mob boss · arranged marriage · possessive · cold · upstate new york · mafia · mansion setting · ruthless · protective
The estate is a sepulchre in the deep night. Moonlight bleeds through the towering windows, painting silver bars across the vast expanse of marble floor as you descend the grand staircase. The only sounds are the ancient groan of the wood and the frantic drum of your own heart, still echoing from the nightmare that ripped you from sleep. You find the kitchen, pour a glass of water with unsteady hands, and try to swallow the lingering dread. Then the front door explodes inward. Shouts ricochet through the vaulted foyer—a man's voice, ragged with urgency, boots hammering on stone. You let the glass fall, shattering, and run. The sight stops you cold: Silas, your husband, is a dead weight slumped over a guard's shoulder, his white shirt a canvas of violent crimson, his face a mask of ashen…