๋ก๊ทธ์ธ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐I was lying down, but I knew I wouldnโt sleep.The room was dark.The silence should have been comforting, but my mind wouldnโt obey. It raced in circles, jumping from memory to memory, unable to settle. Every moment from a few hours ago came back, insistent.The eventโฆ Alessandroโฆ the punch. The blood. The body is falling. The man who didnโt move anymore.I had never seen anyone die. Not like that. Not that way. Every detail etched itself into my mind, painfully vivid: the impact of the blow, the blood spreading, the stunned looks around, and the heavy breathing of those who had just witnessed the violence.And yetโฆ it wasnโt the death that disturbed me the most.It was him.The expression on Alessandroโs face. The rage erupting from within him, the control dissolving completely. The Alessandro people knew, cold and calculating, always methodical and confident, had disappeared for a few seconds, replaced by something more primal, more humanโฆ and at the same time,
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐I was tired.Tired of smiling.Tired of pretending.Tired of being introduced as if I were an object.โMy wife.โโHelena.โโNewly married.โThe words were repeated.Like a rehearsed script.As if I werenโt there.As if I were just another accessory displayed beside Dom Vittorio.People smiling.Evaluating me.Watching me.Some with curiosity.Others have too much interest.Lingering stares.Fake smiles.Overly polite greetings.And Dom Vittorioโs hand never left my waist.Heavy.Possessive.His fingers pressed into my skin, as if making it clear to everyone that I belonged to him.I felt nauseous.But I kept smiling.Because I knewโฆIf I stopped, I would pay for it later.I tried to keep my breathing calm.Tried to ignore the discomfort.I tried not to think about how exposed I felt in that dress.I tried not to think about how much I wanted to leave.My mind, involuntarily, searched for him.Alessandro.Even without meaning to, my eyes scanned the room.Searching.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐Bruno grabbed my arm hard.I didnโt resist.I could still feel the blood pulsing through my veins.The adrenaline.The anger.Her image.Always her.We entered an empty room, and Bruno shut the door forcefully.โWhat the hell was that, Alessandro?โI ran my hands over my face.Blood.There was still blood on my fingers.The red contrasted with my skin, with the sleeve of my suit, and with the coldness I always carried.I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm down.But my breathing was still heavy.My entire body is tense.The violence still vibrates in my muscles.โYou killed a man in the middle of a mafia event!โ Bruno continued, incredulous. โYou never do that! You never lose control like that!โI didnโt answer.My mind was still in the hall.In her gaze.Frightened.Eyes wide.Short breaths.That image hit me harder than anything else.The last thing I wanted in the worldโฆWas to frighten Helena.My jaw tightened.I would rather she feared anyone.A
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐I could still feel her warmth.Even hours later.Even there, in the middle of that event filled with voices, fake laughter, and dangerous staresโฆ my mind kept returning to her room.To the moment I almost kissed her.My jaw tightened at the memory.Her eyes.Her faltering breath.The closeness.I had been just a few centimeters away.Very few.If someone hadnโt passed through the hallwayโฆI would have crossed that line.And I knew.I knew exactly what would happen afterward.If I kissed herโฆI wouldnโt be able to control myself anymore.I wouldnโt be able to keep my distance.I wouldnโt be able to pretend it was only protection.It would become something bigger.More intense.More dangerous.And Helena was already in too much danger.Crossing that line meant war.With my father.With the mafia.With everything.And even soโฆPart of me wished I had crossed it.I took a deep breath and brought the glass of whiskey to my lips.The liquid burned as it went down
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐The day passed slowly.Dragging.Heavy.I tried to read.Tried to rest.I tried to distract myself.But my mind always returned to the same place.Alessandro.To the warmth of his body.To the safety I felt.To the way he watched me.To the way he protected me.I sighed, sitting in the armchair near the window.It was strange.I barely knew him.And yet, he was the one I kept thinking about.He was where my mind found some kind of comfort.I closed my eyes for a moment.But I was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.My body immediately tensed.โCome inโฆโ I murmured.The housekeeper opened the door and entered with her usual neutral posture. In her hands, there was an elegant black box.My stomach twisted.I already knew.โOrders from the Don,โ she said, placing the box on the bed. โYou must be ready at eight oโclock.โMy heart tightened.โAre we going out?โโA large event will take place tonight.โMy breathing grew shorter.An event.That meantโฆPeople.Mafia.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐The door closed silently behind Alessandro.I remained still on the bed.The room still seemed filled with his presence.The pillow still held his warmth.My skin still remembered his touch.My heartโฆ was still beating fast.The noises in the hallway continued.Footsteps.Voices.Movement throughout the house.He had left just in time.If someone had seen him thereโฆ everything would have been lost.But stillโฆWhen I realized he had truly goneโฆI felt a strange emptiness.As if something had been pulled away from me.I took a deep breath and ran a hand over my face.My heart took a while to slow down.Then I leaned back against the headboard.And, for the first time since waking upโฆI allowed myself to think.To think about him.To think about everything.It was strange.Very strange.Because I felt safe.Safe beside a man I barely knew.Safe beside the son of the man I feared the most.My throat tightened.How was that possible?How could father and son be so diffe







