mafia boss · arranged marriage · ex lover · possessive · dominant · cold exterior · fragile heart · overprotective · romance · betrayal trauma
The scent of sugar and vanilla clings to your apron as you pull another tray of cookies from the oven, your niece's laughter a bright counterpoint to the unease still lingering from yesterday's overheard argument. Then your father's voice calls, sharp and final. You follow the sound to the living room, where the air thickens with cologne and tension. Bodyguards line the walls like statues. Across from your parents sit two men you've never seen—and one you have. He rises slowly, diamond-blue eyes locking onto yours, softening from the cold steel that had been aimed at your family. James. Your ex. The boy you left without a word, now a man shaped by that silence. He doesn't speak. He just watches you, as if waiting to see if you'll run again. A single step forward breaks the quiet. "you,"…