“No,” I whispered.
The word came out hoarse, cracked, like my throat couldn’t believe I had to say it.Silas didn’t react, there was no dramatic flinch or defensive explanation. He simply knelt there before me, unbothered, still toying with that damned coin like he hadn’t just ripped the floor out from under my entire existence.I stood up too quickly. The room spun. I grabbed the wall.“You’re lying.”He rose slowly. “I’m not.”“I don’t have a brother.”“You do.”“I grew up in an orphanage,” I snapped, my voice rising. “I was dumped on the steps of a government building with no name, no family, nothing. I clawed my way up from nothing. I didn’t have anyone.”Silas watched me. Calm. Too calm.“Exactly,” he said quietly. “Because they made sure you didn’t.”My heart slammed against my ribs. I hated how still he was. How every cell in my body was chaos and he stood there like a fucking smatteo's POV I didn’t breathe. He looked at me, something heavy sitting in his throat. His voice replayed in my head. “Silas, he… he wants me to pick who dies and who lives.” The words hung in the air like the echo after a gunshot. I stared at him. Silent. One second. Then two. And finally— “What?” I asked, the word dragged out of my mouth like a blade scraping against stone. Slow. Eli swallowed, his throat bobbing with nervousness. He didn’t look away. “He knows I’ve been… involved. With both of you.” Me and Luca. The Rossi. He hesitated. “And with Ricci.” My stomach twisted. Silas had been watching him. Watching us. That wasn’t a theory anymore. That was fact. “He told me,” Eli continued, “he said… since I’ve planted myself
Matteo's POVHe flinched.Not a big movement. Not enough to scream confirmation. But just enough to confirm everything I needed to know.His eyes locked on mine, and suddenly, the kitchen, the damn house, felt like it was spinning off its axis. I stood frozen, heart hammering in my chest like it wanted to break free and run.He—he—was Giovanni.The boy who used to steal my snacks and hide behind his mother’s skirts.The boy who vanished like smoke when the Morettis betrayed us all.Eli was Gio.“What the f—” I started, but I didn’t get the chance to finish.Eli—no, Gio—lunged across the counter, clamping a firm hand over my mouth. His other hand grabbed my wrist, and his eyes were dark, urgent, terrified and locked on mine.“Shut up,” he hissed. “Please. Not now. Don't let Luca hear.”I blinked, startled. He glanced toward the hallway, his head jerking slightly like he was listening for footsteps.“Is Luca—?” he began.I shook
The conversation died, but the silence that followed wasn’t quite. It was loud. Heavy. Eli sat across from me, his fingers wrapped around the ceramic mug like it was the only thing tethering him to the present. His hot chocolate had long gone cold, untouched since Luca’s words peeled back the past like raw flesh under a knife.I watched him closely.He wasn’t just listening it was almost like… he was remembering. I could see it in the tension in his shoulders, the flicker in his dark eyes, the way his jaw clenched and unclenched like he was chewing on memories that tasted bitter.Who the hell are you, Eli?Something didn’t add up. It hadn’t for a while now. He was former FBI, yes. But his recent behavior has been hinting that he knows something we don't. The air around him always buzzed with something off. Not bad. Not dangerous, exactly. Just... known. Familiar.And now, hearing the name Moretti?He didn’t even flinch when
The mug in my hands was half-empty, the warmth fading with every second. But I was still holding it, like it anchored me to the ground. My fingers had stopped trembling. Barely. My heart, though—it wasn’t so calm.Luca glanced at Matteo, silently asking permission. Matteo gave a faint nod. Then Luca leaned forward, elbows on the table, eyes dark with something that was neither fear nor nostalgia but maybe both.“You want to know about the Moretti?” he asked quietly, his voice steady. “Alright. Here’s what we know.”The air shifted. Slowed. I held my breath.“Once,” Luca began, “there were three great families: Rossi, Ricci, and Moretti. Allies. Brothers in blood and ambition. Together, they were the Circle.”Matteo continued, “The original Circle. Not this patched-up mess that exists now. The old one? That ruled Italy. Not the streets, the entire fucking country. Even the government bowed their heads when the Circ
