MasukTHIRD PERSON Marco walked into the house with his jaw tight and his shoulders tense. The silence inside was thick, too still, like the walls were waiting for something to explode. He shut the door without a sound and stood there for a moment, breathing hard. His father’s words kept echoing, circling his head again and again, each one hitting the same raw spot.He dragged his hand across his face and forced himself to move.The lights in the kitchen were on. He walked in and found Sarah standing by the counter. She was cutting fruit, slow and gentle, like she always did when she wanted things peaceful. She looked up the moment she sensed him. Her eyes softened. She gave him that small warm look, the one that usually calmed him.Tonight it did nothing. If anything, it made the anger twist deeper. Made the guilt sharper.She wiped her hands on a towel and took a step closer. “You’re back early,” she said. “Everything okay?”Her voice was low. Careful. It should have helped. He wished it
MARCOI answered the call and my father’s voice hit me before I even said hello. He didn’t ease into it. He didn’t breathe. He just fired at me.“Marco, what the hell is going on?”The anger in his voice came sharp and loud. I held the phone away for a second because it felt like he was right in my ear. My ribs pinched a bit when I straightened up, but I forced my voice to stay calm.“What do you mean?” I said. “Everything is fine. Nothing is out of hand. I’m handling it.”“Do not lie to me,” he snapped. “Do not even try it. I have been getting calls since morning. Calls. From people I should never hear from unless something is going wrong.”I felt my jaw tighten. I tried to breathe slow, but he gave me no space.“You think I don’t know?” he went on. “I know about the routes. I know about the investors. And I know about the missing shipment.”I froze there. My whole body felt still. I didn’t expect the news to fly all the way to him this fast. Investors calling him meant it was worse
THIRD PERSONMarco had been home for a full week, and the days passed in slow, tense silence. He moved better now, but every shift in his ribs reminded him of the accident. His shoulder still pulled when he lifted his arm too fast. The bruises across his side had started to fade, but the soreness stayed with him like a dull warning.The house felt different. It carried an edge he couldn’t soften. Sarah barely looked at him for more than a few seconds at a time. She spoke softly, never raising her voice, never pushing. She moved with care, like any wrong word could break the small peace they were holding on to.Every morning, Marco noticed it again and again. The way she slid his glass of water toward him without meeting his eyes. How she asked if he slept well, but her voice sounded like she already expected the answer. The careful distance she kept when she walked past him. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t anger. It felt like she was protecting something inside her, and Marco didn’t know wh
SOFIAThe drive home was silent, but my head wasn’t. Every turn, every red light, I kept seeing her face. Sarah. The way she looked at him, the way she moved toward him like she had the right. That fake softness in her voice when she said his name.By the time I stepped inside, I couldn’t breathe right. The door slammed behind me, and I didn’t even try to hold back. My bag hit the wall, the sound echoing through the quiet house. I stood there, breathing hard, hands shaking, watching it slide to the floor.That image of her hugging him burned in my head. Her arms around him like she belonged there. My jaw clenched. She didn’t even hesitate. Not a flicker of doubt. Like she knew he wouldn’t pull away.“Stupid,” I muttered, kicking my shoes off hard enough that one flew across the room. “So damn stupid.”I walked back and forth, trying to shake off the feeling crawling under my skin. It wasn’t just anger. It was humiliation. That look Tony gave me when I stood there watching her hold Mar
SARAHThe kitchen was already warm when I came in. Martha had been up for a while, her sleeves rolled to her elbows, a knife moving fast through a pile of vegetables. The scent of herbs, garlic, and simmering tomato filled the air. I tied an apron and joined her, wordless, my thoughts too heavy to trust my voice.“You’re quiet today,” Martha said after a while. Her tone was light, but her eyes didn’t miss much.“Just thinking,” I said, stirring the sauce. The wooden spoon trembled slightly in my hand. My mind kept circling back to Maddalena’s words from earlier, that sharp voice in the living room, her warning that I didn’t belong here. That Sofia was the better choice. I could still see her smirk when I told her I wouldn’t lose.Martha dropped the vegetables into a pot and gave me a side look. “Thinking about the boss?”I almost smiled. “You mean Marco?”“Who else?” She shrugged, turning to the stove. “Word is he’s being discharged this evening.”I froze. “He’s coming home today?”“T
SARAHThe house was quiet when I walked in, the kind of quiet that didn’t feel peaceful. The air was cold, heavy. My legs felt weak, and my mind was still caught between fear and exhaustion.Maddalena was waiting. She sat in the living room like a queen guarding her throne, arms crossed, eyes sharp enough to cut through the dark. I knew before she opened her mouth that she’d been waiting for me.“Where have you been?” Her voice was calm, but the calm that came before something dangerous.I swallowed and forced a small smile. “I went for air. Needed space.”Her head tilted, slow, deliberate. “At dawn? You think I’m blind?”I shrugged, pretending I didn’t care, though my heart was racing. “Believe what you want.”She stood up, every step closer tightening the air between us. “You’re reckless,” she said. “Marco doesn’t need a wife who disappears into the night. He needs stability. A woman who understands what it means to stand beside him. A woman like Sofia.”The name hit like a slap. So







