Chapter 126
“Oh, I know,” I say, grinning. “He conned me into making him coffee once. I’ve never emotionally recovered.”
Dante chuckles lowly beside me, his hand lazily tracing up and down my back. “You say that like you didn’t make it again the next day.
“Because I felt bad,” I protest, nudging his side. “He looked so… tired and pitiful.”
“That’s his other superpower,” Enzo says, lounging dramatically in his chair. “Matteo Moretti: part–time CEO, full–time manipulator of soft hearts.”
“I am sitting right here,” Matteo mutters, but his smirk gives him away. He reaches over and tugs me into his lap like he’s claiming me in front of his sister, and I go without resistance, nestling against him easily. It feels natural. Easy. Like I’ve always belonged here.
Chiara leans forward, resting her chin in her palm, eyes flicking between all of us. “You know,” she says slowly, teasingly, “I’ve never seen you three this… mellow. Usually, it’s all arguing and sarcasm and flexing. Literal flexing. I walked in on a push–up competition once.”
“Matteo lost,” Enzo adds helpfully.
“By one,” Matteo huffs. “And you cheated. You didn’t even bend your elbows.”
“I don’t need to. I’m genetically superior.”
I giggle, and Chiara points at me triumphantly. “See? That’s it. That laugh. She softens you. I approve.”
Matteo’s arm wraps more securely around me, and Dante leans in to brush his lips against my temple like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Enzo just nods, looking at me with something almost reverent in his eyes.
“She’s ours,” Dante says softly, and it’s not a declaration–it’s a truth.
Chiara’s gaze flickers between us, and something knowing settles behind her smile. “Yeah. I can see that.”
For a moment, everything feels still. Warm. Like this could be a real beginning. The four of us with Chiara–laughing, teasing, existing like this has always been the way things were meant to be.
But then Matteo’s phone buzzes.
And the room shifts.
He picks it up, listens for a moment, and his jaw hardens. His eyes darken in that way I’m slowly learning to fear–not because they scare me, but because they mean something’s wrong.
“Yeah,” he says into the phone. “We’re on our way.”
Click.
He stands, his chair scraping lightly against the floor.
Enzo and Dante exchange a glance. No words. Just the silent agreement of people who’ve done this before.
I stand too. “What’s going on?”
None of them answer.
Matteo turns to me, walking over slowly. His hand cups my cheek. “Stay here.”
Chapter 126
“Matteo-”
“Chiara’s with you,” he says, voice low. “You’ll be safe.”
I glance at her. She’s no longer teasing. Her arms are crossed, her eyes sharp. Ready.
“I hate this,” I whisper.
“I know,” he replies. “But trust me–we’ll be back.”
He kisses my forehead. Then Dante does the same. Enzo lingers, eyes locking with mine like he’s trying to say something he can’t quite voice.
And then they’re gone.
The door closes behind them, sealing the quiet like a vault.
For a long moment, neither Chiara nor I speak. The weight of their absence settles over us both.
Then she flops dramatically next to me on the couch and sighs. “Men. Always making an exit like they’re starring in a Netflix drama.
I try to smile. “That didn’t feel like nothing.”
“It’s not,” she admits. “But they’ve got it handled.”
I look at her, trying to read between the lines. “Will they be okay?”
She doesn’t answer right away. Instead, she gently grabs a throw blanket and pulls it over both of us.
“They better be,” she murmurs. “Or I’ll kill them myself.”
I rest my head on her shoulder. She lets me.
And as the minutes tick by in silence, I try not to count them.
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