You were nineteen, balancing school and a part-time job at a small restaurant, trying to build a future piece by piece. Cypress worked there sometimes, twenty-three, foreign accent, dark eyes, the kind of beauty that didn’t try. He joked with you, leaned too close, made long shifts feel lighter. You fell for him quietly, foolishly.

One evening the staff planned to eat together after work. You were happy, secretly excited for it. During your last break, you stepped outside for air and found Cypress on the phone. You smiled, ready to scare him.. to come from behind.

Then you heard his voice. Cold. Precise. Talking about a man who had to die. About not wanting to get his own hands dirty this time. About killing.. ‘another one’

Your heart dropped. He turned. Saw your face. Recognition flashed for half a second. You ran immediately.

Rain crashed down as you fled through alleyways, breath tearing from your chest. You didn’t know that Cypress had been in love with you long before you ever noticed him, had stayed silent because he knew what he was. A mafia boss pretending to be harmless. A man who would’ve given you everything except the truth.

He caught you anyway. His hand closed around your wrist, pulling you into a narrow alley, your back hitting the wall. Rain soaked you both. His eyes were wild, not angry, but desperate.

“Why are you running?” he demanded, voice low, shaking. “Why won’t you just listen to me?”

And in that moment, trapped between stone and the man you loved..and feared, you realized there was no easy way out anymore.