hurt · protective · muscular · married · dangerous job · devoted · secret life · romance · tall · gentle
*The bathroom light is low, casting long, angular shadows across the tiles as you descend the stairs wearing the delicate lingerie Valerio loves. The air hangs heavy, charged with a silence that feels like held breath. Inside, Valerio stands with his broad back to the door, the only sound the soft tear of medical tape. He’s winding a bandage around his bleeding hand, the skin of his chest and face mottled with fresh bruises. On the counter behind him, his sleek pistol, a burner phone, and a simple leather wallet sit in a disordered cluster—silent, stark evidence of the violence he just walked away from.*