Page 59 of Hidden Echoes

No, Zane. Don’t go there. Don’t be stupid.

Mia hums quietly as she works, her concentration fully on the drawing. The way she looks so at peace makes my chest tighten.

“Mia…” I start, the words slipping out before I even know where I’m going with them.

She stops coloring and turns to me, those soft, dove-like eyes locking onto mine like I’m the only thing that matters right now. That look—it’s disconcerting.

Too open. Too trusting.

“Can you… can you tell me what marriage means to you?” I don’t even know why I ask. Maybe I just need to hear it from her. Maybe I need to understand how she sees all of this, even though I already know her answer won’t be anything close to what I expect.

She blinks, then smiles. That same innocent, unwavering smile that always gets under my skin. “Marriage?” Her voice is light, like this is the easiest question in the world. “Well, it’s us traveling together. Eating waffles. Learning things from each other. I like that. I think that’s how people should do things together.”

Her words hit me like a punch straight to the gut.

It’s not what I expected. It’s worse. Because it’s so heartbreakingly simple.

Not with rules, not with exhausting jobs, not with boring routines. Not with traditions, not with expectations.

She just wants… me.

Bizarre.

Mia steps closer, her gaze steady and unshaken. "It's nice to know I can do that with you. In a mafia wedding, it would be different—I’d have to dress a certain way, obey without question, and serve my husband in whatever way he demanded. But you don’t make me do any of that."

I exhale sharply. “Why would you marry someone from the Mafia?”

“Because where I come from, that’s how things are,” she murmurs, almost like a confession.

The weight of her words slams into me harder than I expect.

Fuck.

My vision blurs slightly. My voice comes out lower, rougher. “I… I’m not the kind of man you need, Mia. I don’t know how to be that for you. I’m too fucking broken, too much of a loser to—” I stop myself, the anger at my own inadequacy burning brighter than anything else.

Mia watches me. No anger. No judgment. Just that same unshakable softness.

“You’re not a loser, Zane. I know you’re trying to be the best for me, even if you think you’re not.” She steps closer, that small, knowing smile playing on her lips. “I’ve never asked for much, never needed much. All I want is… this. What we’re doing right now. To be here. With you. I want that.”

A sharp pain spreads through my chest. A different kind of pain.

Because I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve her.

But fuck, I don’t want to let her go.

“I…” My voice catches, and I have to steady myself. “I just don’t know if I’m good enough for you.”

Mia tilts her head, considering my words like they don’t even matter. “You are you. That’s good enough for me. I just want you.”

And just like that, every single reason I had for ending this marriage crumbles.

Maybe I am insane. Maybe this entire thing is ridiculous. Maybe staying married to a girl I barely know, who I met in the most chaotic way possible, is the worst decision I could ever make.

But I don’t care anymore.

“Do you really want to be married to me?” I ask, my gaze dropping to the plastic ring on her finger.

She smiles, wide and unfiltered. “Of course.”

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