REINA

Paolo studied her face like he was searching for cracks in it.

"You swear?"

"I swear."

He let out a slow breath. Then he stood, crossed the room, and crouched in front of her chair.

The movement was so instinctively protective that something inside me softened. He reached up and squeezed her hand.

"You call me if he bothers you," he said. "Any time. Day or night."

Elisa’s eyes softened. "I know. But I swear to you, fratello, Benito isn’t like that. I begged him to introduce me to his gang. He won’t disturb me to come back if I don’t want to. And I’m not going back there, because I don’t want to be dragged back to the asylum. It’s scary."

"I trust you, sister. And if I find out you lied to me, I’m dragging you out by your ear and I’m going to yell at you. I know you hate when I do that."

She snorted. "You’re so dramatic."

"But he means it," I said quietly. Even though I didn’t understand half of what they were talking about, or how their lives had been before I married into the family, I knew Paolo cares for his sister so much and he didn’t want to be apart from her again.

They both looked at me.

Elisa groaned. "Traitor. I thought you’d be on my side. So not fair."

Paolo smiled and kissed the top of her head before standing again. "Good. Then we understand each other."

She brightened instantly, mood shifting like sunlight through clouds.

"Great. Now that family intervention hour is over, I’m going to do surprise stuff for your anniversary."

Paolo frowned. "That sentence alone worries me."

"It should," she said proudly.

She rushed over and hugged him tightly, then turned and squeezed me just as hard.

"I’ll be back soon. Do not be boring while I’m gone."

Before either of us could answer, she darted toward the door.

"And no fighting okay? Reina, please take care of my idiot brother!" she called out.

The door clicked shut behind her.

Silence settled over the apartment.

It was amazing how loud Elisa had been without me noticing until she was gone. The apartment felt different now. Still. Private. Like the walls themselves had exhaled.

I looked at Paolo, and suddenly everything felt smaller. Softer. More intimate.

He sat back down beside me and took my hand again immediately, as if it belonged there.

"She exhausts me," he murmured.

"You adore her."

"I do," he admitted. "Unfortunately."

I laughed under my breath.

His thumb brushed slowly over my knuckles, back and forth in an absent rhythm that felt far too comforting.

Then his gaze moved over my face, careful and searching. I couldn’t believe it was just us now.

"How are you really doing, my wife?" he asked quietly, the corner of his eyes wrinkled as he smiled.

The warmth in me faltered.

"I’m fine."

"Reina."

My name in his mouth was gentle, but it still felt like pressure.

He shifted closer, his free hand resting lightly against my cheek. His palm was warm. Familiar.

"Has anything else happened while I was gone?" he asked. "Anything at all. You can tell me."

For one terrible second, I wanted to.

I wanted to confess everything. Domenico. The lies. The secret growing heavier inside me every hour. The pregnancy test hidden in my bag. The shame that followed me like a shadow.

I wanted to place all of it in his hands and let him decide what to do with the wreckage.

But what would that do except destroy him?

What would it do to the softness in his eyes right now?

So I swallowed it all.

"It’s nothing," I said softly. "Just normal stuff. I’m okay now that you’re back."

His eyes stayed on mine for another moment.

He always had this way of looking at me too long, like he could sense what I wasn’t saying. It made me wonder how much he knew and chose not to ask.

Then he nodded once.

"Good," he said. "Because I missed you like crazy."

My chest tightened.

"I missed you too."

And I had. More than I wanted to admit.

I missed the steadiness of him. The kindness. The way he looked at me like I was worth loving.

He smiled, faint dimple appearing in his cheek.

"Come here."

I moved before thinking, turning toward him and climbing carefully into his lap, wanting to be close enough to forget myself for a little while.

My arms slid around his neck.

His scent wrapped around me instantly. Soap. Clean cotton. Something unmistakably Paolo.

For one suspended moment, I let myself sink into it.

I rested my forehead near his temple and closed my eyes.

Maybe I could stay here for a while.

Maybe if I stayed in this warmth long enough, everything ugly would disappear.

Paolo’s hands settled at my waist.

Then he made a sudden sharp sound. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

A groan of pain tore from his throat.

I froze instantly.

The sound was raw and involuntary painful. Nothing like the soft teasing noises he used to make when I startled him. This was real pain.

I pulled back fast.

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," he said too fast, forcing a smile. "Just sore from the trip."

"That’s a lie."

He tried to shrug casually, but even that tiny movement made something flicker across his face.

"Baby, I’m fine."

"No, you’re not."

"I’m okay."

"You just sounded like you got shot."

"That’s funny."

"You’re the one grimacing."

"I am not grimacing."

"You are literally pale right now."

He huffed a weak laugh, trying to charm his way through it like always.

"I missed your attitude too."

"Paolo."

The warning in my voice made him sigh.

He reached for my face again as if he could distract me. "Come on. Sit back down. You barely touched me and I complained like an idiot. I’m tired, that’s all."

I stared at him.

The tension around his mouth. The unnatural stiffness in the way he was holding himself. The careful angle of his body.

He was guarding something.

Fear began to crawl coldly through my stomach.

"What happened while you were away?"

"Nothing happened."

"You’re lying again."

"Reina."

"No."

I slid off his lap before he could stop me.

He muttered something under his breath and reached for my wrist, but not hard enough to restrain me.

I grabbed the hem of his shirt.

"Baby, don’t."

That single sentence confirmed everything.

My heart slammed hard against my ribs.

"Paolo, what did you do?"

"Nothing. Just leave it."

I yanked the fabric upward before he could stop me.

The scream ripped out of me before I could hold it back.

A huge stab wound stretched across his side, fresh and angry, stitched crudely through swollen red skin.

"Who hurt you, Paolo?"