- 6 days ago
Step into a world of passion, power, and drama. On this channel, you’ll find captivating billionaire romances, intense mafia sagas, and heartfelt love stories that will keep you hooked until the very last word.
Whether it’s the allure of wealth, the danger of the underworld, or the beauty of love against all odds — Ashley’s Stories brings you tales that are bold, emotional, and unforgettable.
💖 Subscribe now and lose yourself in stories of desire, danger, and destiny.
Whether it’s the allure of wealth, the danger of the underworld, or the beauty of love against all odds — Ashley’s Stories brings you tales that are bold, emotional, and unforgettable.
💖 Subscribe now and lose yourself in stories of desire, danger, and destiny.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00The market is loud and bright, all colors and chatter and that warm, buzzing chaos that
00:05almost feels like safety. Almost. I'm standing in front of a pyramid of ripe peaches, pretending
00:11to decide which one looks sweetest, when my stomach twists the way it always does before
00:16my past finds me. There's this shift in the air, a wrongness, like the world hiccups.
00:22Then I hear his voice. Didn't expect to see you here, Mara.
00:27My name snaps through me like a rubber band. I freeze for half a second. Then I force my
00:32body to keep moving, keep choosing peaches, keep breathing, don't let him see the quake
00:37inside me. Ethan, I say without turning, go away. But he doesn't. Of course he doesn't.
00:46Ethan never leaves until something breaks, and that something is usually me. He steps closer,
00:50too familiar, too smug. You've been ignoring my messages. Good. Now ignore this one, too,
00:59I tell myself. But my hands tremble when I pick up the next peach, and I hate that he still
01:04has this hold, this invisible leash he swears I tied myself. I don't owe you responses, I
01:10mutter. You owe me plenty. The words hit like cold metal against my spine. I set the peach
01:17down, steadying myself on the crate. I don't look at him, because if I meet his eyes, I'll
01:23fall back into that old gravity I worked so hard to escape. Then someone else speaks, a
01:29man, low-voiced, threaded with casual thunder. Everything good here? I blink, slow, and startled,
01:37because that voice brushes against my nerves like a warning wrapped in velvet. I turn, and
01:43he's standing right beside me, angled like he's already placing himself between Ethan
01:47and me. He's tall, sun-warmed skin, expensive clothes that look purposely effortless. His
01:54presence is the kind that hushes laughter and rearranges air molecules. The vendors glance
01:59at him, not out of fear but recognition, like he's someone people don't cross unless they're
02:05tired of their kneecaps. He looks at me first. Not at Ethan. At me.
02:10My heart forgets its choreography. I'm fine, I say softly, even though I'm not.
02:17Just shopping. His eyes narrow slightly. He knows I'm lying. I can tell by the way his
02:23head tilts, like he's clocking every flinch I pretend not to have.
02:28Ethan scoffs. Mind your business, man. The stranger turns his gaze toward him like he's
02:34choosing whether to crush or ignore. You're standing too close to her for someone she doesn't
02:39want around. Ethan steps forward. Who the hell are you? Someone telling you to step back.
02:46Not loud. Not dramatic. Just final. His tone carries the weight of someone who never explains
02:52twice. Ethan hesitates, and I swear my breath expands for the first time since he arrived,
02:57because he's actually intimidated. Ethan, who never backs down, never blinks, never lets
03:03anyone else hold the reins. But the tension simmers hotter now. Ethan's pride always demands
03:08repayment. He points a finger at me. We're not finished, Mara. Yes, the stranger says before I can.
03:17You are. My heart jumps. My pulse is a bird against glass. Ethan glares, but he finally walks away,
03:24muttering curses under his breath, blending into the blur of shoppers and fruit displays.
03:29I exhale shakily. My knees loosen. The stranger doesn't move away. He's still looking at me with
03:37those sharp, observant eyes. Not assessing. Not predatory. Just present. Like he's giving me time
03:45to gather myself, and that patience is almost more disarming than his threat. You all right? He asks.
03:52I nod. Yeah, just... old history. He studies me like he's reading the parts I didn't say.
04:00He your ex? Unfortunately. He doesn't smile. He absorbs the word like it explains everything.
04:06Maybe it does. He bothers you often? Not if I can help it. He looks in the direction Ethan
04:13disappeared. Men like that don't understand distance. I swallow. You don't even know me.
