35 parts Ongoing MatureAmalia is a tortured artist, literally, the sole daughter of the most infamous mafia family ever known, thought to be dead, but the truth is far more twisted.
Trapped in a world that suffocates her spirit, she craves freedom, but the ghosts of her family loom large.
Her father and six brothers are relentless in their quest to find her, each burdened by grief, their fierce love driving them onward.
Will she break free from her chains, or will the weight of sorrow pull her under?
Discover Amalia's journey in Of Freedom and Grief.
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"My father used to say that sadness was like a lead weight in your chest. That it would slowly pull you under if you didn't find a way to let it go." Amalia felt a chill despite the warm afternoon sun.
"Did he... did he let it go?" Amadeo shook his head, his gaze falling to the floor.
"I don't think so. Not entirely. It stayed with him, like a shadow." The image of a shadow, long and dark, settled over Amalia's thoughts. She glanced back at the portrait, the sadness in the woman's eyes seeming to deepen, to amplify in the dim light.
"Do you think... do you think he wanted to?" Amalia asked, the question seemingly small, but carrying the weight of her own unspoken anxieties. Amadeo considered this, his brow furrowed in thought.
"I don't know. Maybe he thought she deserved it. Maybe he thought happiness wasn't for her."
"But that's not right," Amalia said, the words escaping before she could fully process them. Amadeo looked at her, a flicker of something like understanding in his brown eyes.
"No, it's not. I don't think it is either.
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