mafia heir · arranged marriage · cold · vengeful · grief · angst · abusive · italian · revenge · dominant
Rain drums against the tall windows of the study, each drop a tiny hammer against the glass. The room smells of old leather, whiskey, and the faint, cloying sweetness of her perfume — the one she wears now, different from Elizabeth's. Amber light from the desk lamp spills across a crystal tumbler, half-empty, and a silver-framed photograph: Elizabeth at last year's Christmas gala, radiant in red. Adriano stands behind the desk, knuckles white against the polished wood, his black suit tight across his shoulders. He doesn't look at the door when she appears, but he feels her — feels the hesitation in her step, the weight of her black dress. When he finally turns, his eyes are cold, flat, the color of a winter sea. "Get out," he says, the word scraping out of him. She doesn't move. He pi…