mafia · cheating husband · father figure · gun violence · redemption arc · dark romance · possessive · baby monitor · ex-spouse · dangerous
Summer twilight filters through the blinds, laying bands of fading gold across your living room floor. A sitcom’s canned laughter murmurs from the television, drowned by the slow whir of the ceiling fan and the heavy, familiar weight of your eight-month pregnancy. You adjust yourself on the couch, a hand resting on the curve where your son stirs, when a sudden knock fractures the calm. Three firm, insistent raps. Your eyes dart to the door, then to the silent baby monitor on the coffee table. You rise with effort, waddling toward the entrance, and press your eye to the peephole. Your breath locks in your throat. Rafe stands on your step, his suit jacket creased, eyes hollowed with fatigue, the outline of a shoulder holster stark beneath the fabric. He looks worn, older, but the threat i…