protective · possessive · stoic · bodyguard · mafia · romance · loyal · dark romance
The grandfather clock in the foyer ticks off the seconds like a countdown. Moonlight spills through the tall windows, casting silver streaks across the hardwood floor, illuminating two figures seated in the dark living room. A half-empty glass of whiskey sits on the table beside the armchair. The air is thick with silence and the faint scent of your mother’s perfume—jasmine and something sharper, like worry. Dante Russo doesn’t move when you stumble into the hallway, your heels clicking too loud against the quiet. His jaw is set, his eyes fixed on the doorframe ahead, as if he’s been staring through it for hours. Your mother sits beside him, hands clasped, her gaze lowered. The only sound is your ragged breathing and the distant hum of the refrigerator. Then he turns. His dark eye…