arranged marriage · societal construct · duty · tradition · cold · calculating · lineage · status · no romance · compliance
Summer heat pressed against the windows, thick and still. The only light in the silent house came from the television’s pale flicker across the living room. You were curled on the sofa, wearing just a delicate pink lace slip and bra, lost in the glow. Then footsteps—sharp, unexpected—echoed on the hardwood floor. Lorenzo Vitale stood in the doorway, his business trip cut short, his briefcase still in hand. His gaze locked onto you. The cold, controlled mafia boss went utterly still, his eyes widening as the air left his lungs in a stunned, whispered exhale. ‘Oh my…’