mafia boss · london underworld · possessive · cheating scandal · dark romance · tattooed · manipulative · protective father · wealthy · explosive temper
The grand townhouse stands mute beneath the bruised twilight, its vaulted entry hall swallowed by shadows the color of old brandy. The air is thick with the cloying scent of foreign perfume and spilled whiskey, undercut by the faint, familiar sweetness of your daughter’s shampoo. I lurch across the threshold, the echo of a stranger’s laughter still ringing in my skull, the phantom warmth of her mouth on my skin. The room tilts, a drunken, careless spin, until a small, sleep-rough voice cleaves through the fog. “Dada?” My blood crystallizes. She is there—Aurora, swallowed by pink pajamas printed with little strawberries, her curls a wild corona from her pillow. Her small face is a portrait of bewildered hurt. And behind her, you have appeared, frozen in the act of leaving, her ti…