𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵

27 - Devil In Disguise.

It was dark. It felt dark.

I was cold—so cold. But not the kind of cold a blanket could fix. This was deeper, sinking into my bones, a chill that wouldn't leave until Alessandro was back, safe. Only then would the warmth return.

I couldn't stop thinking about him. Was he in pain? Bleeding? Hurt? Or worse... had something unthinkable happened?

No. Not Alessandro. He had defied death more times than I could count—he'd jumped out of a burning car, survived a bullet that nearly hit his heart. He wasn't going to die now. I had to believe that. I had to trust in his survival, the same way I always had.

But despite that, I was breaking. As much as I tried to hold myself together—for my sake, for Giada's sake—I was unraveling. I felt lost and scared. His fate remained unknown, and the thought of losing him now was unbearable. It was too soon.

I stood out on the balcony, staring down at the empty driveway, hoping with everything in me that they'd be back soon—that they'd bring Alessandro back soon.

"Yessie.." Melinda's voice pulled me from the dark fog in my head. "Come inside, please. It's freezing out here." She wrapped her arms around me, trying to warm me up.

I shook my head, refusing to move, refusing to leave until they were home.

"Say something, anything," Melinda pleaded. "It hurts to see you like this."

But I couldn't. The words were stuck in my throat, and I was afraid that if I spoke, all my emotions would come flooding out, and I wouldn't be able to gather myself.

Giada had joined us on the balcony. I didn't even hear her come in. She walked over to me and gently turned me around, her swollen, red eyes locking onto mine. I could see how hard she was fighting to stay strong, just like me.

"Please, talk to me," she said softly, her voice trembling.

The dam broke. Tears streamed down my face, silent sobs shaking my body. "I'm... I'm scared," I choked out. "I'm really scared."

Giada didn't say a word. She just opened her arms and pulled me into a tight, warm embrace. "I know, mia cara... I'm scared too. But please, let's go inside. You're freezing."

It wasn't until I stepped back into the warmth of the room that I realized how cold I'd been.

"Sweetie," Giada said, her gentle touch wiping away my tears.

But my eyes stayed glued to the doorway, my heart pounding, still waiting for him. Still hoping he'd walk in any second. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like the walls were closing in on me.

Giada held my face, her thumb brushing over my damp cheek. "He's going to come back home," she whispered. "I just know it. They'll bring him back, safe and sound."

I nodded, clinging to her words, desperately needing to believe they'd come true.