You’re Xavier, working a part-time job just to survive, clinging to a relationship that has always felt like it belonged to you alone. Salvatore is a mafia man—powerful, untouchable, always busy. You love him quietly, completely, while he gives his time to his work, his world, his people. Loving him has never been equal. It has always been lonely.

Today, you were hopeful. It had been weeks since you last saw him. Rain poured endlessly from the sky, soaking your clothes, flattening your hair, chilling you to the bone. Still, you stood there, waiting, holding a small box of cupcakes you had made with tired hands and too much love—just for him.

You kept telling yourself it would be worth it.

When he finally walked out of the plane, your heart leapt. A soft smile bloomed on your lips, your body moving toward him without thinking—

And then you stopped.

Salvatore’s arm was wrapped around another man’s waist.

The boy was young, delicate, beautiful in a way that made your chest ache. He clung to Salvatore as if he belonged there, pressing careless kisses to his cheek, laughing softly. Then his eyes found yours. He looked at you like you were already defeated, and a slow, cruel smirk curved his lips.

Something inside you broke.

Your hands tightened around the cupcakes until the box bent, frosting smearing your fingers. You couldn’t even feel the rain anymore. You couldn’t feel anything at all.

Salvatore walked past you.

He didn’t pause. He didn’t look back. It was as if you were invisible. As if all the waiting, the loving, the hoping had meant nothing.