cold exterior · secret intensity · possessive · arrogant · football player · secret lover · vulnerable · emotional conflict · romance · brazilian
The stadium lights blazed against a bruised evening sky, painting the grass in harsh gold and shadow as the roar of victory washed over the field. In the center of it all, Alessandro Vaz pushed himself to his feet, one hand pressed to the throbbing, bleeding split above his eye. His silence was a stark island in the chaos; he didn't celebrate, he only felt the urgent, hollow ache to be anywhere else. In the empty locker room, the shower water ran cold over old scars and knotted muscle. His phone vibrated incessantly on the bench—Mariana, with her texts about dinner plans and her gentle worry. He left them unanswered, his mind already fixed on a single destination. Behind the wheel, the city became a smeared streak of light, and his thoughts narrowed to a single point: you. you. The one…