12 year old Julie has learned that silence is safer than words. After a tragedy leaves her alone, injured, and grieving, Julie is sent across the world to live with seven half-brothers she never knew existed. Their home is grand, powerful, and unfamiliar - filled with people who want to protect her, even if some of them do not know how to love her gently yet. But Julie carries more than the loss of her mother. Behind her quiet eyes are secrets she swore she would never tell, memories she cannot outrun, and a heart that has learned to survive by hiding. As her brothers try to reach the little sister they never knew they had, Julie must decide whether silence will keep protecting her - or if family can become the first place where she no longer has to disappear.

Aria Moretti has been through tragedies that no teenager should have to suffer through in their childhood. When her abusive foster parents are arrested, Aria finds her father and 7 brothers who have been searching for her since she was kidnapped at the age of 3. Also, they live in Italy. And did I mention they are the Italian Mafia. Aria's past holds secrets that affect the entire Moretti family. Secrets that not even Aria knows about herself that will be uncovered.

Eleonora "Nora" was born in Italy, into a powerful family she never truly came to know. At just two years old, her life was quietly uprooted. Though her parents had separated, that was never the real reason she left. Hidden from her was a far more dangerous truth-threats from rival families that made her a target, and sending her away was the only way to keep her safe. Taken to St. Tropez with her mother, Nora grew up believing she had simply been given a different life. She was told her father had died when she was only a baby, a story carefully crafted to protect her from a world she was never meant to see, cut off from her Italian family. But the safety she was promised never truly existed. Behind closed doors, under the control of her stepfather, Nora's world slowly darkened. Years of abuse were buried beneath silence, enforced by fear and threats she was too young to fully understand, yet too terrified to ignore. When her mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Nora is faced with an impossible choice-tell the truth and risk breaking the fragile peace her mother clings to, or stay silent and carry the weight alone. In the end, her mother makes the choice for her. With her final act, custody of Nora is transferred to her eldest brother, Lorenzo-bringing her back to Italy for the first time since she was a toddler, and into a family she doesn't remember, yet has always belonged to. Now, free from the man who controlled her life, Nora must confront the shadows of her past and navigate a world she was never meant to be part of. Because while her stepfather disappears the moment he loses his hold over her, the damage he left behind doesn't vanish with him. And for the first time in her life, Nora must learn what it truly means to be safe... and to finally belong. ⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS ⚠️ Sexual Abuse Physical Abuse PTSD Self Harm Suicidal Thoughts Body Dysmorphia

•ＳＹＰＮＯＳＩＳ• 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝑩𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒊 isn't your typical ordinary teenage girl. In fact, 'ordinary' is the least word to describe who and what she is. She is a master of stealth, a virtouso of violence, and a deadly assassin known in the underworld as Velvet Viper. Feared by many, no one dares to cross her path. She is considered a devil in her own right. One day, Valentina stumbles upon a truth that shatters her entire existence: she has a family, a revelation that could ignite chaos and destruction. Despite this revelation, both sides have kept secrets from each other, secrets that, once revealed, will leave them in utter shock. The question remains: will they ever open up and confront these hidden truths, or will they forever remain concealed in their own shadows? ________________________________ ＊✿❀ ᗰᗩᖴIᗩ'Տ ᗩՏՏᗩՏՏIᑎ ՏᗴᖇIᗴՏ❀✿＊ ♥ 𝐌𝐀𝐅𝐈𝐀'𝐒 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 (#BOOK 1) ♥ 𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍(#BOOK 2)

She survived captivity. She survived torture. She survived things no child should ever endure. But nothing prepared her for discovering that being forgotten hurts less than being second choice.

At the early age of 1, a pair of twins were kidnapped and taken from their father and brothers. After their disappearance was reported, they searched for them high and low. After being abuse my their mom and stepdad for 15 years, Isabella and Marcello are no longer those sweet and innocent kids that they once were, now they're just broken. But happens when they find out that they have a family? Secrets and past memories come to light. Read the missing twins to find out.

