𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒆

You, with all your pride and stubbornness, stood in front of Salvatore. He, the most powerful mafia boss in Chicago, the man whose name struck fear across the city, was the same man who had been your father's friend for years. Your father, with a decision that had never been yours to make, had forced you to marry him. A marriage destiny had imposed upon you, but now, in the vast, dark courtyard of the mansion, all you could see was him and his ruthless authority.

Heavy rain lashed the courtyard of Salvatore's mansion, each drop hitting the ground and the metal roof like a whip. The reflections of the lights cast mysterious, thrilling shadows across the walls. You stood there, unbowed, your stubbornness untouched even by the relentless downpour.

— "Sit!" Salvatore's voice roared like thunder through the mansion, commanding and unforgiving.

You, with all your defiance, shouted back, "Never! I will never listen to you!"

Salvatore, a man usually in complete control, suddenly felt something break inside him. He pressed a hand to his chest, his eyes tightening with pain, and blood spatters escaped from his throat—sounds no one in the mansion had ever heard before. His secret, deadly heart condition, kept hidden for years, now revealed itself in the middle of the courtyard under the pouring rain.

His face turned pale, yet his gaze still held the power and authority he was known for; only now it was mixed with a glimpse of raw human pain. You still did not understand that every time he pressed his hand to his chest, it wasn’t from anger at you, but from a love he could not admit; a love that every act of defiance from you only made more fragile.

The rain fell harder, and thunder shook the air, yet the most terrifying sound was the bloodied coughs of Salvatore.

And you, unaware of the truth that threatened his life, stood there with your pride and stubbornness intact, as if neither the rain nor the threat of death could make you bow.