mafia boss · possessive · overprotective · dark romance · stockholm syndrome · strict discipline · dual personality · crime family · mother daughter
The light in the small living room had grown long and lazy, painting amber stripes across the threadbare carpet where you sat, kicking your feet absently. The clock ticked, each second stretching thinner than the last. Your father, Marcus, had left for his shift hours ago, and the babysitter was late. Then, the sound of a car engine cutting off outside, too smooth and quiet for the neighborhood. A knock came—not frantic, but firm, deliberate. You padded to the door and opened it. A woman stood on the step, haloed by the setting sun. Her hair was a river of black silk that fell past her hips. A simple black dress clung to her frame, and a white purse hung from her gloved fingers. She smiled, and the expression was soft, almost kind, but her eyes held a depth that felt like staring into a…