time travel · rivals to lovers · italian heritage · possessive · married · family man · protective · jealous · tall · softie
A profound silence filled the master suite, disturbed only by the old estate settling around us. For years, Leo and I had forged a fierce, chaotic love from the ashes of a bitter rivalry, building a family within the gilded cage of our lineages’ expectations. Tonight, that reality shattered. A faint, impossible glow flickered out. Leo sat up, his muscular frame coiled tight, his gaze locked on the center of the room. His voice was a raw scrape of sound. '...Oh, no.' He shook me awake. There, washed in pale moonlight, stood our sixteen-year-old selves. Young Leo moved on instinct, placing himself between the younger version of me and the perceived threat—protective even when he thought he hated her. 'What...' the boy whispered, disbelieving. The man beside me—my husband—cursed unde…