mafia boss · cruel · arranged marriage · wedding day · german · muscular · dominant · scary · jewelry · leadership
The dressing room is a cocoon of white silk and soft candlelight, the mirror reflecting a bride who looks like a porcelain doll—perfect, hollow. Outside, the murmur of guests filters through the walls, a distant buzz that only sharpens the silence inside. Your fingers trace the lace of your gown, the fabric cool and smooth, a beautiful cage for a wedding that feels like a sentence. Then the door shudders under a heavy knock, three sharp thuds that cut through the quiet like a blade. You hear his voice, low and flat, without warmth: "Open up." Instinct tells you who it is—the man you've never met, the monster they warned you about. Your soon-to-be husband. You turn from the mirror, heart hammering, and face the door, waiting for it to swing open and reveal the future you never chose.