MAFIA’s OBSESSION

Chapter Two

For a moment, I was frozen in place. My brain simply refused to process what my eyes were seeing.

Josh. In our bed. With her. The sheets tangled around their limbs, their bodies twisted in a mess of sweat and betrayal. His hands, the same hands that had held mine just last night gripped another woman’s waist.

And the sounds God, the sounds. A strangled laugh bubbled up in my throat, but it came out as more of a wheeze. Because this? This was absurd.

The movement must have caught his attention because suddenly, Josh’s head snapped up. His lips were still parted, his breath ragged, but his eyes locked onto mine with pure, unfiltered panic.

“Oh shit.” The woman blonde, tan, and completely unbothered let out a startled gasp and scrambled for the sheets, as if modesty still mattered at this point. Josh, to his credit, at least had the decency to look like a deer in the headlights. “Cleo,” he started, his voice hoarse. “This, this isn’t” “If you finish that sentence with ‘what it looks like,’ I will throw your gaming laptop out the window.” My voice came out eerily calm, even though my insides felt like they were combusting. Josh blinked rapidly, sitting up, the sheets pooling around his waist. “I, babe this isn’t how I wanted you to find out ”

“NO.” I held up a hand, my palm shaking. “Do not babe me. You lost the right to that the second you decided to play naked Twister with” I turned my gaze to the blonde, who had the audacity to look annoyed. “Who the hell even are you?” She smirked, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Jessica.” Jessica. Of course.

“Well, Jessica,” I said, my voice sickly sweet. “Do yourself a favor and get the f**k out of here before I make you.” Jessica let out a scoff and threw Josh a look. “Is she serious?” Josh ran a hand through his already-messy hair, looking like he wanted to sink into the mattress. “Jess, maybe you should” Jessica didn’t wait for him to finish. She rolled her eyes, muttered something under her breath about drama, and gathered her clothes. I didn’t step aside as she brushed past me, her perfume clogging my senses. The door slammed shut behind her. Then it was just us. Josh had the audacity to sigh like he was the one having a rough day. I let the silence stretch, watching as he fumbled for words. The man who could ramble for hours about coding updates and VR headsets was suddenly speechless. Finally, I crossed my arms. “Go on. Give me your excuse. Make it good.”

He swallowed, raking a hand down his face. “Cleo, I never meant for this to happen.” I let out a hollow laugh. “Oh, so she fell on you? Just tripped, completely naked, and whoops, there went your self-control?” Josh scowled, frustration creeping into his voice. “You weren’t here, Cleo.” I felt my eye twitch. “Excuse me?” “You’re always working,” he said, pushing himself off the bed. He was still shirtless, and I fought the urge to launch his bedside lamp at his head. “Always at the gallery, always stressed, always putting your job first. And then when you are home, it’s like you’re not even present. You never had time for us anymore.” My blood turned to ice. “Oh, so this is my fault?” “I didn’t say that”

“You implied it.” I took a step forward, anger burning through me now, stronger than the pain. “You’re blaming me for your inability to keep it in your pants? Because I work too much? Because I am out there busting my f*****g ass while you sit at home in your stupid little chair tapping on your computer complaining about how hard life is?” Josh’s jaw clenched. “That’s not fair.”

“Oh, fair?” I laughed, high and humorless. “You want to know what’s not fair? Getting fired for something I didn’t even do. I spent my morning being berated by my boss, humiliated by that smug little weasel Ethan, and now, now, I come home to this? You screwing around with some girl named Jessica?” I took a breath, my voice shaking. “Do you even realize how pathetic you are?” Josh’s face turned red, whether from shame or anger, I didn’t care. “I made a mistake, Cleo.”

“No. A mistake is forgetting to buy milk. A mistake is sleeping through your alarm. This is a choice. A series of them actually and in our home? I don’t even want to think about how long this has been going on for.” He exhaled harshly, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” I stared at him, at the man I had once thought I loved. The man I had built a life with, shared dreams with. And now, looking at him this weak, selfish excuse for a partner I felt nothing but exhaustion. I turned toward the closet and yanked out a duffel bag. Josh’s brows furrowed. “What are you doing?” “Baking a hot pie, what does it look like I’m doing?” I started throwing clothes inside, each movement sharp and deliberate. “I’m leaving.”

His eyes widened. “Cleo” “Save it.” I turned to him, the finality of my decision settling like stone in my chest. “You don’t deserve a breakup speech. You don’t even deserve an explanation. You’re just… nothing to me now.” Josh opened his mouth, but I didn’t stay to listen. I grabbed my bag, shoved my keys in my pocket, and walked out the door, slamming it behind me.

The second I stepped outside, the cool night air hit me like a shock to the system. And then, finally, the weight of the day collapsed on me. Fired. Betrayed. Homeless. I sucked in a breath, pressing a hand to my forehead.

What the hell was I supposed to do now?