Prologue

In Naples, names carried power. Some inspired respect. Others inspired fear. The De Lucas? They inspired both.

For decades, their empire had been carved in shadows and blood, a dynasty that ruled the underworld with loyalty as fierce as their vengeance. To the city, they were untouchable. To their allies, they were protection incarnate. To their enemies, they were death wrapped in silk and steel.

The Brunos had always been allies, their friendship with the De Lucas spanning more than a decade. Their homes had echoed with shared laughter, their tables filled with wine and meals during celebrations. But alliances in their world weren’t just built on trust—they were secured through blood, through family, through bonds that could never be broken.

That was how Felicia Bruno’s life changed forever.

At twenty-two, Felicia was no stranger to duty. But her dreams had always been gentle ones—fashion sketches spread across her desk, soft fabrics under her fingertips, the promise of a future she could weave for herself. She was sunshine in human form, a soul too tender for the world of shadows she had been born beside but never touched.

When her parents told her of the marriage, there had been no tears, no shouting. She agreed—not because she was forced, but because she trusted. Because her heart was soft enough to believe that loyalty was worth sacrifice. And because, deep down, she understood: in their world, choices were rare.

What she hadn’t understood… was him.

Marcello De Luca.

Twenty-six, the second son of the De Luca empire, yet the one whose name carried the most weight. He was tall, broad, dangerous—a man who wore control like armor. His presence was enough to silence a room, his stare sharp enough to strip a man to the bone. He had never been tamed, never touched by love, never softened by anyone.

Until her.

The moment Marcello saw Felicia, something shifted. She was small, delicate, her wide eyes betraying nerves she tried so hard to hide. She wasn’t like the women who chased him—bold, sharp, reckless. She was innocence itself, wrapped in silk and uncertainty. And in that moment, he made a vow.

To protect her from his world.

To claim her as his own.

To never let anyone or anything take her away.

But Marcello’s world was built on shadows, and shadows had teeth. Secrets thrived where love began to grow. Blood spilled when loyalty was questioned. And in a family like his, weakness was unforgivable.

He could hide his darkness from her for a while. He could play the dutiful husband, the protective lover, the man who made her laugh, blush, and fall. But the day would come when she would see the side of him no one survived. The day when his love and his violence would collide.

Their story was never meant to be simple. It was born from an arrangement, sealed with a pact between two families. But it would become something more dangerous than either had expected.

Because when a man like Marcello De Luca loves, he loves to destroy.

And Felicia Bruno? She would be the only one strong enough to survive it.

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