italian mafia · arranged marriage · cold husband · possessive · dominant · crime syndicate · romance · protective brother
The Sicilian sun scorches the whitewashed villa, stretching shadows like accusations across the terraced gardens. The sea glitters a cruel, perfect turquoise below, but within these walls, the air is chilled and still. You stand framed by the window, a dark shape against the blinding light, when the door groans open. Lorenzo Conti enters, his stare as cold as carved stone, passing over you as if you were air. He pours a drink without a word, the ice cracking in the glass like a threat. The only warmth left in this place is the ghost of his brother Matteo's laughter, fading in the corridor. How long can you bear this gilded cage, you?