04:19That wasn't about knowing you. His voice is calm, edged. That was about watching a woman freeze when
04:27she shouldn't have to. I feel something warm and uneasy stir in my chest. Gratitude, but also
04:34something else. Something that makes my ribs feel too narrow. He holds out his hand slightly. Not for
04:41me to shake. Just to show openness. Name's Cassian. Of course it is. Powerful people always have
04:49names that sound like polished weapons. Mara, I whisper. He repeats my name once like he's trying
04:56it on his tongue. Pretty. I look away quickly, pretending to inspect a nectarine. Thank you for
05:03stepping in. Didn't feel optional, he replies. His voice brushes over me again, an uninvited warmth I
05:11don't hate. A vendor greets him suddenly, cheerful and deferential. Cass, good to see you. Need your usual?
05:19Cassian nods once without breaking eye contact with me. And that's when it clicks. People know him.
05:26People respect him. People fear disappointing him. I've lived in this city long enough to recognize
05:31that kind of quiet influence. He's not a celebrity, not a politician. He's something older, deeper,
05:38woven into the bones of the streets. Cassian isn't safe. He is power-walking on two legs.
05:45He glances at the fruit in my basket. Let me help you. I'm good, really, I say. You're shaking.
05:52My breath stutters. I hate that he's right. It'll pass. Should it have to? His words lance through me.
06:01No one's ever asked that before. Not my friends. Not my family. No one has ever questioned the way
06:07I minimize danger just to get through the day. Cassian shifts a little closer, careful but
06:12deliberate. I'm not trying to crowd you, he adds, just making sure you don't fall over.
06:18A startled laugh escapes me. I'm not going to fall. You did look like you might hit him with a peach,
06:26he says softly. Would have been interesting to see. The humor slips under my skin,
06:33loosening something. But there's no mistaking the steel underneath his warmth. Cassian isn't someone
06:39who hesitates. He's someone who steps forward and commands the moment. And God help me. That
06:45draws me in more than it should. I lift my basket, trying to regain my edges. I should finish up.
06:51I'll walk with you. That's not necessary. I know, he says. But I'm doing it anyway.
06:59The air shifts. Not dangerous. Just inevitable. We move through the market together. The sun high,
07:06the world bright and buzzing. But inside me, everything is lit by a different kind of electricity.
07:11Cassian walks half a step to my side, matching my pace without effort. He asks nothing, demands
07:18nothing, just watches the crowd like he's scanning for threats. Do you always do that? I ask. What?
07:26Survey the whole area, like you're expecting someone to jump out. He considers. Habit. From what?
07:34He gives a faint smile that doesn't reach his eyes. Another life. That answer is a locked door,
07:41and I feel both the warning and the invitation behind it. We stop at a stall selling honey jars shaped
07:47like tiny bears. Cassian picks one up. You like these? I shrug. They're cute. His eyebrow lifts
07:56slightly, like he's never bought something just because it's cute in his entire life.
08:00Get it, he says. I don't really need it. Then get it because you want it.
08:05Again, the phrasing hits me. Want versus need. Choice versus survival. My ex never let me want
08:13anything. Everything was a transaction, a scorecard, a way to shrink me until I fit the shape he carved.
08:19I grab the jar, cheeks warm. Fine. Cassian smirks faintly. Victory. God.
08:27The way he looks at me feels like sunlight with a pulse. We walk a little more, bags heavier,
08:34silence lighter. But then he asks gently, how long were you with him? My breath catches. Too long.
08:42What made you leave? He stopped pretending he loved me. Cassian's jaw flexes. Men like that don't love,
08:50they collect. The truth of that sinks into me, raw and real. I speak before I can stop myself.
08:58I'm still learning how to feel normal again. His voice softens. You don't have to be normal for
09:04me to understand you. Something in me stirs. Fear. Hope. Maybe both wearing each other's clothes.
09:14I look ahead, pretending the sting in my eyes is from sunlight. Why did you help me? Really?
09:20His answer lands with quiet force. Because you looked like you needed someone to stand between you
09:27and a mistake you used to love. My chest cracks open. He sees too much. And I'm too tired to hide it.
09:36We reach the checkout line, and I try to gather my courage before the trembling comes back.
09:41Cassian senses it instantly. You're safe, he murmurs.
09:46I nod, but the words feel like they belong to a world I'm not sure exists for me yet.