Taken from her family at the age of four, because of a deep grudge, Aria doesn't remember the place she used to call home. All she knows now, is silence and pain. All she has is her broken self, and the hope of being free one day. She's been called a curse, and she's been called worse- to the point where Aria doesn't know what is true or not. She'll never escape the hell she's in, she'll never have a home or a family, right? *Sneak peek* Aria: "Where the hell are you?!" I wake up with a jerk on the cold floor of the kitchen's store. The rope that he used to keep me there when his friends were over, bit into my skin, and was now stained with red. He had forgotten. Again. But that was a good thing, because it means I didn't get beatings last night. I tired to move, but the pain from my ankle was sending vibrations to my brain, and I winced, my back hitting the wall hard. I closed my eyes, praying he won't find me- but luck is never on my side. He opens the door, and smirks as he looks down at me. His eyes were clear, he wasn't drunk. That was bad. He made it more painful when he wasn't. He undid the rope, and dragged me by the hair, into the kitchen. "You little bitch. Growing wings now, are we?" He threw me on the floor and kicked my ribs. Pain flared through me, but I shut my eyes tight. Don't make a sound. "Make me my damn breakfast right now. And I want it prepared next time or else." I nod my head, and get to my feet. But he dragged me towards him by the neck, my back to his front. His hand went under my shirt, the threat hanging in the air, and I squeezed my eyes shut. "Do you hear me?" I nod. His hand went up to my chest, and I swallowed the nausea rising up in me. "Yes who?" "Yes Daddy." I choked out. Then he pushed me towards the stove and walked out.

𝐆𝐈𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎, a young girl who's never known stability. Raised by a reckless, unstable mother, she spent her childhood caught between drug runs and police raids, ruining her right for a normal childhood. One night when her mother goes missing, Giulia's whole life changes... again. Will being under the guardianship of her new older brothers give her a chance at normalcy in her life or will they cause even more mess than before? Healing isn't easy and trust doesn't come free. ☆ ☆ ☆ As I lied there in the hospital bed with a pounding headache, practically suffocating me while barely conscious, I heard that familiar, raspy, deep, sleep deprived voice that I've recently come to find comfort in. "Nessuno oserà toccarti di nuovo senza perdere le mani, amore," they whispered. (No one will dare touch you again without losing their hands, love.) I felt two hands hold my face with a soft kiss on my forehead. Their rough and large hands a contrast to their gentleness. The comforter over me shuffled as the familiar person brought them up to my chin and tucked me in. "Riposati ora sei al sicuro, bambina," they murmured, stroking my hair. Before I knew it, simply the presence of them reassured me as I felt myself drift off again into a deep sleep. (Rest now, you're safe, baby). ☆ ☆ ☆ 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄 (noun): a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream.

E·phem·er·al (adj.) Lasting for a very short time ִֶָ 𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆★⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ Aurora has spent her past thirteen years surviving, not living. Trapped in a broken home filled with cruelty and violence, every day has been a battle against the monsters she was forced to call family. Stained by her striking appearance--skin, hair, and eyes devoid of pigment--Aurora has always stood out. But one night, when flashing lights and sirens tear through the darkness of her world, everything changes for her. Her nightmares have been taken away in handcuffs, and for the first time, Aurora is free. Or so she believes. Swept away to a sprawling residence in New York, she's thrown into a new life with six mysterious older brothers she's never met, secrets buried in every corner, and danger that feels strangely familiar. As Aurora tries to rebuild, she begins to worry if the past is truly behind her, or if something even darker has been waiting all along. Wanting a future built upon more than merely scraping by, Aurora knows its time she fights for what was previously impossible. She's ready to live and claim her new life as more than Ephemeral. Even if it kills her. ִֶָ 𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆★⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ ⏾ The first couple chapters are short but get longer as you go. NO AI HAS GONE INTO EPHEMERAL.

⚠️ CHAPTER 41 - 100 ARE PAID CONTENT VIA KO-FI ⚠️ ── ─ ┈┈┈┄┄╌╌ The De Luca brothers reign supreme in the underworld, holding dominion over the ruthless realm of the Italian Mafia. They are cold, merciless, driven by madness, their loyalty solely to blood. Yet, their lives take an unexpected turn when they discovered their thirteen years old little sister. *** "When she was choking me, is that... love?" She whispered, her voice barely audible, each word trembling as if afraid to leave her lips. Her eyes, wide and glassy, searched mine desperately, seeking a truth that she couldn't grasp amidst the fog of confusion and despair that clouded her mind. My heart seethed with rage, a torrent of emotions crashing against the walls of my restraint, threatening to betray the stoic facade I had carefully constructed. I wanted to scream, to shake her out of this misguided belief. Hestia, my little sister, stared back at me. Her innocence tainted by the cruel hands of someone who had twisted the meaning of love into something unrecognizable. She couldn't differentiate the painfully obvious truth, the clear distinction between love and control, kindness and cruelty. It was as if the very essence of her spirit was being suffocated, just as her breath had been. ── ─ ┈┈┈┄┄╌╌ ⚠️ Trigger Warning: This story contains sensitive and emotionally distressing themes, including emotional abuse, manipulation, disturbing family dynamics, morally corrupt characters, sexual assault, rape, psychological trauma, and mature content. Reader discretion is advised. © 2026 [CherylZielle]. All rights reserved. Do not copy or distribute the story without permission.