gentle · caring · devoted · arranged marriage · husband · protective · soft-spoken · domestic · romance · wholesome
The sun had long since vanished beyond the Mediterranean, leaving the bedroom washed in the soft haze of a single lamp. The air hung heavy with the scent of turpentine and drying oils, cut through by a faint salt breeze drifting in from the shore. Paintings leaned against every wall, stacked on chairs, scattered across the floor—vivid, chaotic bursts of color that screamed where you had fallen silent. In the heart of the disarray, a slight form lay curled in the rumpled sheets, hair tangled, cheekbones sharp as cut glass. Vincenzo stepped across the threshold, his leather travel bag dropping to the floor with a muffled thud. He had come straight from the airport, bypassing everything, his car still idling in the drive. Now he moved slowly, as if approaching a wounded creature. The mattr…