{MATURE. DARK ROMANCE, MAFIA, YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT IN MAFIA! BLOOD, GORE, ASSUALT. THE ROMANCE ISN'T DARK BUT THE THEME IS DARK. BE WARNED!} 

His hand pressed flat against the door before I could pull it open, and the warmth of him at my back made every nerve in my body go completely still. 

"You are the mother of my child and you belong to me," he murmured against my ear, his voice so quiet that made me shiver, "and every breath you take on this island exists because I allow it."

 His hand moved from the door to my jaw, tilting my face up toward his with a gentleness that made me gulp. "So tell me, my beautiful wife — where exactly do you think you're going?" I had no answer and a knowing smile pulled on his lips.
***
Elsie Miller’s simple life unravels the moment she discovers she is pregnant with no memory of how it happened. In a small town where reputation is worth more than truth, her parents choose to erase the scandal the only way they know how—by selling her to a man old enough to be her grandfather to settle a crushing debt she never knew they had.

She had accepted her fate and was ready to endure the wedding, but before the vows could be spoken, the church doors burst open and Salvatore Vitale—the most feared Mafia Lord in the underworld, known only as The Saint—strode in, put a bullet in her groom’s head without breaking his stride, and told the priest to continue the ceremony.

Then his dark eyes found hers across the blood-soaked aisle, and he spoke the words that rewrote her entire future.

"I’ve been searching for you. Mother of my child."

Taken to Salvatore’s private island, Elsie is thrust into a brutal empire built on blood oaths and ruthless power. To his enemies, The Saint is a whispered legend. To his empire, he is untouchable. But to Elsie, he is the stranger tied to a night she cannot remember, the father of her unborn child, and the dangerously possessive man who has claimed her as his own.

Surrounded by those who see her as unworthy and a discarded fiancée who will stop at nothing to reclaim what she believes is rightfully hers, Elsie quickly learns that mercy does not exist in Salvatore’s world. Power is law, loyalty is enforced, and weakness is hunted without hesitation.

force marriage
Possessive mmc
Captivity
Pregnancy

I was startled out of my thoughts by a soft knock on the door, and for a moment my heart jumped into my throat.


"Ma'am?" Hanith's voice was gentle as she stepped inside, holding a tray with a modest meal.


I let out a small, relieved breath and gave her a shaky smile. "Thank you, Hanith."


She nodded and placed the tray carefully on the small table beside my bed. I managed to eat a little, picking at the food, though my appetite was thin and uncertain. My mind kept wandering, replaying the morning, the confrontation, Livia, and Gianna's unexpected kindness.


By the time I had finished, I felt the exhaustion seep into my bones. I set the tray aside and leaned back against the pillows, closing my eyes for a moment, hoping sleep might come easy.


Then the door creaked open, and I jolted upright, my body stiffening, panic rising like a tide. My eyes widened as I saw her, Salvatore's mother, Rosaria, standing there, her presence immediately commanding the room.


Chapter 23 - 23 - considered it done