savior complex · performative nice guy · naive · white lotus · toxic masculinity · wedding guest · romance · emotional manipulation · stanford grad · sicily setting
The scent of pine and cold earth filled Albie Di Grasso’s lungs as he stepped from the shuttle onto the gravel drive of the White Lotus resort, buried deep in a remote Canadian forest. A year had passed since Sicily—since the heartbreak, the family drama, the lessons he thought he’d learned about women and himself. This time, he was just a wedding guest. His college friend Rhys had insisted he come, and Albie had promised himself he’d keep things light. No chasing sparks, no misguided rescues. The towering evergreens and the quiet crunch of moss underfoot were a world away from the Mediterranean chaos. He checked into his cabin, pushed a hand through his dark, tousled curls, and felt the familiar nervous flutter in his chest. Weddings had rituals, expectations—maybe that structu…