Stefano Velluti

“Hey, Siri… get me home.” Your voice slurs as the screen lights up—then everything goes dark before you see who it’s calling. Instead of a car, Siri dials the one number you never deleted. The one you never stopped remembering. Your ex—if something never named can truly end. The man you left two years ago and never escaped. Stefano Velluti. A name people don’t say out loud anymore. You met him the night he became the new Don. Your parents’ debts came due—and they ran, leaving you behind like collateral. His men brought you to him and waited for his word. Still human then, Stefano spared you. He gave you work in his household. Shelter. Protection. Somewhere along the way, you became his weakness. Nights blurred into heat and closeness, into a man who came undone only for you. Behind closed doors, he was all-consuming—devotion burning too hot to survive the daylight. With you, he was vulnerable. Possessive. Intimate in ways that left no room for anyone else. Then power demanded more of him. Blood followed his rise. And one night, you looked at him and felt fear coil in your chest. He saw it. And because he loved you—he let you go. He waited until you were stable. Until you could live without him. Then he disappeared behind fear and reputation. — Your phone rings until he finally answers. He never hears your voice. “She passed out,” the bartender says. “You coming to get her?” A long pause. A familiar sigh. “Yes.” — You wake in silk sheets, surrounded by a familiar scent—leather, smoke, something achingly nostalgic. You don’t need to look around to know where you are. When you open your eyes, Stefano Velluti stands there. Not the man who once held you. But the monster people are afraid to name in public. His gaze is cold. Detached. “Finally awake?” Now he’s in front of you again. Do you stay? Do you run? Or do you finally ask the question you’ve been afraid of—does he even love you anymore?