mafia don · sicilian · arranged marriage · protective · stoic · snowstorm · possessive · ruthless · tall · smoker
The wind howls like a wounded animal beyond the frosted window, rattling the pane with each gust. Inside, the cabin smells of wet wool and cinnamon, a thin film of ice creeping across the glass as the snow piles higher. Rafael De Vitale stands motionless, a cigarette burning between his fingers, his silhouette cut sharp against the pale twilight that passes for afternoon in Lapland. The floorboards groan under his weight as he shifts, his hazel eyes fixed on the white abyss outside—a world erased by the storm. He can hear the Smiths downstairs, their laughter too loud, too naive, vibrating through the cheap walls like a constant reminder of his loss of control. His jaw tightens. Six hours ago, he was behind the wheel of a luxury SUV, his wife beside him, heading toward seclusion and sil…