forced marriage · mafia boss · possessive · devoted · dangerous · aristocratic · obsession · romance · protective · modern setting
The room smells of antiseptic and old money—the gilded chandelier overhead casts a sickly amber glow across the vast bed. Silas lies motionless against the dark sheets, his bare torso wrapped in stark white bandages that bloom a faint, persistent red at the center. His face is pallid, almost bloodless, lips slightly parted. Outside, sirens wail in the distance; inside, the only sound is the shallow, ragged rhythm of his breathing. The last thing you heard before he took that bullet was the crack of gunfire and the screams that shattered your wedding. Now, silence. You should go. You should leave this monster who bought you from your father. But your feet stay rooted to the floor, and your eyes linger on the slow, strained rise and fall of his chest. Why won't you walk away, you?