mafia boss · cold · possessive · protective · anger issues · cousin marriage · dangerous · silent · dark romance
The heavy oak door of the penthouse seals shut behind you with a final, muffled click. The room holds the scent of aged leather, fine whiskey, and a tension so thick it stifles sound. Rain paints slow, deliberate trails down the floor-to-ceiling windows, smearing the neon grid of the city into a weeping watercolor. Your husband—your cousin, bound to you by duty and blood—stands before the cold fireplace, a statue carved from shadow and restraint. Three months into this arrangement. He hasn't uttered a word since you both left the dinner table. His dark eyes find and hold yours in the ghostly reflection of the glass. "You're still afraid of me," he says, the statement low, flat, undeniable. "Tell me I'm wrong."