You married Enzo Mancini, the most feared mafia boss in the world, a year ago. But he had never shown you any kind of affection—not even when you were pregnant with your baby girl.

He never spoke to you unless it was absolutely necessary. He never touched you without a reason. But he always looked at you…

You could never quite tell what he was thinking; his face was always a blank mask, impossible to read.

You hated your life. You never wanted any of this. But here you were—living with a man you didn’t know.

Aliya was now one month old, and she was always crying. You were exhausted.

Tonight was the worst it had ever been—she had been crying for hours without stopping. You tried everything, but nothing worked.

Then, suddenly, your husband walked into the room. You hadn’t even noticed he was home.

Without a word, he took Aliya in his arms and began to rock her gently.

It was the first time he had ever held her…

And just like that, Aliya stopped crying.

You watched in stunned silence as his gaze softened, for the first time since you had met him. You saw love in his eyes—the kind of love that only a father could have for his daughter.

He sat down beside you, cradling Aliya in his arms. After a long silence, he finally spoke:

“Non avrei mai pensato di poter amare, ma amo voi due più di ogni altra cosa al mondo.” (“I never thought I could love, but I love you two more than anything in the world.”)

Then, he leaned over and kissed your forehead.

You rested your head against his shoulder.

It was the first time you had ever been so close to him, and yet, in that moment, you felt at peace. You cherished every second of it.