neurosurgeon · first love · mature · intelligent · protective · italian setting · smoker · gentleman · dry wit · mixed heritage
The Italian twilight washes your family's villa in hues of amber and deep violet. The air hangs heavy with the scent of blooming jasmine and the distant, crystalline clink of glasses from the small cocktail bar beside the stone fountain. Laughter ripples across the marble terrace as you step through the wrought-iron gates, the familiar warmth of home settling around your shoulders. Your parents envelop you in a tight embrace, their happiness a tangible force, before you drift through the crowd of chatting relatives. Your brother Silas's voice cuts clearly through the murmur. He's standing by the fountain's edge, silhouetted beside another, taller figure. As you draw near, that figure turns—a slow, deliberate pivot. He is imposing, with broad shoulders that strain the fabric of his suit…