09:51That's when Ethan returns. Not close. Not grabbing me. Just far enough to watch. Close
09:58enough to ruin my breath. Cassian notices before I do. His body shifts, sliding in front of me in one
10:06fluid, protective motion. His shoulders square. His stance changes. The air hums with something cold
10:13incapable. Ethan smirks. Thought you'd be done by now. Cassian's voice drops, quiet enough for only me.
10:22You want him to leave? My heartbeat slams. I whisper, yes. Cassian steps forward. His presence turns into a
10:31wall, a warning, a promise. Ethan's smile falters. Cassian says nothing. Not a threat. Not a word.
10:39Just a look that says he has ended men for far less. And Ethan, my relentless, obsessive ex, backs up.
10:48Actually backs up. My breath collapses out of me like relief and disbelief fuse together.
10:54Cassian returns to my side, barely brushing my arm. You're not going to deal with him alone again,
11:00he says, firm, certain. My heart twists. Why? I ask, voice thready. His gaze pins me gently,
11:10like he's choosing honesty over armor. Because I already decided you're under my protection.
11:16The world tilts. My pulse stutters. Something inside me that's been numb for years sparks alive.
11:22I whisper, you don't even know me. Then let me. My chest swells with fear and wanting in equal
11:30measure. I know, right then, right there, that stepping closer to him is going to change everything.
11:37I also know I'm going to do it anyway. With my voice barely holding steady, I breathe.
11:43Okay. Cassian's lips curve slowly, dangerously. Good. My fate feels rewritten in one syllable.
11:52But then, a voice behind us shouts my name. Not Ethan's. Someone else's. Someone breathless.
12:01Someone panicking. Cassian grips my arm, instinct blazing in his eyes.
12:07What's wrong? He demands. I turn. And my world drops.
12:13The moment I turn toward the voice calling my name, my pulse fractures. It's my co-worker,
12:19Lila. Breathless. Face flushed as if she sprinted through the entire market.
12:24She's gripping her phone so tight her knuckles bleach.
12:28Mara, she gasps. I... I didn't know where you were. I've been calling.
12:34Cassian's hand is still warm around my arm. Protective. Ready. Dangerous.
12:40His attention locks on her panic like he's scanning for threat.
12:43What? I pull in a shaky breath. Lila? What happened?
12:48She glances at Cassian, startled by the sheer weight of him, then looks at me again.
12:54It's Ethan. Your apartment. He was there.
12:58My stomach drops through the floor. Cassian's entire posture stiffens. Controlled lightning.
13:05Lila swallows.
13:05He was banging on the door asking where you went. The neighbors almost called the cops.
13:11My vision swims for a second. My ex always pushed boundaries until they screamed.
13:17I'm so sorry, she whispers. I didn't want you walking into that.
13:22I feel myself slipping into that old panic, that old script where my world collapses and no one catches the pieces.
13:29Except this time someone's hand tightens slightly around my arm, grounding me, pulling me back into my body.
13:35Cassian.
13:37His voice is low. Composed. Lethal at the edges.
13:42He knows where you live?
13:44I nod. Throat tight.
13:46Do you want to go back there? He asks, just for me.
13:50The question isn't simple. It's a mirror held up to my fear.
13:54I shake my head.
13:56No.
13:57I whisper.
13:58Not right now. I can't.
14:01Cassian gives one small, decisive nod and steps closer,
14:04creating a quiet barrier around me.
14:07Then you won't.
14:09Lila looks between us, confused but relieved.
14:12I'll head back. Just text me, okay?
14:15So I know you're safe.
14:16I will.
14:17I promise.
14:18She squeezes my arm and hurries off, leaving a vacuum where the noise of the market feels suddenly too bright.
14:25I stand there, chest tight, air thin.
14:29Cassian doesn't rush me.
14:31Talk to me, he murmurs.
14:33I wrap my arms around myself.
14:35He used to do this.
14:37Show up.
14:38Corner me.
14:39Break things and call it passion.
14:40I thought leaving him meant...
14:43Leaving all of that behind.
14:45It will.
14:46He says instantly.
14:47I laugh a tiny, bitter sound.
14:50You don't know that.
14:51I do.
14:53His voice is a steady pulse.
14:55Because I'm not letting him touch you again.
14:58Something inside me cracks.
15:00I don't want to rely on him.
15:02I don't want to feel saved.
15:04I want to be strong on my own.
15:06But right now, the truth is simple.
15:09I'm terrified.
