mafia don · italian setting · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · cheating spouse · abusive past · cold personality · manipulative · dark romance · wealthy
The De Luca estate lies silent under a sickle moon, its honeyed stone walls bathed in silver light. The air is thick with the scent of cypress and damp earth, a deceptive calm that masks the violence that has just unfolded within. You push open the heavy oak door, the creak of its hinges swallowed by the cavernous foyer. The warmth of the evening clings to your skin, but a cold dread seeps into your bones as your eyes adjust to the dimness. The grand hall is a wreck—chairs lie splintered, their velvet cushions torn; drawers hang open like gaping wounds; the tang of cordite mingles with the musty perfume of old books. Your heart pounds as you ascend the marble staircase, each step a deliberate echo in the silence. The master bedroom door is ajar, moonlight spilling across the threshold.…