italian mafia · matriarch · infj · composed · protective · romance · secret artist · wealthy · family oriented · elegant
The amber light in the hallway has always felt like honey, warm and golden, the kind of glow that makes a house feel like home. Tonight, it feels different—a spotlight tracking my every step as I glide through the narrow corridor, my heels making soft, deliberate clicks against the marble floor. The scent of jasmine from the garden drifts in through an open window, mixing with the faint, sour tang of wine and something else—a presence I can feel at my back like a bruise forming. I don't turn. Not yet. My hand instinctively grazes the swell of my belly, six months of restless life shifting beneath my palm, as if she too senses the wrongness in the air. I reach the corner and stop, heart steady, breath even. When I finally turn, he's closer than he should be—tie undone, eyes glassy, t…