15:11And he's the only person who feels like a wall instead of a trap.
15:15I don't know what to do, I admit.
15:18My voice trembles, raw and unfiltered.
15:21Cassian studies me with an intensity that almost feels like devotion disguised as observation.
15:27Then let me help you figure it out.
15:29I look at him for a long second.
15:32Really look.
15:34He's danger wrapped in calm.
15:36A storm contained in skin.
15:38A man who doesn't chase but claims.
15:40Why are you doing this?
15:42I ask.
15:43There's a flicker in his expression.
15:45Something private.
15:47Because I don't like seeing you scared.
15:49And because no one gets to terrorize you while I'm standing here breathing.
15:53Heat floods my chest, unsteady and wild.
15:56He gestures toward the market exit.
15:58Walk with me.
16:00This time, I don't resist.
16:02We weave through the colorful stalls and sunlight, my pulse trying to match the rhythm of his steps.
16:07He's quiet.
16:08But it's not empty silence.
16:10It's protective.
16:11Watchful.
16:12Like his attention is a net stretched around me.
16:15I finally say, I don't want to go home.
16:19You won't, he replies.
16:21Not today.
16:23You're very sure of yourself.
16:25His lips pull into the faintest smirk.
16:28Comes with the lifestyle.
16:29What lifestyle?
16:31He looks at me, unblinking.
16:33The kind where I handle problems permanently.
16:36My breath stutters.
16:38He lets the words hang, heavy and honest.
16:41The warning is there.
16:42So is the promise.
16:45He's not pretending to be anything soft.
16:47He's giving me the truth wrapped in steel.
16:50Are you in the mafia?
16:52I ask quietly.
16:54He doesn't flinch.
16:56Does that change how safe you feel beside me?
16:59The answer climbs up my throat before I can filter it.
17:03No.
17:04He exhales once, slow, as if I've just given him something dangerous and sacred.
17:10Then yes, I am.
17:12The air shifts.
17:14Not colder.
17:15Just clearer.
17:17He's not hiding anymore.
17:19And somehow it doesn't send me running.
17:21Maybe because I already sensed the gravity beneath his calm.
17:24Maybe because I'm tired of flimsy men pretending to be strong.
17:27We stop at a small outdoor cafe with bright umbrellas and lemon-yellow chairs.
17:33Cassian guides me to a table tucked between potted plants blooming wildly in the sun.
17:38Sit, he murmurs.
17:40I do.
17:41He sits across from me, elbows on the table, gaze steady.
17:45Tell me what you're thinking right now.
17:48That I shouldn't be here.
17:49Yet you are.
17:52I barely know you.
17:54You know enough, he says.
17:56You know I won't hurt you.
17:58And you know I won't let him.
18:01The honesty slams into me.
18:03I don't want to depend on anyone.
18:06Then don't depend, he says softly.
18:10Just let me hold the line for a moment.
18:13My throat burns.
18:14A server drops off iced teas we didn't order because apparently Cassian doesn't need to order.
18:19People anticipate him.
18:21People move for him.
18:22I wrap my hands around the cold glass.
18:25He's not going to stop, Cassian.
18:27Men like Ethan don't stop unless something forces them to.
18:30Yes, he says.
18:32And I will be that something.
18:34I meet his eyes.
18:36But why?
18:37You barely know me.
18:40Cassian leans closer, every word deliberate.
18:43Because I don't ignore what hits me in the chest.
18:47My breath leaves me in a rush.
18:49I saw the way you flinched.
18:51He continues.
18:52The way your voice folded in on itself.
18:55The way you still tried to stand tall.
18:58And something in me decided I wasn't walking away.
19:01It's too much.
19:02Too honest.
19:03Too direct.
19:04I shake my head, eyes burning.
19:07You're making me feel like I'm something to protect instead of something to escape.
19:11That's because you are.
19:13And suddenly, the tears I've been holding back break, sliding down my cheeks before I can stop them.
19:18I cover my face, ashamed of how fragile I must look.
19:23Cassian's voice lowers to velvet.
19:25Don't hide from me.
19:27I'm not trying to.
19:28I say through a shaky breath.
19:30I just haven't had someone on my side in a long time.
19:34You do now.
19:35His tone is softer than sunlight on skin.
19:37And I'm staying there unless you tell me to walk.
19:41I drop my hand slowly.
