AM

Y/N thought signing her divorce papers was the hardest thing she’d ever have to do. She was wrong. With nowhere to go, no money, and no family left to turn to, she’s trying to survive one day at a time when a terrified little girl crashes into her arms, screaming for help. Without thinking, Y/N risks her own life to protect her from two armed men. Minutes later, she learns the little girl is Sofia DeLuca—the five-year-old daughter of the city’s most feared mafia boss. Don DeLuca has built an empire no one dares challenge, but there’s one battle money and power can’t win. A custody case threatens to take his daughter away forever, and the court refuses to believe a notorious crime boss can provide the stable home she deserves. His lawyers find one solution. A wife. A legal guardian. A family. When Sofia refuses to leave Y/N’s side, Don offers her a deal: one year of marriage, shared custody, a safe place to live, and enough money to help her start over. Once the custody battle is over, they’ll go their separate ways. No feelings. No expectations. No love. It should have been simple. But somewhere between bedtime stories, family dinners, school recitals, quiet mornings, and stolen smiles, pretending becomes reality. The little girl who once reached for a stranger’s hand begins calling Y/N “Mama,” and the man she promised never to love starts feeling more like home than anyone ever has. As enemies close in and the custody hearing approaches, Y/N must decide whether she’s willing to walk away from the life they planned—or fight for the family they never meant to become. Sometimes the strongest families aren’t the ones you’re born into. They’re the ones you choose.