Silence.
He stared at me for a long moment before exhaling sharply, like a truth had just hit him.Then his eyes darkened again.
“Why did you come back?You were supposed to be dead.”
My mouth went dry.
What?
My mind blanked completely.He said it so casually, like it was something he already knew — like he’d seen me die.
“You kidnapped me,” was all I managed to stammer out.
“Just come with me.”His patience was gone now.He turned sharply and headed for the door, but I didn’t move.I stood there frozen, watching the back of his head, his words spinning through my mind like poison.
Why did I come back?
Didn’t Alessandro want to see me?Didn’t he ever—
“Are you dense, fiore?”Salvatore snapped, cutting through my thoughts.He turned and glared at me, jaw tight.“I said come with me.”
Something inside me broke then, but I followed him anyway.My feet moved on their own, each step heavier than the last.
We walked through long corridors lined with marble and gold accents, the kind of beauty that made me sick.Every chandelier sparkled like it was mocking me.The air smelled like polish and expensive perfume, but underneath it all was something rotten — something cold.
Women moved through the halls quietly, all wearing the same crisp uniforms.I recognized the outfit from before — the same woman who’d bathed me, dressed me, avoided my eyes.They all kept their heads down, their movements careful, mechanical.
As we walked, my heart pounded harder and harder.
Because I realized we weren’t going deeper into the house.We were going out.
The back of the mansion came into view, sunlight bleeding through the tall glass doors.My breath caught in my throat as panic clawed its way up my chest.
Was this it?Were they finally letting me go...or was this where they were going to kill me?
I swallowed hard, trying to stop my hands from shaking, but it was no use.My anxiety was spiraling, just like it always did.I wanted Matt — his calm voice, the way he grounded me when my chest felt like it was collapsing.But Matt wasn’t here.
And Alessandro...
The thought of his name alone hurt.
I followed Salvatore through those gleaming halls with my heart in my throat, bracing for whatever waited beyond those doors.
Because one thing was certain — whatever came next, there was no going back..
began to think if he was left to die at the restaurant that night and wanted to do something about it, but I knew I couldn’t if I was going to be held under their captivity.The worst came to mind, and I panicked the other night — after that, I don’t remember anything.
Once we reached Salvatore’s desired destination, he instructed me to get down on my knees and wait.He went out and then came back with a blindfold to cover my eyes.All the way through, I felt panic flood through my system — as always, ever since I got here — but right now, at this moment, it was worse.My stomach hurt, and tears were threatening to spill out of my eyes.After a few moments of waiting, I heard multiple footsteps just walking into the room.I couldn’t really see anything as my eyes were covered, but I could hear everything.
Silence filled the room once again, and all I could feel was what felt like a thousand pairs of eyes glaring directly at me.I whimpered through the silence and tried to compose myself, but I couldn’t because I was so scared.I just wanted to go home to mom.
Suddenly, the blindfold was yanked off my face only to be faced with Salvatore, who was sitting on a chair while several other men surrounded me.I’ve never been so intimidated in my whole life.When I looked around, I felt my heart just stop pumping.Bruno, the other man, stood next to me as he watched me before he turned his attention elsewhere.
“Fiore,” he suddenly called out, which instantly caused me to snap my head in his direction.“What shall we do with you then?”
I felt my chin quiver as I licked my lips; they were very dry.
“L-let me g-go.Please!”I pleaded.
