[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 275: Chapter 275: The Weight I Finally Put Down

"No matter what you tell me, I’ll listen until the end. I won’t judge you, and I won’t walk away before hearing your side of the story. You have my word."

Charles swallowed hard. Mark’s promise gave him enough courage to speak finally.

"There’s something I’ve never told you," he whispered.

He tried to meet Mark’s eyes, but the overwhelming shame was too much. His gaze dropped to the space between them, his fingers twisting nervously in the fabric of Mark’s shirt.

"Before I met you... Do you remember what I told you about my past? About the abusive, toxic relationship I was in? I told you he cheated on me. That he broke me down until I felt like I was nothing."

Charles finally looked up at Mark. "Do you remember?"

Mark gave a single nod. "Yes. I remember."

Charles lowered his gaze for a moment before quietly saying, "That ex... it was Owen."

Mark kept his composure, his face calm as he processed the information. He just gave another small nod. "Okay. It’s okay. Go on."

Charles braced himself, shame burning through him as he forced himself to say the words he had been hiding to tell Mark.

"While I was with him... we sometimes recorded our intimate moments. Most of the time, Owen was the one recording them. We also had each other’s private photos and videos. Back then, I didn’t think much of it. I trusted him completely because I loved him. I never imagined he’d keep them... let alone use them against me one day."

Charles lowered his head. "I regret it so much now. It’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made, and I’m deeply ashamed of it."

Mark didn’t say a word.

He remained completely silent, his eyes fixed on Charles, listening to every word without interrupting. His expression revealed nothing no anger, no disappointment, no judgment.

The silence made Charles’s heart pound even harder.

Afraid of what Mark might be thinking, he hurried to explain the rest.

"Now... Owen is using those videos to blackmail me. He cornered me in the restroom at Maya’s wedding, and today he sent all the files to my phone."

Charles’s voice shook. "He said I have to sleep with him. If I don’t... he’ll post every one of those videos online for the whole world to see. And before he does..." His voice broke. "He said he’ll send every one of them to you first so you’ll have to watch them."

Charles clutched Mark’s jacket tightly, his whole body trembling. "That’s why I haven’t been eating or sleeping, Mark. He gave me a deadline, and I only have one day and a few hours left. Owen won’t stop." His voice cracked. "I don’t know what to do anymore."

Mark didn’t respond. He stared at Charles, his face slowly emptying of emotion until it became impossible to read.

The silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

Charles’s heart sank.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, he spoke in a trembling whisper. "Please... say something."

Mark slowly closed his eyes and drew in a deep, controlled breath. When he looked at Charles again, his voice was frighteningly calm. "How many are there?"

He paused. "The videos... and the photos."

Charles looked away.

"There are a lot," he whispered. "Too many."

Mark was silent for a moment.

"Can I watch it?" he asked, his voice calm. "I need to know what we’re dealing with."

Panic surged through Charles.

He shook his head frantically.

"No. Please don’t." His voice trembled. "You don’t need to see them. Just... just know they’re private videos from when we were together. I don’t want you to watch them."

Mark’s gaze remained fixed on him. "Why not?"

Charles opened his mouth to answer, but no words came.

Mark spoke again. "You’re ashamed of them now, and I understand that. But if there’s a chance those videos could be sent to me or end up online, how am I supposed to prepare myself if I don’t even know what we’re dealing with?"

Charles lowered his head.

He knew Mark too well.

Deep down, he convinced himself that Mark wasn’t asking because of the blackmail or the legal consequences. He believed Mark simply wanted to see the truth for himself.

And Charles was certain that the moment Mark watched those files, everything they had built together would come crashing down.

Mark would leave.

At that point, Charles had nothing left to hide. He slowly closed his eyes, accepting whatever was about to happen.

If Mark wanted to see the videos...

Then he would let him.

Whatever happened afterward, he would face it.

With trembling hands, Charles pulled his phone from his pocket. He unlocked it and scrolled through the files until he found one of the videos.

