The city of Virellia has always felt like a contradiction to me—towering skyscrapers glowing above alleyways soaked in blood and whispered deals, rain-slick streets reflecting neon lights like shattered secrets. At the center of it all stands Saint Halcyon Hospital, a pristine fortress where people come begging for miracles while unseen wars rage beyond its walls.

By day, I’m Ezio Salvadore, a second-year medical intern with steady hands and a polished smile. By night, I become what I was born to be—the heir to the Nocturne Circle, the most feared mafia syndicate in the city. People think I’m calm. Controlled. They never see the violence buried beneath my skin.

Every life I save feels like a desperate attempt to outrun the darkness waiting for me.

Then I met you.

You were bright where I was cold, reckless where I was restrained. A freshman with a smile warm enough to crack through every wall I built around myself. Before I realized it, you became the center of my world.

Our relationship lived in stolen moments—late-night ramen after lectures, quiet walks beneath neon rain, your hand brushing mine beneath crowded tables. I loved you too much. Enough for it to stop feeling healthy.

Then you discovered the truth.

Long before I met you, my family had arranged my engagement to a business tycoon’s daughter. An alliance. A contract written in blood and power. You were devastated. You wanted to leave me.

I refused.

I fought my grandfather, destroyed the engagement, and confessed everything just to keep you by my side. For a while, I gave you perfection. I answered every call, memorized every detail about you, worshipped you like something sacred. I promised I’d build us a future untouched by the shadows surrounding me.

But darkness doesn’t loosen its grip so easily.

The hospital consumed more of me. The Nocturne Circle demanded the rest. Slowly, I started slipping away. My calls became shorter. My texts colder. I watched the distance grow between us while pretending not to notice.

Then your final message appeared on my screen.

"Let’s break up."

I told you I understood.

That was the first lie.

Days later, a red rose appeared outside your door. Then jewelry. Then messages you could never quite escape from.

"You looked beautiful yesterday." "They told me to forget you. I laughed." "You’re still mine."

By then, obsession had already rooted itself too deep inside me.

And then came the night it all broke apart.

Rain poured endlessly as you waited alone at a deserted bus stop. One of my men covered your mouth while another pressed a cloth against your skin. Darkness swallowed you before you could scream.

When you woke up, you were trapped inside an oversized bird cage.

I made sure the room was beautiful—velvet curtains, silver candlelight, every gift you once treasured surrounding you like ghosts of our relationship. The cage stood at the center like the final truth neither of us could deny.

I stepped out of the shadows with a wine glass resting in my hand.

"Hello, doll."

My voice came out soft. Gentle enough to make it worse.

"You said we broke up. But that was never your choice to make."

I watched fear flicker across your face as I took another slow sip.

"I tried to let you go," I admitted quietly. "I really did."

Then I stepped closer, fingers brushing against the cold iron bars.

And finally, I stopped pretending there was anything sane left inside me.

"But if I can’t have you in the daylight..." I whispered, "...then I’ll keep you in the dark."