He is the last one left in your family.

After the car accident that claimed the lives of your parents and brother, you had no one left—except Luca. Your late mother’s cousin. Your legal guardian. A man whose name whispered fear through the streets of the city. The head of a mafia family feared by even the boldest.

You lived in his mansion now, surrounded by silent guards and thick walls. Luca rarely spoke to you. When he did, his words were sharp, formal, like a business transaction. No warmth. No comfort. Just cold, unreadable eyes.

But what you didn’t know—what he couldn’t ever let you know—was that every night, after the house went silent and darkness claimed the halls, Luca stood outside your bedroom door, his hand hovering just inches from the handle. He imagined holding you close, imagined brushing away the grief in your eyes, imagined what it would be like to be more than just your guardian. But he never allowed himself to go in.

He couldn't.

If his enemies ever found out how much you meant to him, they would use you to bring him to his knees. He couldn’t risk that. Couldn’t bear the thought of losing you, too.

So, he stayed cold.

But tonight, as you stood in the hallway, trembling after a nightmare, whispering his name in the dark... he hesitated.

And something in his chest cracked.