19:43He's watching me with this grounded intensity like I'm not a mess but something alive and rare.
19:49Cassian, I whisper.
19:51I'm scared of what being near you means.
19:53He nods once.
19:55Good.
19:56I'm not simple.
19:57I'm not safe.
19:58But I am honest.
20:00My life is messy.
20:02So is mine.
20:04You might make everything worse.
20:06He leans back slightly, assessing me like I'm an equation he's willing to spend his life solving.
20:12Or I might make it bearable.
20:15A shiver moves through me.
20:17The conversation shifts then, like a current pulling us deeper.
20:21He asks about my childhood, my job, the little hobbies I pretend don't matter.
20:26I tell him about the art I stopped making because Ethan said it was pointless.
20:31Cassian's jaw tenses.
20:33Start again, he says.
20:35For yourself.
20:37I don't know if I can.
20:39You can, he replies.
20:41You just forgot you're allowed.
20:44The words swallow me whole.
20:46Then he shares something unexpected.
20:49My father taught me that emotion is weakness.
20:52I spent half my life trying to prove him wrong.
20:54The other half trying to forget he existed.
20:57I blink, surprised.
20:59He was cruel to you?
21:01Cruel to everyone, Cassian says.
21:04But I learned how to build walls that don't crack.
21:07And yet you're here with me, I say.
21:11He smiles faintly.
21:12Exactly.
21:13For a moment, it feels like we're floating in a pocket of sunlight where nothing can touch us.
21:20Until Cassian's phone buzzes.
21:22He glances at it.
21:23And something shifts in his expression.
21:25His voice lowers.
21:27Sharper.
21:28Stay seated.
21:29He answers the call with a curt,
21:31What?
21:32Then he listens.
21:34His jaw locks.
21:35His eyes darken in a way that is not metaphorical, but real and dangerous.
21:40He ends the call slowly.
21:42Cassian?
21:43I whisper.
21:45His gaze returns to me, and the softness is gone, replaced by something cold and controlled.
21:50That was my men, he says.
21:52They were watching your place from a distance.
21:55My heart stops.
21:57What happened?
21:58His voice is a blade wrapped in silk.
22:01Ethan wasn't alone when he came back.
22:04Cold fear crawls up my spine.
22:06What does that mean?
22:08Cassian leans forward, every inch of him radiating lethal focus.
22:12It means your ex brought two men with him, and they were trying to get inside.
22:17My breath turns thin.
22:20He watches me, his expression unreadable, then adds,
22:23And they weren't amateurs.
22:26My blood chills.
22:27You think he hired them?
22:30For what?
22:31Cassian shakes his head once.
22:33I don't think.
22:33I know.
22:35A hollow tremor moves through me.
22:37Cassian, what do we do?
22:39He stands, slow and sure, like a verdict rising.
22:43We leave now.
22:44Where?
22:45To somewhere he'll never reach you.
22:47I push to my feet, heart slamming.
22:50But my things.
22:51My home.
22:53Cassian steps closer, his palm warm against the small of my back as he ushers me forward.
22:58Your home is compromised.
23:00Your safety isn't.
23:01I swallow hard.
23:04This is too much.
23:06No, he says quietly.
23:08This is the part where you trust me.
23:11I look up at him, searching for something to hold on to inside the storm he just unleashed.
23:15But before I can say a word, Cassian's phone buzzes again.
23:19He glances at it.
23:20Then his eyes snap to mine.
23:22Cold.
23:23Dangerous.
23:24Burning.
23:24They're gone, he says.
23:27All three.
23:29They left before my men could follow.
23:31I grip the edge of the table.
23:34Gone where?
23:35Cassian's answer crushes the air out of me.
23:38They're looking for you.
23:40And they're not subtle about it.
23:42My heartbeat fractures.
23:45He steps even closer, his voice a command carved in velvet.
23:49Mara, from this moment on, you don't go anywhere without me.
23:53I try to breathe, but my lungs refuse.
23:55Why are they doing this?
23:57I whisper.
23:59Cassian holds my chin gently, forcing my gaze to meet his.
24:03Because your ex thinks you belong to him.
24:07His voice tightens.
24:08And because he has no idea who he's just crossed.
24:12I tremble.
24:13What happens now?
24:14I breathe.
24:16Cassian's answer is quiet.
24:18Devastating.
24:18Certain.
24:20Now, he says.
24:21I go after them.
24:23My heart stops.
