To save her family from financial ruin, Elena Romano is forced into an arranged marriage with the most feared man in New York's underworld-Luca Moretti, a ruthless mafia boss. What begins as a cold, loveless union soon transforms as Elena discovers...
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The room was shrouded in darkness, the soft glow from the lamps stretching long shadows across the walls. The air felt thick, heavy with the weight of everything that had shattered in an instant. I was sitting alone in the middle of it all, the stillness of the space echoing the void in my chest. My parents were gone—taken from me so suddenly that I couldn't quite grasp it. The finality of it felt suffocating.
Grief hit me in waves. One moment, I was numb, staring at the empty walls like they could offer me some kind of explanation. The next, the ache in my chest expanded, threatening to swallow me whole. I could almost hear their voices, see their faces in the most mundane corners of the house. It felt like a cruel dream I couldn't wake up from.
A soft step broke the silence. Luca's presence was like a quiet tether, holding me in the chaos of my emotions. I didn't look up as he settled beside me, his warmth seeping into the cold space I'd wrapped myself in. His hand brushed against mine, a tentative touch, but it felt like a lifeline.
"Elena..." he whispered, his voice low, steady. "I'm here."
I let out a shuddering breath, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. "How is this real? How can they just... be gone? It feels like I'm living in someone else's nightmare."
Luca's fingers curled around mine, his touch a silent promise. "I know. It's hard to believe. But we have to face it, together. You're not alone in this."
I turned to look at him, my eyes blurry, a mix of frustration and sorrow building inside me. "How do I move on from this? How do I live without them?"
His gaze softened, his jaw clenched as if holding back his own storm. "One step at a time. It's okay to not have all the answers right now. It's okay to feel lost. I'm here, and we'll figure it out together."
I wanted to believe him. I needed to believe him. But the truth was, nothing felt certain anymore. Nothing felt solid. "I don't even know who I am without them," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I don't know how to live with this weight."
Luca's hand tightened around mine, grounding me in the moment. "We'll help each other carry it. Every day, we'll carry it until it doesn't feel so heavy anymore."
I could hear the sincerity in his voice, but the ache inside me didn't subside. His words were kind, but they felt like bandages on a wound too deep to heal so easily. I leaned into him, letting his warmth fill the gaps where I felt hollow. But even then, it wasn't enough. The space between us—the grief, the unspoken fears—felt like an insurmountable wall.
Days passed in a blur, each one more suffocating than the last. The house felt emptier without the presence of my parents, and the future felt impossibly distant. But even as I struggled, Luca was there—steady, unwavering. He never pushed me to be okay. Instead, he gave me space to feel everything I was going through, even when it felt like it would swallow me whole.
