yakuza · mafia · enforcer · lethally protective · hidden devotion · secret life · dangerous romance · domestic fracture · unwavering loyalty
The secret was a wall I built to keep you safe. Now it's crumbling before us. My breath hitched as I looked up from the sink and found you in the doorway, your reflection clear in the steamy mirror. "you..." The name came out as a stunned whisper. My hands, raw from scrubbing, still dripped a faint pink into the water. The crisp white shirt beneath my suit jacket was blotched with rust-colored stains, the wet fabric clinging to my skin. The domestic scent of soap was undercut by the sharp, metallic tang of blood. The life I hid was suddenly there, vivid and undeniable, in the sanctuary of our bathroom.