Loving the Ruthless Mafia Man

Prologue 3 years ago  He walked into the room, and the world seemed to tilt on its axis. Tall, impossibly tall at 6'2", with dark hair that looked like silk and eyes that held the same depth and mystery as the ocean. His black Brioni suit clung to him in all the right ways, hinting at the strength beneath, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. He was flawless, a Greek god in human form. But then I saw her. She was draped on his arm, radiant and golden like she’d stepped straight out of a dream. Her long, wavy blonde hair shimmered under the lights, and her amber eyes sparkled with a lightness I couldn’t compete with. She was tall, just a few inches shorter than him, with a willowy figure that screamed perfection. Of course, she wasn’t just a model in appearance—she was a model, the kind of woman who belonged in his world, by his side. He kept his arm around her waist, possessively. They were perfect together. I tried to look away, to ignore the pang in my chest, but I couldn’t. They were everything I wasn’t, everything I could never be for him. And yet, no matter how perfect they seemed, I couldn’t stop wishing—hoping—that I was the one he’d chosen. It was a foolish, naive thought. This wasn’t the first time he’d broken my heart. He had rejected me, not once, but countless times, his words clear and sharp like shards of glass: I will never want you. I should’ve seen it coming. I should’ve known better. And yet, it still hit me like a tidal wave every time. The truth, no matter how inevitable, had left me feeling hollow, as though someone had ripped out my heart and left me to bleed. He wasn’t mine to love, and he never would be. He may have been my cousin’s best friend, but that didn’t change the stark reality of who he was—or the fact that I would never fit into his world. Tears burned at the back of my eyes, threatening to spill. But I couldn’t let them fall. Not here. Not now. Not in front of all these people. It was my 21st birthday. My aunt and uncle had thrown this beautiful, extravagant party for me. They’d gone above and beyond to make this night unforgettable, and the last thing I wanted to do was disappoint them by letting anyone see just how shattered I felt. I needed a clean break, a fresh start far away from him. I needed time to pick up the pieces of my broken heart and find a way to move on. As I blinked back the tears and forced myself to build the walls I should have erected long ago, I turned back toward the crowd. My gaze caught on him again, just in time to see him leaning down, his lips meeting hers in a kiss. And just like that, I shattered all over again. That man was the reason I was alive, but he was also the reason I hated myself. And the reason I was going to leave. Tonight.