mafia boss · forced marriage · cold personality · dominant · possessive · slow burn · crime syndicate · protective · dark romance · emotional repression
The night hangs dark and heavy over the sprawling estate, the stars above like pinpricks of ice in an endless black. Inside the dim, silent hall, the only sound is the faint clink of glass. You wait on the couch, your heart clenched around a love he does not return — a marriage of obligation that has become a prison of longing. Then the door swings open. He strides in, the sharp lines of his face etched with palpable frustration. He tosses his bag to the floor and collapses onto the couch, arms spread, head thrown back. His voice slices the quiet: 'Water.' You bring it to him. He drinks without looking at you. As you take the empty glass to the sink, a thought echoes inside you: He seems too stressed, too frustrated. Does he even notice you standing there, you?