24:25Alone?
24:26I whisper.
24:27He lifts my hand, presses it against his chest where his heartbeat pounds like a war drum.
24:32No, he murmurs.
24:34Not alone.
24:35And then, before I can ask what he means, before I can stop him,
24:40a bullet of realization hits me.
24:43He's pulling away.
24:45His eyes say it before his mouth does.
24:48Mara, he breathes.
24:50You can't come with me.
24:52The rupture slices through me, sharp and immediate.
24:55Cassian?
24:56He steps back.
24:58His voice is final.
25:00I'm going to end this.
25:01But you're staying with my men until I do.
25:04My breath breaks.
25:06Don't go.
25:07I whisper.
25:08The words trembling out before I can take them back.
25:11He closes his eyes just for a second, like my plea hits deeper than he wants to show.
25:17Then,
25:17I have to.
25:20And this time,
25:21he turns.
25:23He walks away.
25:24He leaves.
25:26And the sun feels too bright,
25:28the air too thin,
25:29the world too loud.
25:31My heart shatters on the table between the honey jars.
25:34I spend the next few hours in a sunlit apartment that doesn't belong to me,
25:37surrounded by Cassian's men,
25:39two of them,
25:40stationed like polite statues pretending not to watch me unravel.
25:44The place is spotless,
25:45expansive,
25:46filled with warm light and expensive simplicity.
25:49It's the kind of home you can only have when people either fear you or love you enough to obey.
25:55Cassian doesn't come back.
25:56Time folds strangely without him.
25:59The air feels too wide,
26:01every sound too sharp.
26:04I keep replaying the way he walked away,
26:06the tension in his shoulders,
26:09the way he didn't look back,
26:11the way my heart cracked,
26:12even though logic begged me not to care.
26:15One of his men,
26:16a quiet guy named Rafe,
26:18finally speaks.
26:19He'll be fine,
26:21he says gently.
26:22I hug my knees.
26:24I'm not worried about fine.
26:26I'm worried about what fine means to someone like him.
26:30Rafe hesitates.
26:31Cassian doesn't lose.
26:33That's what scares me.
26:35He doesn't answer.
26:37Maybe he understands.
26:38Maybe he doesn't.
26:40Maybe men like him aren't allowed to.
26:42I stare out the window.
26:44Everything outside is bright.
26:46Streets humming with life.
26:47Sun painting gold across the buildings.
26:49Kids tugging their parents toward ice cream trucks.
26:52The world looks untouched,
26:54unaware.
26:55And yet mine feels like it's been carved open.
26:58Cassian said he wasn't safe.
27:01He said he wasn't simple.
27:03He said he was going to end this.
27:04And he left me behind.
27:07Not because he doesn't care.
27:09But because he cares too much.
27:12The thought is a pulse under my skin.
27:15I try to breathe through it.
27:17I'm not used to being wanted for my safety instead of my compliance.
27:21Rafe's voice cuts quietly through my thoughts.
27:23You want water?
27:25Something to eat?
27:26I shake my head.
27:28He nods.
27:29Goes back to pretending not to be worried for me.
27:32Minutes pass.
27:33Or hours.
27:34I can't tell.
27:35Then my phone buzzes.
27:37My heart leaps so hard it hurts.
27:39But the screen lights up with a message not from Cassian.
27:42From Lila.
27:43Lila.
27:44Girl, are you okay?
27:46Someone is asking people about you.
27:48Says he's your ex.
27:50He looks pissed.
27:51My chest clamps painfully.
27:54Ethan isn't gone.
27:55He's escalating.
27:57Fear threads through me.
27:58Sharp and electric.
27:59But underneath it, something stronger blooms.
28:02Certainty.
28:04Cassian was right.
28:05This won't end until someone ends it.
28:07I stand abruptly.
28:09Rafe looks up.
28:10Everything all right?
28:12No.
28:13I whisper.
28:15I...
28:15I can't stay here.
28:17He stands immediately.
28:19You can't leave.
28:20Cassian said.
28:21I know what he said.
28:23I breathe.
28:24But my friend is out there.
28:26And Ethan is out there.
28:27I can't just hide.
28:29You can.
28:31Rafe says gently.
28:32And you should.
28:33I shake my head.
28:35If something happens to her because of me...
28:38He hesitates.
28:39Blinks.
28:39Then curses under his breath.
28:41Let me drive you.
28:43I exhale shakily.
