Just Let Me Breathe

The night before I left the Family, our inner circle met at the club to play pool as usual.

Ever since Chloe came back and rejoined us six months ago, the attitudes of these three men toward me had quietly changed.

Throughout the entire night, Chloe didn't lose a single game, while I was forced to take twelve penalty shots.

Whenever I was about to clear the table, my brother Luca would always find a difficult angle to block my cue ball, then conveniently leave easy shots for Chloe.

In the final game, the cue ball was frozen to the rail, leaving only the eight ball.

Luca grabbed the pool cue from my hands and pushed the cue ball into a tight spot.

"Elena, you're great at this. Just play along so Chloe can have some fun." He ruffled my hair with the same gentle tone he used to use, yet his favoritism was obvious.

Chloe leaned over with a smile and effortlessly sank her last two stripes to clear the table.

My boyfriend Roman leaned against the table, smoking. He clearly had a chance for a comeback, but he just blew a smoke ring and laughed.

"I'll take the loss on this round."

Then he walked over to me, naturally wrapped his arm around my waist, and whispered to coax me, "It's just a game. What happened to my easygoing Elena? Be a good girl, don't get upset over something this small."

My childhood friend, Cassian, also gave up his turn.

Chloe won again.

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she bit her lower lip and acted innocent.

"You guys shouldn't always let me win. Elena will get upset."

Luca simply pushed the thirteenth glass of whiskey right into my hand.

"She's great at pool. What's the big deal if she loses a few rounds?"

Cassian put away Chloe's pool cue for her.

"You're not like her. You can take a loss, you just keep it to yourself."

With a cigarette between his fingers, Roman frowned slightly and shot me a look.

"It's just a game. Don't be such a sore loser."

But they all seemed to forget that tonight was supposed to be my farewell party.

Even when the game was completely over, no one bothered to ask which part of the Family business I was going to take over.

Chloe excitedly suggested we play again at the same time next Saturday.

Roman chimed in casually, "Elena can book the room like always."

Luca immediately added.

"Remember to get a new set of balls. This set felt terrible today."

I nodded obediently, swallowing the words that there would be no next week.

In my suitcase lay a plane ticket to Sicily.

There were only seven days left until I flew to the island estate to start my new role.

Since they only cared about Chloe winning.

Then this time, I would just walk away from the table.

Right after I downed the thirteenth shot, my chest suddenly tightened.

It felt like someone was choking me. I reached for my bag by the sofa. It held my asthma inhaler.

Before my fingertips could even touch the zipper, Chloe suddenly covered her nose and fell back onto the sofa.

"I can't breathe. The smell of smoke is making me dizzy."

She had been sitting furthest away from the ashtray the entire night.

Yet the three men dropped their pool cues at the exact same time.

Luca quickly took off his suit jacket and wrapped it tightly around her.

Cassian reached out to help her lie down, casually pushing aside anything in the way.

My bag, along with the inhaler inside, was knocked onto the carpet.

Roman crouched in front of her, nervously asking if she was alright.

I struggled to grab Cassian's arm.

"Give my bag back. I need my medicine..."

Cassian shook off my hand with extreme impatience.

"She's about to pass out, and you're still trying to make a scene?"

"My asthma inhaler is in there."

"Then go outside and get some fresh air."

He gave the sofa up to Chloe and turned to pour a glass of water.

The VIP room instantly descended into chaos.

In her panic, Chloe crashed into the wine cabinet. An entire row of vintage bottles shattered across the floor, spilling red liquid everywhere.

The club manager walked over with a massive bill, waiting to see who would pay for the damages.

The noise of the breaking bottles was so loud that the staff from the entire floor rushed over.

But Luca had already scooped Chloe up in his arms and headed for the door.

"Elena, pay the bill and clean this up. We have to take Chloe to a doctor right now."

"I can't breathe."

Fighting the sharp pain in my chest, I asked for help for the first time.

Luca looked back at me. A trace of apology flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by panic.

"Elena, you've always been tough. You'll be fine once you catch your breath. Chloe is delicate, and it would be terrible if she gets a lung infection. I'll take her to the doctor first. Be a good girl, go home and wait for me."

Roman tossed his car keys onto the table.

"Elena, I need to drive her to the hospital right away. Help clean up here. Remember to bring back everything Chloe left behind. Go home and rest. I'll check on you later."

He reached out and touched my cheek. But from start to finish, Roman never once asked why I was clutching my chest.

In fact, if he had just taken one more look, he would have noticed I was shaking the whole time.

I swiped my card to pay for the expensive wine, picked up the belongings they left behind, and stumbled out the club doors.

The tightness in my chest hit me in waves.

Pushing through the pain, I walked to the 24-hour pharmacy at the intersection and went in alone to buy emergency asthma medication.

The pharmacist on duty took one look at my pale face and insisted on calling an ambulance.

My phone vibrated.

The estate manager in Sicily sent a flight confirmation, asking if they needed to send a car to pick me up at the airport.

I replied, yes.

When I switched back to the main screen, Chloe had just sent a picture to our group chat.

In a VIP hospital suite, she was resting comfortably against the pillows. Luca was pouring water, Cassian was peeling an orange, and Roman, the usually ruthless mob heir, was sitting patiently on the edge of the bed massaging her temples.

A text accompanied the photo.

"I'm so lucky to always have you guys by my side when I'm scared."

Roman replied instantly, "Stay away from crowded places from now on."

He said those exact words three years ago.

Back then, I was hospitalized for a severe asthma attack. He stayed by my side the entire night, swearing he would never let me near that kind of environment again.

But today, the man who watched without blinking as I was forced to take those shots was also him.

I stared at the screen without shedding a tear or demanding an explanation.

I simply left their belongings at the front desk and flagged down a taxi, heading in the opposite direction to the city hospital.

The ER doctor looked at my concerning chest X-rays, frowned, and asked when my emergency contact would arrive.

I quietly looked down the cold, deserted emergency hallway.

"I have no family."

"It's just me."