Bonus
The plan was to fool everyone, even the heart. The deal was “lie,” but every touch screamed “truth”
Marco
The room smells strongly of medicine and jasmine. The flowers sit in a vase beside the bed, half-wilted, as if they too feel the weight of time—just like the man lying there.
The lamp’s soft light casts shadows across my grandfather’s tired face—the man who was once an unshakeable force, who commanded everything with firm hands and a voice no one dared challenge. Now he looks too small in that bed. Too fragile.
I pull the armchair closer, resting my forearms on my knees in silence. I study every detail of him, every wrinkle that carries stories I’ll never fully know.
“Marco...” His voice comes out weak, but heavy with meaning. I straighten up, alert. “I want to go in peace. Promise me you’ll get married? That you’ll find a good woman, someone who’ll take care of you and our family?”
I sigh, looking away toward the glass of water on the nightstand. Marriage was never in my plans. Never part of my life. I’m fine the way things are, between work and managing the inheritance he left me.
“I don’t know if that’s for me, Grandpa. But don’t think about that—you’re not dying anytime soon,” my voice comes out quieter than I intended.
He gives a weak smile, followed by a short, hoarse chuckle that unsettles me.
“Good life, right? Surrounded by money, loyalty you can buy—but what happens when all that isn’t enough?”
I don’t answer. A dense silence settles between us, and I know he’s right. My grandfather never speaks without purpose. Every word carries weight.
“Just think about it, boy.” He closes his eyes for a moment, takes a deep breath. “I just want to see you settled before I go.”
I run my hand over his face and nod, even though I don’t know if I can keep this promise.
Days Later
The office smells of wood and expensive whisky. I stand before Lorenzo, the Don of the mafia, the man I swore loyalty to. I’m his consigliere, his shadow, and he trusts me enough to make a request few would dare to ask.
“I need you to hide Sara at your place for a while. Until we resolve this situation. The women in this house aren’t safe.”
I don’t hesitate. If Lorenzo asks, it’s because it’s necessary.
“Done.”
But I know this doesn’t solve everything. My grandfather still wants my promise. A marriage. A family.
So I take advantage of the situation. I ask Lorenzo and Giovani, her brothers, for permission to have Sara pretend to be my fiancée. They agree, as long as Sara accepts.
Later, when we talk to her, I expect resistance. But Sara just crosses her arms and looks at me with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
“Of course I accept. I’m fine with it,” she says with a smile.
“It’s just pretend. Don’t worry,” I assure her.
“I know. I’m not worried—relax.”
“Then we’re good.”
And just like that, half my problems with my grandfather are solved. The rest... the rest I’ll figure out later.