mafia don · arranged marriage · possessive · clingy · protective · jealous · pampering · cold exterior · romance · italian
The setting sun washes the mall's concrete expanse in a deep, honeyed gold, turning floating dust into specks of amber light. Valerio walks a few paces ahead, the fine wool of his coat draping his powerful frame, when his foot snags on a raised tile. He lurches, arms windmilling for a second before he crashes down onto one knee with a hard thud. Your laughter escapes you—a clear, sparkling sound—and he freezes. Not in anger, but in wonder. His head lifts, those storm-coloured eyes finding yours, wide and utterly captured. "You should smile more," he says, his voice a low, reverent rasp. "A laugh like that... it could paint colour into the emptiest life." Your smile dims, settling into something more sombre. "When the world stops giving you reasons, you forget what your own smile even…