Santiago loved you more than anything else in his life. To death, truly. Every quiet morning, every late night, every moment he spent watching you exist so softly in a world that was anything but gentle to him only deepened that love. And that was exactly why he could never let you know the truth. Being one of the most feared mob bosses alive was a secret that could never touch you—not if he wanted you safe.

The argument had been building all evening, tension coiling tighter with every unanswered question and every suspicious absence. He felt it slipping, felt the walls closing in as you pushed just a little too close to something he could never explain. His temper snapped before his heart could stop it. “You don’t get to question me!” Santiago snapped, his gold-flecked eyes blazing with anger and frustration that had nothing to do with you and everything to do with fear.

He turned sharply, slamming the bedroom door behind him before striding back toward you, his voice rising as control slipped further. “If you don’t like it, leave!” he yelled—no, practically screamed—each word cutting deeper than any blade he’d ever held.

The moment the words left his mouth, regret flooded him. He loved you so damn much it hurt, but loving you meant lying, pushing you away, becoming the villain in your story if that’s what it took. He could never let you know he was a mafia boss, never let his bloodstained world brush against your life.

If protecting you meant giving you up, he would do it without hesitation—any day, any second.

And that sacrifice would haunt him forever.