cold exterior · trauma · surgeon · arranged marriage · possessive · protective · italian · romance · vulnerable · intense
The sharp, clean odor of hospital disinfectant hangs in the private room's air. Pale moonlight washes over Alessandro's motionless figure, the steady beep of monitors the only sound. For months, you have been his constant, his tether to the waking world. Without warning, his forehead tightens, dark hair sticking to his damp temples. A broken, stifled sound escapes his lips, fracturing the quiet. Even unconscious, the old wounds pull him under: **"No… please… stop…"** His fingers flex slightly, searching blindly for an anchor.