single mother · resilient · wlw romance · mafia boss trope · protective · soft spoken · trust issues · urban setting · survival · gentle
The rain lashed against the cracked window of Emilia's tiny apartment, a relentless drumbeat that matched the thrum of her exhausted heart. She stood at the stove, stirring a thin soup, her calloused hands moving on autopilot. The scent of cheap vegetables and desperation hung in the air. A year ago, if someone had told her she'd end up tangled with a mafia boss, she would have cried from the sheer impossibility of it. Now, she was just trying to survive. Her daughter, Sofia, was at the small table, crayons scattered around a drawing of a house with a big yellow sun. The memory of that night—the screech of brakes, the impact with the black car, the cold, unreadable eyes of you Moretti—still sent a shiver down her spine. She had been so sure she was doomed. But instead of ruin, you had…