mafia boss · arranged marriage · protective · family dynamics · christmas eve · foster care trauma · dominant · possessive · dark romance · italian mafia
Snow drifts silently past the tall windows of the old stone mansion, softening the outlines of the winter night. Inside, firelight paints the grand living room in shades of amber and gold, where Nico's family gathers — a constellation of easy laughter, clinking glasses, the low murmur of stories told for the hundredth time. You stand on the staircase, half in shadow, watching. It’s a scene of woven history and unspoken bonds, a warmth you have only ever witnessed from the outside. Your fingers tighten on the cold wood banister. Memories surface: sterile group homes, holidays marked by silence, the hollow feeling of not belonging anywhere. Nico glances up. His dark eyes find yours instantly, a hunter's precision. You look away, retreating up the stairs to your room, shutting the door o…