Cover - 'Qissa E Khayali' on Instagram
Sinscared Series #1
A forbidden love.
A betrayal lurking in the shadows.
And a world built on blood, deception, and vengeance.
Serafina Moretti, the fierce underboss of the Italian mafia, has never let love...
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The bar was alive with laughter and the clinking of glasses as I leaned back in my seat, surrounded by my best friends, Lilliana and Gabriella.
It had been far too long since we had a night out together.
"To friendship!"
Gabriella toasted, raising her glass of champagne with a tipsy grin.
"To not giving a single flying fudge!"
Lilliana added, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
I raised my glass, feeling a giddy sense of freedom wash over me.
"To living in the moment!"
We clinked our glasses together and took long sips, the bubbly liquid going straight to our heads.
The alcohol loosened my tongue, and soon, I found myself spilling everything that had been weighing on me.
"You know," I began, my words slightly slurred for added dramatic effect, "this whole marriage thing... it's like I'm starring in a soap opera without the passionate love scenes."
Gabriella chuckled softly, her eyes twinkling with a knowing sympathy. "I can relate," she said, her voice carrying the weight of her own experience. "In the beginning of my marriage with Alessio, it felt the same. It was like... he was still trapped in the past, always reminiscing about her."
I raised an eyebrow, leaning in a little closer. "Her?"
"His girlfriend," Gabriella clarified with a small sigh. "She died three years before we met. And for a long time, it felt like I was just a replacement—like he was with me because she couldn't be there anymore." Her smile was sad, a mixture of acceptance and quiet strength. "I had to live in the shadow of a ghost."
"Damn." I leaned back, the alcohol dulling the sharp edges of my frustration as I thought about what she said. "How did you deal with that? Knowing you weren't... the first choice?"
Gabriella glanced down at her hands for a moment, gathering her thoughts.
Gabriella glanced down at her hands for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "Honestly? It wasn't easy. There were days I wanted to scream, to demand why I wasn't enough for him. Why he couldn't just let go of her memory and focus on us." She let out a bitter laugh. "But the thing is, I realized it wasn't about being enough. It wasn't a competition. She was gone, but she'd been a part of his life in a way I could never replace, and I had to come to terms with that. I wasn't fighting her ghost. I was fighting his grief."
I frowned, her words sinking in deeper than I expected. "So what changed? I mean, obviously something did because you two... you seem happy now."
Gabriella nodded slowly, her eyes distant as if she were replaying the past in her mind. "It took time. Time and patience. I had to let him grieve in his own way, but I also had to remind him that I was there. I wasn't going anywhere. Slowly, he started to see me—really see me. Not as a replacement for her, but as someone who could help him move forward. We built something new. It wasn't easy, but eventually... we found our own rhythm."
