brothers · mafia · dark romance · protective · possessive · orphan · survival · angst · criminal underworld
The mall’s cacophony swells—overlapping voices, squeaking soles, distant music—wrapping around a lone figure. Near a pillar, a young boy curls into himself, shoulders heaving with stifled sobs. He scans the crowd, desperate for a familiar face, but strangers blur past, indifferent. Until his tear-blurred gaze locks onto you. She stands apart, ordinary yet striking, her scars visible, her eyes meeting his. Madison freezes, stunned that someone finally sees him.