Their First Fight
843 Words
It happened three days later.
Lily got a text from an unknown number. A photo. Her. Leaving the tailor.
Under it: “Nice ring. It’ll look good in a box.”
She dropped her phone.
Matteo was there in seconds. He saw the text. His face went blank. The scary blank.
“Who has your number?” he asked, voice deadly quiet.
“No one! I just got a new phone yesterday!”
“Exactly.”
He was on the phone before she could blink.
“Find her. Now. Sweep the building. Check the cameras. I want names in 10 minutes.”
He hung up and turned to her.
“Pack a bag.”
“What? No…”
“We’re leaving. Tonight. Safehouse.”
“I’m not running…”
“This isn’t a request, Lily!” He shouted. Then stopped himself.
He ran a hand through his hair. When he spoke again it was low.
“Someone got close enough to take that picture. That means they’re close enough to hurt you. I’m not losing you because you want to be stubborn.”
Lily’s eyes filled. She blinked fast. “I’m not a prisoner.”
“No,” Matteo said. He stepped closer. Thumb under her chin. “You’re mine. And I protect what’s mine.”
She hated that it made her feel safe instead of trapped.
They didn’t go to the safehouse. The threat was traced to a kid paid 500 dollars. No real danger.
But that night, Matteo didn’t sleep in his room.
He slept in the chair in her room.
“In case,” he said when she asked.
“In case what?”
“In case you have another nightmare.”
She didn’t argue.
Two Weeks Later: The Dinner
The Russo dining room was too big. Too bright. Too many eyes.
Don Vincenzo Russo sat at the head. Old. Sharp. Eyes like Matteo’s.
His wife, Caterina, smiled too much.
His brother, Luca, and Luca’s wife, Sofia, watched Lily like she was a puzzle.
“So,” Vincenzo said, cutting his steak. “This is the girl.”
“This is Lily,” Matteo said. His hand found Lily’s under the table. Squeezed once. “My wife.”
Lily smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Pregnant too, I hear,” Caterina said sweetly.
Lily almost choked. Matteo’s hand tightened.
“Early,” he said smoothly. “We’re not announcing yet.”
The rest of dinner was questions. Where they met. How long. Did she cook.
Lily answered. Matteo answered for her when she couldn’t.
On the drive home, neither spoke for 20 minutes.
Finally Lily whispered, “Your mother hates me.”
“My mother hates everyone,” Matteo said. “You did good.”
“I lied to your father.”
“You survived him. That’s better.”
When they got home, Lily went straight to the shower.
She stood there until the water went cold.
Matteo was waiting when she came out. Towel in hand.
He didn’t say anything. He just handed it to her and brushed her wet hair back from her face. Once.
“Go to bed, Lily.”
“Okay.”
One Month In
The rules became routine.
Morning coffee. His men outside. Her card that she never used.
Nightly dinners. Sometimes talking. Sometimes silence.
Doors open.
One night she found him in his office at 2am. Maps on the wall. Photos. Red string.
“What is this?”
“Work.”
“The threats?”
“Gone. For now.”
She sat in the chair across from him.
“Do you ever regret it? The contract?”
Matteo looked up from the file.
“Every day,” he said. “And never.”
Lily didn’t ask what he meant.
The Almost
It happened on day 32.
A storm knocked the power out. The whole penthouse went dark.
Lily panicked. She hated the dark.
She ended up in the hallway, barefoot, before she realized.
“Lily?” Matteo’s voice.
“I’m here.”
A flashlight clicked on. Him.
“Generator will kick in soon,” he said. “Come here.”
She did.
They sat on the floor in the living room. Candles. Two blankets.
The city was dark outside. Just them.
“Tell me something true,” Lily said.
“What?”
“Something true. Rule four.”
Matteo was quiet. Then:
“I looked for you. After that night. I had my guys check every club in a 10 block radius.”
Lily’s breath caught. “Why?”
“Because I woke up and the room felt empty in a way it never had before.”
The generator hummed to life. Lights came back.
They didn’t move.
“Matteo,” Lily whispered.
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”
“What if I do?”
He looked at her. Really looked.
“Then we’re in trouble, cara. Because this ends in 11 months.”
Lily nodded. She went to bed.
Matteo didn’t.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD