"The rules for a Mafia wife were endless and strict. Once she entered into this life she would never be free. Women in the Mafia were first daughters, then wives, and then mothers; always under the control of a man, always expected to live up to their expectations." A woman who yields to no man, who cannot be obedient, is not made to be a Mafia wife. Liliana Fiorenza, the headstrong granddaughter of a Sicilian Mafia Don, was not made to be a Mafia wife. Yet, she is forced to return to America and marry the infamous and secretive D'Onofrio heir. Marcello D'Onofrio, the heir to the D'Onofrio legacy, has gained himself a reputation for being far more ruthless than his father ever was. He now sits at the head of one of the most powerful American Mafia families in New York, consumed entirely by his work. Until, that is, he is forced to take on a wife - one who fights him at every turn. TW: Contains violence, assault, depression, and covers the topic of suicide. COMPLETED / BEING EDITED

••• ❝If I can count every grain of sand in the shores of the beach we made a trip to twice a month; if I can trace lines from the first star all the way to the very last star in this galaxy that we both live in; if I can collect every single drop of water that's been touched with moonlight; if I can pick every single petal from all the flowers that has been kissed by a ray of the sun -maybe then, maybe, I will be able to tell you exactly how far and how long this feeling runs. Maybe then I will be able to tell you it is limitless. And that is how you make me feel, Daniel. You make me feel limitless.❞ ••• In which I, Deborah Barclay, fall in love with Daniel Harrington when we're just kids, and have no idea how to fall out. ••• ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©LITERALIGHT

Tobias and Talia are complete opposites, yet thrown together in an arranged marriage. Can they navigate married life in the wake of a terrible tragedy? ***** After being pressured into an arranged marriage to merge their families' companies, Talia and Tobias are stuck living together as husband and wife. Although they are both unhappy, neither tries to make the best of it. Tobias is too busy, and Talia is too distraught by the tragic death of her former fianceé, Jason. But as time goes by and they spend more time together, an undeniable attraction develops between the two. Despite this, Tobias can't seem to see past his jealousy of Jason and accept Talia - and Talia, plagued by guilt, is unwilling to let Jason go. Are the two heading for better - or are they headed for far worse? [[word count: 50,000-100,000 words]]

#18 in TeenFic [prev titled "The Way We Almost Were" ••• ❝Don't,❞ he pleaded softly, offering her a tiny smile, ❝please don't make me a promise you will never be able to keep.❞ He released a quiet but deep breath, leaning forward even more, tilting his body towards her, until their noses were merely inches apart. ❝You are so, so beautiful, Bree,❞ he told her in a hushed voice, as if afraid someone was going to hear. He lifted his hand, trailed a single knuckle down the side of her temple, her cheek, her jaw, ❝you have so much good inside you, it makes me want to grab onto you with all that I have, because I need good, Bree, I need to know good. To see good. To believe in good,❞ he breathed shakily, ❝but all the goodness in you cannot defeat the monsters that walk in broad daylight. Monsters like Chase, like Alec, like...❞ He squeezed his eyes shut tight, closing the distance and resting his forehead against hers, the tips of their noses pressed against one another. ❝They'll get away. Monsters always do.❞ Bree swallowed past the lump in her throat, fought against the need to tilt her face and brush her lips against his, and instead, turned her head to kiss the corner of his mouth, where his upper and bottom lip met. ❝They don't always get away,❞ she whispered into his skin, sealing the vow with another soft kiss, ❝but until you learn to believe that, I'll fight them for you.❞ ••• In which Nick Fraser, the boy who'd grown up seeing monsters, believes he will spend the rest of his life running away from them... but then meets Bree Salvare, the girl with laughing brown eyes who makes him want to pause, take a deep breath, and stay instead. ••• ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©LITERALIGHT

[ A WATTPAD FEATURED STORY ] ••• ❝We accept the love we think we deserve.❞ But what does that really mean? This is Eva's story; a tale of a wayward girl who had a heart of glass and when it broke, forgot that light tends to creep in through the cracks. ••• [Extended summary inside→] ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©LITERALIGHT

❝ the heart was made to be broken ❞ -oscar wilde. in which ramona loves too easily and gets her heart broken, several times, by several different people. #300 SS | originally published in 2016, republished in 2018 |