. When I entered the café, I saw him sitting at our usual table, but he wasn't alone.

Vivian, my best friend since childhood, was sitting next to him. They were laughing and seemed even too close. I tried to think it was just a coincidence, that I was imagining things. But when she put her hand on his arm and he didn't move away, I felt a chill.

I moved closer, trying to keep my composure, but the truth was before my eyes even before I could process it. They turned to me and Daniel's smile disappeared. Vivian let out a nervous giggle, fixing her hair as if nothing was wrong. "Sophia... I didn't expect to see you here so soon," said Daniel, his voice shaky. The discomfort in his eyes said a lot. He was embarrassed, but not enough to turn away from her.

"I thought we were going to have lunch together," I mumbled, trying not to let my voice shake. But the pain was there, rising in my throat "What's going on here?"

Vivian laughed, a high-pitched, fake sound, before approaching Daniel. "Oh, Sophia, what are you worried about? Daniel and I were just... talking."

Talking.

The word sounded like a bitter joke. I knew exactly what it meant. The unanswered messages, the short phone calls, the canceled dates. The pieces were all there, but I, desperate to believe that Daniel was different, had closed my eyes to the obvious.

"I can't explain it now," Daniel began, avoiding my gaze. "But it's not what you think.

I wanted to believe him. I wanted those words be sincere, that it was all just a misunderstanding. But as he spoke, I saw a glint of regret in Vivian's eyes, but it wasn't regret for me. It was regret for getting caught, not for hurting me. I clung to the edge of the table, trying to steady myself. "How long do you have?"

He hesitated, a second that seemed like an eternity, before answering. "A few weeks..."

A few weeks. All that time he held me, promising me a future, while I suffered in silence at Tomás' house. All that time, he was with her. Every promise, every word of love now sounded empty, devoid of any meaning.

Vivian shrugged her shoulders, as if she was tired of the scene. "Sophia, you've always been so dramatic. Daniel needs someone who can really be with him, without... so many problems."

These words were the final blow. I was the complication, the burden, the guilt. There was nothing more to say. Daniel didn't defend me, didn't try to chase me down, apologize, nothing. I turned my back and felt my eyes sting with tears that I refused to shed.

I hurried out of the café. The pain in my chest was almost unbearable, an open wound that Daniel, my prince, had torn open without mercy.

I turned around one last time and saw Vivian's triumphant smile and Daniel's defeated expression through the window. He wasn't the hero I had imagined. He was just a weak boy, unable to fight for what really mattered. And what about me? I was just a fool who believed in fairy tales.

The sky was beginning to darken, with heavy clouds that threatened to burst at any moment. It was fitting, I thought as the first drop of rain fell on my face. The approaching storm was a perfect reflection of what was going on inside me.