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"One Message Away"
The rain poured down like a never-ending curtain over the quiet city of Verona. Maya sat curled on the windowsill of her small, cozy apartment. A hot cup of tea rested between her palms, but her eyes were distant, lost in the grey horizon. She was the kind of girl who believed in kindness over cruelty, laughter over silence, and dreams over fear.
But that night, everything changed.
Her phone buzzed once.
Unknown Number: "You're in danger. Do not go to the café tomorrow. - K"
She stared at the screen, her fingers trembling. It had no context, no warning—just a simple, chilling sentence. Maya blinked. She should have ignored it. She should’ve reported it, maybe blocked the number.
But instead… she replied.
Maya: "Who are you?"
The answer came within seconds.
K: "Someone who just saved your life. Don’t ask questions. Just trust me."
Trust a stranger? In any normal world, that would be madness. But something about the way the message was worded—urgent, protective—felt… sincere. And her gut told her to listen.
The next morning, she stayed home.
And she saw it on the news.
“Shootout at Verona’s Downtown Café. Three dead. Suspected Mafia involvement.”
Her blood froze.
That was her café. The place where she worked part-time. The exact time she would’ve been there.
What had just happened?
---
Days passed. Then weeks.
The messages didn’t stop.
They weren’t frequent—just a few words every now and then.
“Avoid the left alley tonight.”
“Don’t trust your neighbor. He’s not who he says he is.”
“Wear red tomorrow.”
Every time, Maya listened. And every time… strange things almost happened. As if she had narrowly escaped the shadows.
Finally, one message read:
“Meet me. Midnight. Bell Tower rooftop. Come alone.”
And against every logical thought, Maya went.
---
The night air was icy. Verona's Bell Tower stood tall and silent. She climbed the staircase, breath shaky, heart pounding. At the top, under the moonlight, stood a man dressed in all black. His back was to her, but his aura was unmistakable—dangerous, yet graceful. He turned.
Dark eyes. Scarred jawline. A look that could command armies.
“You’re real,” she whispered.
He stepped closer. “I had to see you.”
“Who are you?”
He held her gaze. “My name is Kael Romano. I’m the King of Verona’s underground. The Mafia King, if you want the truth.”
She stumbled back.
But he didn’t move toward her.
“I never meant to pull you into this. You were just… a sweet girl who served coffee and smiled at everyone like the world wasn’t broken.”
Maya’s lips trembled. “Then why help me?”
“Because someone marked you. You smiled at the wrong man that day. And he put a target on you. If I hadn’t intercepted the hit order…” He didn’t finish.
Maya stared at him. “Why didn’t you just let it happen? Why warn me?”
Kael looked away, voice low. “Because… in a world full of blood and betrayal, your smile was the first good thing I saw in years.”
---
They met again. And again.
At first, just to talk. Maya had questions—Kael had answers.
He never tried to charm her. He was always honest, raw. He told her things no one else would. About how he grew up in the streets, how he clawed his way to the top, how his hands were stained with things he could never wash off.
And yet, when she laughed—he forgot.
And when she cried—he listened.
Maya didn’t fall in love with the Mafia King.
She fell in love with the man beneath.
---
Months passed.
People noticed. Whispers grew. Enemies of Kael started to look toward her like a weakness.
One day, as she walked home, she was surrounded.
Men in dark suits. Guns.
“Message for your boyfriend,” one of them smirked.
Maya’s heart dropped.
But before anything happened—a blur of black smoke, a flash of steel—and Kael was there. Guns drawn. Silent. Deadly.
Within seconds, they were gone.
He grabbed her shoulders. “I told you to stay in the safe house!”
Maya stared at him, voice trembling. “I’m not scared of them, Kael. I’m scared of losing you.”
His eyes softened for the first time. “Then marry me.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I’m tired of this life. I’ll walk away. For you. I want a chance at peace. With you.”
“But you’re the king—”
“I was,” he interrupted. “But you’re the only crown I want to wear now.”
---
One message changed her life.
But it wasn’t the first one.
It was the last.
“Marry me. Be the light to my darkness. - K”
And she replied with a smile.
“Yes. Always.”
As they kissed, hugged and smiled looking at each other with a smile as they kissed again. Curtains dropped......
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THE END.
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