28:47He nods once.
28:48But you stay in the car.
28:50Promise me that.
28:52I'll try.
28:53That's not an answer.
28:55But it's the only one I have.
28:57We take the elevator down.
28:59Step into the bright afternoon.
29:01Rafe opens the black SUV door for me, glancing around with trained eyes.
29:05I climb inside, pulse hammering.
29:08The city seems too vivid as we drive.
29:10People laughing.
29:11Vendors shouting.
29:13Light glinting off windows.
29:15Every moment feels louder because fear lives under my ribs like a second heartbeat.
29:18When we turn onto Lila's street, I see her standing outside her building, waving her arms wildly.
29:25There, I say breathlessly.
29:27Rafe parks and jumps out before I can unbuckle.
29:30Lila runs to me as I step out.
29:32Oh my god, Mara, thank god.
29:33Listen, your ex...
29:34He was...
29:35Her eyes shoot past me.
29:37I turn.
29:38Ethan is walking toward us from across the street.
29:40That sick smile plastered on his face.
29:43Hands empty, but danger dripping off him like sweat.
29:46Sunlight making his expression look even more twisted.
29:49He's not angry.
29:50He's ecstatic.
29:52Mara, he calls, voice syrupy with malice.
29:55You're hard to keep track of, sweetheart.
29:57My blood goes ice hot.
29:59Rafe steps forward immediately.
30:01Back off.
30:02Ethan laughs.
30:03Who the hell are you?
30:04The guy between you and a hospital bed.
30:07Rafe snaps.
30:08Ethan's smile widens.
30:10Cute.
30:11But this is between me and Mara.
30:14No, Rafe says.
30:16It's between you and the ground if you take one more step.
30:20Ethan steps anyway.
30:22Rafe moves.
30:23It happens too fast.
30:25A collision of bodies.
30:26A struggle.
30:27Fists flying.
30:29Lila screams.
30:30My breath punches out.
30:32Rafe shoves Ethan back with a force that makes me gasp, but Ethan recovers, swinging wildly.
30:38I can't breathe.
30:39I can't blink.
30:41I can't do anything except watch the past trying to claw its way back to me.
30:44Then, a car door slams.
30:47Hard.
30:47Violent.
30:48A sound that cuts through the fight like a blade.
30:51Every head whips toward it.
30:53Including mine.
30:54Cassian stands there, still as stone.
30:59Bright sunlight gleaming off the veins in his forearms.
31:02Eyes blazing with a controlled fury that doesn't raise its voice.
31:06It silences the entire street.
31:09My knees nearly buckle.
31:11Ethan freezes.
31:12Even Rafe lowers his fists, stepping aside.
31:16Cassian walks toward us, each step measured, grounded, terrifying in its calm.
31:21He doesn't look at Ethan first.
31:23He looks at me.
31:25And everything inside me breaks with relief.
31:27He stops right in front of me.
31:29Lifts a hand to my cheek.
31:30His thumb brushing the edge of fear off my skin.
31:33His touch is gentle, but his expression is anything but.
31:37Are you hurt?
31:38He asks.
31:39Voice like low thunder buried under silk.
31:42No.
31:43I whisper, breath shaking.
31:46But Rafe.
31:47He'll be fine.
31:48I asked about you.
31:50My throat closes.
31:51Cassian.
31:52I'm sorry.
31:53I shouldn't have left.
31:55His fingers press lightly to my jaw.
31:58Don't apologize for wanting to protect someone.
32:01The words hit something deep.
32:03Something raw.
32:04Then Cassian finally turns to Ethan.
32:06And the sun feels too bright for the look he gives.
32:09Ethan tries to sneer, but it trembles.
32:12Who the hell do you think you are?
32:14Cassian cuts him off with silence.
32:17Deadly silence.
32:19Then he steps closer.
32:21So close Ethan has to tilt his head to meet his eyes.
32:25You came after a woman who doesn't want you, Cassian says quietly.
32:29You scared her.
32:31You hunted her.
32:32You made her look over her shoulder.
32:34His jaw flexes.
32:36That ends.
32:37Ethan scoffs weakly.
32:39Or what?
32:40You gonna hit me?
32:42Cassian's voice becomes something colder than violence.
32:44I don't hit men like you.
32:46He leans in, whispering something only Ethan and I hear.
32:50I erase them.
32:52Ethan's face drains of color.