His finger hovered over the screen for a moment before he finally pressed play.

Unable to watch, he handed the phone to Mark.

Mark took it without a word. The speaker instantly filled the quiet room with the clear, unmistakable sound of Charles moaning loudly, completely submissive beneath another man.

Mark’s thumb immediately tapped the screen, pausing the video almost as soon as it began.

Without saying a single word, he handed the phone back to Charles.

Charles held his breath, his heart pounding violently against his ribs.

He waited for Mark to speak.

To get angry.

To yell.

To walk away.

But Mark did none of those things.

He simply sat there in complete silence.

Instead, Mark slowly lifted Charles off his lap and gently settled him onto the sofa beside him. Then he rose to his feet and walked toward the kitchen.

Charles’s heart dropped.

For one terrifying moment, he thought Mark was leaving him.

But Mark didn’t walk toward the front door.

He headed for the kitchen instead, intending to prepare the meal Charles had refused to eat all day.

The reassurance Adrian had given Charles, mixed with the crushing fear that had been consuming him for days, finally shattered the last of his composure.

"I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay after seeing that!" Charles cried, his voice breaking under the weight of everything he had been holding inside. "I knew you couldn’t be with me anymore! You don’t love me enough, Mark!"

Tears streamed freely down his face.

"I don’t mean that much to you... no matter how many times you say I do!"

Mark stopped in his tracks.

Slowly, he turned around.

He didn’t say a word.

He simply stood there, looking at Charles.

Charles stumbled to his feet, his vision blurred by tears. In frustration, he slammed a fist against his own chest.

"You’ve always looked down on me!" he cried, his voice breaking. "You’ve always said things that hurt me. You’ve always made me feel dirty... like I wasn’t good enough. You knew I was the one who fell for you first, and you kept pushing me away."

He laughed bitterly through his tears.

"Maybe you’re right. Maybe I am disgusting. Maybe I really am just a slut." His voice cracked. "After hearing those videos... that’s all you can see now, isn’t it?"

Mark’s eyes widened slightly, but he remained silent.

Charles shook his head, tears falling even harder.

"I know I’m not the kind of person you really wanted," he sobbed. "I know you’ve always wanted someone like Adrian instead."

For the first time, genuine confusion crossed Mark’s face. "What?"

"Yes!" Charles shouted, completely losing control. "I know you like someone like him!"

He pointed toward the door as though Adrian were still there.

"No... not someone like him. I know you like Adrian!"

Mark stared at him in stunned disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You think I’m blind?" Charles shouted, every insecurity he’d been hiding finally pouring out. "You think I don’t notice the way you look at him? Every quality you admire... Adrian has it. Every time you talk about him, it’s with so much respect. Every time you compare us..." His voice cracked. "I always come up short."

Mark frowned. "Charles—"

"No!" Charles cut him off. "Let me finish!"

He wiped his face with the back of his hand.

"You think Adrian is worth everything. But me?" He laughed bitterly. "I’m always the one begging for affection. Begging for reassurance. Begging to hear that I’m enough."

His breathing became uneven. "Your brother is always praising Adrian to you. Every single time the two of you talk, he goes on and on about how amazing Adrian is."

Charles looked straight at Mark. "But do you ever talk about me that way?"

His eyes filled with fresh tears. "Never."

Mark looked at him in confusion. "Charles... what are you talking about?"

"I’m talking about everything that’s been hurting me!" Charles cried. "I read your chats with Matteo. Every time he talked about Adrian, he praised him like he was the greatest person in the world."

Charles’s voice dropped into a broken whisper. "But whenever he asked about me... all you’d say was, Charles is doing pretty well too."

He gave a bitter laugh. "That’s it. That’s all I was worth."

Mark let out a short, disbelieving laugh and slowly shook his head.

"Charles..." he said, almost speechless. "What exactly did you expect me to say to him?"

"Everything!" Charles shouted. "Everything!