Fairy tales tease the existence of a better life. For Ariella Lambert, they don’t exist, and her trauma-induced selective mutism meant letting go of the future she once dreamed of. Now deeply embedded within the Corsetti mafia family by her sister’s union, she seeks a fraction of control and volunteers herself for an arranged marriage with the head of another crime family.

Erico Rossi, underboss of the New York Famiglia, was enthralled by Ariella from their first meeting. After one engagement is broken, he agrees to the offered union to Ariella, with the intent of formulating a loveless marriage. Ariella’s expressive silence sparks his interest in her, and soon, Erico wants to know his new wife in every way possible. Sometimes silence can be louder than noise.