32:54Cassian steps back, pulling his phone from his pocket with a lazy precision that terrifies more than any shout could.
32:59He taps once.
33:01Two black SUVs materialize from the corner, rolling up smoothly like they've been waiting for a signal.
33:07Cassian gestures vaguely.
33:09My men will deal with him.
33:11Ethan panics.
33:11Wait, Cassian, Cass, Cass, listen.
33:15Don't say my name, Cassian says.
33:18You don't get that privilege.
33:20Two men grab Ethan's arms.
33:22He thrashes, yelling my name like it belongs to him.
33:26Cassian turns to me, blocking Ethan from my view with his body.
33:29You don't need to watch.
33:31He murmurs.
33:32I want to.
33:34I breathe.
33:35His eyes soften, but he nods once.
33:38Then stand beside me.
33:40I step closer.
33:42My shoulder brushes his arm.
33:44The smallest contact, but it feels like choosing myself again.
33:47Choosing safety.
33:49Choosing truth.
33:51Ethan's shouting dissolves into distance as the SUVs pull away with him inside.
33:56The moment they're gone, the world becomes loud again.
33:59Traffic humming.
34:00Kids laughing.
34:01Lila crying into her hands.
34:04Cassian finally exhales, long and steady.
34:07I turn to him.
34:09You.
34:10You came back.
34:12He looks at me like that was never in question.
34:15Of course I did.
34:16I thought.
34:17My voice wavers.
34:19I thought you left for good.
34:22Mara.
34:22He steps closer until my breath catches.
34:26Leaving you was the one thing I didn't want to do.
34:29Then why did you?
34:31I whisper.
34:33His hands hover near my waist, unsure if he's allowed.
34:37Because I had to protect you without you watching.
34:40Me become the kind of man you don't need to see.
34:43I don't care about that, I say, voice breaking.
34:47I care about you.
34:49He freezes.
34:50Like the words hit bone.
34:53Mara.
34:54His breath catches, the smallest fracture in his control.
34:58I didn't expect.
34:59I know you're dangerous, I say.
35:03I know your world isn't simple.
35:06But you showed up for me.
35:08Again and again.
35:10And nobody has ever done that.
35:13He closes his eyes, just once, like the sun behind his lids is too bright.
35:19When he opens them, something in him is unshielded.
35:22I don't want you scared, he says.
35:25And I don't want you alone, I answer.
35:28He breathes in sharply, a quiet, unsteady sound that shifts the ground between us.
35:34I step closer.
35:36Cassian, look at me.
35:38He does.
35:39I'm not asking for perfect, I whisper.
35:43I'm asking for real.
35:45His jaw softens.
35:47His shoulders drop.
35:49The tension holding him upright finally melts enough for him to reach for me.
35:53One hand on my waist, the other cupping the back of my neck.
35:57His forehead leans against mine, not claiming, not dominating, just returning.
36:05Mara, he murmurs, voice unsteady in a way that undoes me.
36:10You're the first thing in a long time that feels like something I don't want to lose.
36:14I close my eyes and breathe him in.
36:17Sunlight, heat, danger, and something startlingly gentle.
36:21You won't, I whisper.
36:24His thumb brushes my cheek, reverent.
36:27Tell me you're staying.
36:29At least long enough for me to figure out how to be a man you don't have to heal from.
36:33I smile softly.
36:35I'm not going anywhere.
36:38Cassian lifts his head.
36:39Studying me like he's memorizing the moment.
36:42Then his lips press to my forehead.
36:44Slow.
36:45Warm.
36:46Grounded.
36:48Not a kiss.
36:49A promise.
36:51When he pulls back, he murmurs.
36:53Let's go home.
36:55My heart doesn't race.
36:56It settles.
36:57Like the first peaceful breath after years of holding it.
37:00I lace my fingers through his.
37:03We walk forward together.
37:05Not perfect.
37:06Not fixed.
37:07But alive.
37:08Safe.
37:10Healing.
37:10And when sunlight catches on our intertwined hands, it feels like a final image I'll tuck
37:16inside my ribs forever.
37:18If you felt that spark in your chest, if Cassian's return made you breathe a little different,
37:23don't slip away just yet.
37:26Tap like, drop me a comment, and hit subscribe so you never miss the next mafia romance that
37:32sweeps you off your feet.
37:34Your support keeps these stories alive, and I love having you here with me.
Be the first to comment