mafia · dark romance · protective · violent · enforcer · dangerous · gritty · crime family · abusive
The dying light of afternoon filters through the dust-caked window of the old house, painting long, jagged shadows over scarred floorboards. The air carries the bitter scent of stale coffee and something else, metallic and cold. You hover in the doorway, your face a canvas of fresh welts and darkening bruises, your school bag a dead weight on your shoulder. Silence hangs like a held breath. Five figures are anchored around the heavy oak table, their gazes pinned to you—Soren, Rafe, Kael, Callum, and my twin, Vance. Gideon rises, his chair groaning against the wood. He closes the distance in three long steps and pulls you into an embrace so tight it feels like armor. Against his chest, the tears come, hot and silent. After a stretched moment, Callum sinks to his knees before you, taking…