Chapter One: After the Funeral
818 Words
The house had never been quiet before my mother died.
Now, silence lived in every corner.
It clung to the marble floors, the tall windows, the long hallways that echoed when I walked through them alone. A year had passed since the funeral, yet the mansion still felt like a place frozen in grief—like it was holding its breath, waiting for something terrible or forbidden to happen.
I am eighteen now. Old enough to know I should have left.
But I stayed.
Because I had nowhere else to go.
Marina had married Jimmy just a year before she died. One year of luxury, fear, and secrets she never shared with me. One year of pretending she was happy, pretending the danger surrounding him didn’t exist.
Then she was gone.
A car accident, they said. Clean. Quick.
I never believed that.
I stood at the large window in my bedroom, staring out at the city lights below. Night made everything look softer, less dangerous. Lies were easier to believe in the dark.
The door creaked open behind me.
I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
Jimmy.
“You’re still awake,” his voice said, low and calm—too calm for a man who ruled half the city’s underworld.
I faced him slowly.
He stood in the doorway like he owned the shadows themselves. Black shirt, sleeves rolled up, tattoos peeking from beneath the fabric. He hadn’t aged much since marrying my mother, but something about him felt heavier now. Colder.
His eyes lingered on me longer than necessary.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I said quietly.
He nodded once, stepping inside without asking. He never asked. “You should try. You look tired.”
“I am tired.”
Of this house. Of him. Of missing her.
Jimmy studied me like I was a problem he hadn’t yet decided how to solve. “You don’t have to stay here, Sofia.”
The lie tasted bitter.
We both knew I couldn’t leave. Not without money. Not without protection. Not without stepping straight into a world far more dangerous than this one.
“This is my home" I hesitated "For now” I said
There had always been rules between us. Unspoken ones. Distance. Respect. Control. He had never touched me beyond a hand on my shoulder, never crossed a line—but the air between us had changed since my mother’s death.
Thicker. Heavier.
Dangerous.
“I’m going out,” he said after a moment. “Don’t open the door for anyone.”
“I never do.”
His gaze flicked to my lips before snapping back to my eyes. “Good.”
He turned to leave, then paused. “Sofia.”
“Yes?”
“You remind me of her sometimes.”
My chest tightened. “My mother?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t know whether to feel comforted or afraid.
The door closed behind him, and I exhaled shakily. I hated how my heart reacted to him—how it raced when he entered a room, how my skin felt too warm under his gaze.
I shouldn’t feel this way.
He was my stepfather.
He was dangerous.
And yet… I missed him when he was gone.
I wandered downstairs, the mansion echoing with my footsteps. The smell of whiskey lingered in the air, mixed with leather and smoke—his scent. I poured myself a glass of water and leaned against the counter, trying to concentrate on other things.
This house was swallowing me whole.
I heard the door open again far sooner than expected.
Gunshots echoed outside.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I froze.
Voices shouted. Heavy footsteps thundered through the hallway. Before I could move, Jimmy was in front of me, a gun in his hand, blood on his knuckles.
“Go upstairs,” he ordered sharply.
“What happened?” I whispered.
His eyes softened just slightly. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
“I heard—”
“Now, Sofia.”
I obeyed.
From the staircase, I watched as his men dragged someone unconscious through the door. My stomach twisted. This was his world. A world my mother had stepped into—and never walked out of.
Later that night, I sat on my bed, shaking.
A knock sounded softly.
Jimmy entered without waiting.
“You shouldn’t have seen that,” he said.
“But I did.”
Silence stretched between us.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said finally. “You’re under my protection.”
I looked up at him. “Is it everything okay"
“Go to sleep,” he said, voice tight.
As he turned to leave, I realized something weird
My stepfather has changed alot with his attention almost always on me I don't know what it is but I hope it's not wat am thinking
- Writer
