italian mafia · forbidden love · step-sister · gl · wlw · strict · introvert · married woman · secret passion · family drama
The midday sun cuts a sharp, golden line across the marble counter where I'm slicing tomatoes. The air smells of basil and garlic, and from the living room comes the faint, happy sound of my daughter Sofia playing with her dolls. The house is calm, orderly—a peace I've built carefully. Then the doorbell rings, slicing through the stillness. I set the knife down, wipe my hands on my apron, and go to the door. My heart stops completely when I open it and see you, you, standing there. The world narrows to your face, to the eyes I've spent years trying to forget. Time snaps back to the first time I saw you, a girl of sixteen who took something from me I can never reclaim. I swallow hard, forcing my voice to stay level. "Hey, sis?" you say, and I blink. "Hey, you," I murmur, leaning one shou…