Mag-log in๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐I watched Helena gently place her utensils down on her plate.She had barely touched her food.Maybe nobody else would notice.Maybe, to anyone else sitting at that table, it would go completely unnoticed.But I noticed.I noticed everything.Over the past few days, I had started paying attention to details that would never have caught my attention before. The way she pushed food around her plate when she was nervous. The way she pressed her fingers against her napkin whenever something bothered her. The way her eyes discreetly scanned every room, always alert, always evaluating possible threats.Like someone who could never fully relax.Like someone who was always waiting for the worst.And it destroyed me.Because I knew exactly who was responsible for that fear.Helena dabbed her lips with her napkin and looked up at my father.โExcuse meโฆ may I leave?โHer voice was soft.Polite.Careful.As if she weighed every word before speaking it.Dom Vittorio lif
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐A few minutes after our conversation, Helena fell asleep.Maybe it was exhaustion.Maybe it was all the fear she had been carrying.Or maybe it was simply because, for the first time in many hours, she knew she wasnโt alone.I sat in the armchair beside the bed, watching her in silence.The soft glow of the lamp illuminated only part of the room, casting delicate shadows across the walls and highlighting the contours of her face.She slept on her side, hugging a pillow.Like a child trying to protect herself from monsters.The difference was that Helenaโs monsters were real.And I knew the worst of them.My father.My jaw clenched immediately.The memory of the tears in her eyes when she opened the door was still eating away at me.She had spent hours alone.Scared.Waiting.Believing that maybe I wouldnโt come back.And the worst part?I understood that fear perfectly.Because I knew Dom Vittorio, too.I knew exactly what he was capable of.If he decided t
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐The noise at the door stopped.But the fear didnโt.I remained curled up on the bed, hugging my knees to my chest while silent tears ran down my face.I barely realized I was crying.The tears kept coming.Slow.Warm.Silent.My body stayed rigid, incapable of relaxing.My eyes were fixed on the door.Waiting.Fearing.Because the worst kind of fear wasnโt the kind you could see.It was the fear of waiting.Of uncertainty.Of doubt.I didnโt know how much time had passed.Maybe a few minutes.Maybe half an hour.Maybe more.The clock had completely lost its meaning.Everything felt distorted.Slow.Heavy.As if the night itself had stopped around me.All I could hear was the sound of my heart.Beating too fast.Too hard.And all I could think about was him.Alessandro.Where was he?Why hadnโt he come yet?Was he okay?Had he gotten himself into some kind of trouble?Or worseโฆHad he decided not to come back?My chest tightened painfully.That last possibility was
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐I had never realized how slowly time could pass.Especially when you were waiting for someone.Or worried about someone.Or both at the same time.Sitting on the bed, I wrapped my arms around my knees and looked once again at the clock on the nightstand.00:17.I sighed.It seemed impossible.I was certain that at least an hour had passed since I last checked the time.But no.Only a few minutes.Miserable minutes.Minutes that seemed to drag on deliberately, as if time itself were mocking my anxiety.I closed my eyes for a moment and rested my forehead against my knees.My mind was far too restless to rest.And I knew exactly why.Alessandro.His name appeared immediately.As always.Lately, all it took was a second of silence for my thoughts to run straight to him.It was ridiculous.Dangerous.And completely unavoidable.I opened my eyes and stared at the bedroom door.It remained closed.Still.Silent.Over the past few nights, I had created a habit without eve
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐The moment I walked out of Helenaโs room, reality hit me like a punch to the stomach.For a few minutes, I had forgotten.Forgotten who I was.I forgot who my father was.Forgotten the silent war happening all around me.Forgotten the mafia.The business.The enemies.The blood.But all it took was closing the door behind me for everything to come rushing back.The weight crashed down onto my shoulders all at once.My phone was still in my hand as I crossed the halls of the mansion. The screen was still lit up, showing Brunoโs call.He never called me at that hour without a reason.If he had insisted, it was because something was wrong.Very wrong.I went downstairs quickly and headed for the office. When I opened the door, I found Bruno pacing back and forth, clearly impatient.The moment he saw me, he stopped.His eyes narrowed immediately.โFinally.โI closed the door behind me.โWhat happened?โHe crossed his arms.โBefore thatโฆ where were you?โI sighe
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐My heart was still racing.I could hear it.I could feel every beat echoing inside my chest as I looked at Alessandro.โIโve wanted to do that for much longer than I ever should have.โHe had said that.And I couldnโt react.I just stood there, staring at him, trying to understand what had just happened. Trying to put the pieces together. Trying to believe that all of it was real.Because it felt impossible.Absurd.Dangerous.And yetโฆIt was the truest moment I had ever lived.Alessandro was there.Standing right in front of me.Looking at me as if I were the only person left in the world.As if nothing else mattered except the two of us.And that was exactly what terrified me.Reality.My throat tightened.The memory of the kiss was still alive. I could still feel the warmth of his arms around me, the careful touch of his hand against my face, the way he had looked at me before he kissed me, as if he were fighting the greatest battle of his life.Maybe he was.Be
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐The key turned in the lock.Once.Twice.Three times.Even so, I went to check.My hand was still on the handle when I turned it again, testing.The door was locked.I knew that.I had locked it myself.Even soโฆ it didnโt feel like enough.I leaned my back against the door for a
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐I woke up with my body heavy, as if I hadnโt slept at all the night before. The side of my face where my father had struck me still burned faintlyโa persistent reminder of what had happened.I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. I took a deep breath, tryi
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐I didnโt even know how many days had passed.I stopped counting on the third.At first, I still tried. I watched the light coming through the window and tried to mark time by the meals and by the movement of the house, but after a while, everything began to look the same. The da
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐I woke up before the alarm went off.Actually, for yet another night, I hadnโt slept properly.The room was still dark, the curtains closed like always, but something felt different. It took me a few seconds to understand what it was. It wasnโt the silenceโthat had always been t







