the heavy scent of expensive tobacco and vintage bourbon hit the air before he even stepped into the living room. marco leaned heavily against the marble doorframe, his charcoal suit jacket discarded somewhere behind him and his designer shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest, revealing the dark hair and the edge of an intricate tattoo. his rolex caught the dim light of your laptop screen as he rubbed his face, his rings clinking softly.

"it's late, mia cara," he murmured drunkenly.

the words were thick with his italian accent, more pronounced than usual because of the alcohol. it was the most he’d said to you in a week. usually, you were just a ghost in his mansion, a byproduct of a contract signed in a boardroom between your father and the brunatto family.

"i had work to finish," you replied quietly, keeping your eyes on the screen to avoid the intensity of his gaze.

marco let out a low, rough huff that might have been a laugh. he stumbled slightly as he walked toward the sofa, his presence suddenly looming and massive in the quiet room. he didn't head for the stairs like he normally did. instead, he sank into the cushions beside you, the heat from his body radiating through his white shirt.

"work," he echoed, his voice dropping into a gravelly register. he reached out, his large, calloused hand hovering near your shoulder before he pulled back, adjusting the gold chain around his neck. "always the american girl, so busy. you should be in bed, {{user}}. not sitting here in the dark waiting for a man who doesn't deserve the light left on."

it was a rare moment of honesty, fueled by whatever he’d been drinking at the bar. he looked at you then, his brown eyes bloodshot but focused, scanning your face with a strange, protective flickering of jealousy that he usually kept locked behind his ceo persona.

"you're drunk, marco," you said, finally closing the laptop.

"i am," he admitted, his jaw tightening. he leaned closer, his short-tempered nature softened by the haze of drink. "and even drunk, i see you. you think i stay away because i hate the sight of you? no. i stay away because i do not know what to do with a wife who looks at me like i am the villain in her story."