The world was shifting again.What?Wasn't I awake?Banging fists. Angry voices. The door splintered. Blood soaking through my shirt. I couldn’t run fast enough. Couldn’t breathe.“Gio! Run!”The name echoed.Over and over.Until—“Eli!”My body jerked upright, a gasp tearing from my throat. My hands fumbled against the sheets, tangled and drenched in sweat. I was panting, my lungs burning, like I’d been sprinting through fire.The room was dark, warm. Familiar.Not Marco’s house.Not the orphanage.Not the past.I was in bed, nestled between two bodies, Matteo on one side, Luca on the other. Both were already awake, eyes wide and alert, guns drawn in seconds.“Shit,” Matteo muttered, his voice rough from sleep but sharp with adrenaline. “You okay?”I couldn’t answer.Luca was scanning the room, eyes narrowing. “That scream…” he gla
The darkness came like it always did, slow, creeping, suffocating. I couldn’t remember when I’d fallen asleep, or if I’d even wanted to. The last thing I recalled was lying on my back, staring at the ceiling, Matteo and Luca's arms wrapped around me.But this sleep… it was different.My body felt strange. Smaller. Lighter. My feet pattered against the grass, soft and cool beneath my soles. I looked down and saw small, stubby fingers. Chubby arms. I was… a child.Laughter rang out nearby. I turned to see a boy taller, maybe eight, nine or ten his shaggy brown hair catching the sunlight as he spun in circles with his arms stretched wide like an airplane.“Come on, Gio!” he called, his smile radiant and familiar. “Catch me!”Gio?I ran after him without thinking, my smaller legs wobbling with each step. My breath came in sharp bursts, but I laughed like I actually laughed. That strange, light joy bubbled in my chest like soda, fizzy and wild. The boy was fast, b
Since the interrogation was over, I turned toward the stairs, eager to surrender myself to the comfort of my bed. I could already imagine the soft sheets, the quiet, the escape. But just as I placed a foot on the first step, a firm, calloused hand wrapped around my arm, halting me mid step. The scent hit me before I even looked up—clean, dark musk with a hint of cedar and something uniquely him. Matteo. “Elias…” The way he said my name so soft, broken, almost sad sent a sharp ache through my chest. “Why are you being so… distant?” His voice wavered. “I miss you.” Three simple words. I miss you. He had never said them to me before, not even once. And hearing them now, spoken with such quiet honesty, made my heart clench with guilt. I had been avoiding them. Shutting them out. Pushing away the very people who had bled to keep me safe. Who had step
The house was quiet, eerily still. I stepped inside, the soft click of the door behind me filling the silence. But it wasn’t peaceful. No, it felt… suffocating. Like the air itself was pressing down on me. I could feel the tension, thick and suffocating, wrapping around me like a tight coil. My heart pounded in my chest, my fingers tightening around the ghost of the duffle bag I had hidden earlier. Had they followed me? Did they know what I had taken? The thought of the papers was still heavy in my mind, even if the bag was stashed away in a safe corner for now. I couldn’t let them find out what I had. Not yet. Before I had time to get a hold of my thoughts, the lights flickered on, too bright for the darkness that was there moments ago. I blinked, my eyes stinging against the sudden brightness. I heard them before I saw them—those two devils who’d haunted every inch of my life since I’d first walked into their world. Luca
The door slammed shut, and the silence that followed was deafening. It wasn't the usual silence hat settled after an argument. This silence different like a loaded weapon. Like the room was holding its breath, waiting to see who would snap first.Luca stood by the door, his back rigid, hand still clenched from where he had held Eli.I didn’t say anything at first. Just watched him. His shoulders rose and fell in that slow, controlled rhythm he always adopted when he was trying to not destroy something.Or someone.“Fuck,” he finally muttered, low and tensw.“Yeah,” I echoed, dragging a hand down my face. “He didn’t even look at us. Like we weren’t even there.”Luca turned around, his jaw hard, eyes shadowed. “He’s hiding something.”That was obvious.I leaned against the edge of the desk, arms crossed. “Think he’s in trouble?”“Maybe,” Luca replied. “Or maybe we are.”That earned him a raised b