Lissy Romano

64| I need them.

Lissy Romano

"Just tell me what happened," Xander said, his tone sharp, more command than request.

"It's none of your business. Leave me alone," I snapped, raising a hand in front of me, hoping to put some distance between us, even if just a little.

"It is my business. It's more than my business. You're mine," Xander said as he leaned closer, his intent clear—he wanted to kiss me.

"Dario!" I shouted, my voice cracking with desperation.

Xander's fist slammed into the locker beside my head, the metallic clang reverberating through the empty room. I flinched so hard I almost lost my balance. But before I could react, he bolted, slipping out through the back door leading to the school's gym. It was the fastest route out of the building.

Dario stormed in seconds later, his gun drawn, eyes darting around the room. A gun. Of course, he had a gun. He was my bodyguard, after all.

I sat down on the bench, clutching the towel around me as tightly as I could, trying to cover myself. My whole body was trembling, though I wasn't cold.

"Lissy, what happened?" Dario asked as he crouched in front of me, concern etched on his face.

"He was here... He was here," I whispered, my voice breaking as tears spilled down my cheeks.

Why does this keep happening to me? Why can't I just be normal? Why are there always people trying to hurt me?

"Who was here?" Dario pressed, shrugging off his jacket and draping it over my shoulders.

I couldn't stop shaking. My past clawed its way into the present, dragging me back into old memories I'd fought so hard to bury. Before I could fully register it, Dario had already called Vincenzo, relaying everything to him.

That wasn't all. Vincenzo called the twins, and they were there in less than a minute. As much as I hated the situation, it warmed something in me to know they really would drop everything to protect me.

"Lissy," Matteo said softly as he crouched beside me, his hand cupping my cheek.

"Matteo... h-he was here. I didn't... I didn't expect him. He just showed up," I stammered, my words falling apart.

"Lissy, who was here?" Matteo asked, his voice gentle but firm.

"Xander," I whispered, the name catching in my throat. "He... he was here."

The reaction was immediate.

"I'll kill him. I knew we should've done it sooner," Enzo growled, his face darkening with fury.

His words sent a jolt through me, and I turned to him, my heart pounding. "First time? Kill him? What are you talking about?" My voice rose as my grip on Matteo tightened.

"Shush, Lissy. Everything is okay," Matteo tried to soothe me, but I wasn't buying it.

"No, it's not! You'll kill him?!" Panic bubbled in my chest.

Xander hadn't done enough to deserve that. Yes, he'd scared me, but there were people who'd done worse—much worse. And they were still alive.

Then the puzzle pieces began to click into place. My brothers had killed before. Noah. His friends. The whispered rumors I'd overheard were true. Noah's friends weren't lying.

My brothers were killers.

And if they'd killed them, they could kill Xander too.

What if one day... they killed me?

"He didn't mean it like that, don't worry," Matteo said quickly, but his face betrayed him.

I didn't let on that I knew the truth. I couldn't. Not yet.

Instead, I leaned into Matteo's arms, letting his warmth ground me. A few moments later, Vincenzo and Domenico burst into the room. They hugged me tightly, but I couldn't bring myself to respond fully. I felt too detached, too unsure of what to do next.

After changing into my clothes, they led me to their car. On the ride home, they tried to talk to me, to comfort me, but I stayed silent. I didn't feel like talking to anyone.

The second we got home, I ran upstairs to my room and locked the door behind me.

"Lissy, open the door," Vincenzo called, his voice calm but insistent.

"Lissy, we'll have to break the door. It's for your own good," Domenico added, sounding genuinely worried.

"I just want to sleep," I said, hoping they'd let it go.

"Open the door, and then you can sleep," Matteo said, his tone brooking no argument.

I didn't have a choice. Reluctantly, I unlocked the door and walked straight to my bed, lying down without looking at them.

I pretended to fall asleep, hoping they'd leave me alone. Instead, they insisted on leaving my door open—just in case. They thought I'd try to end my life again.

But I'd never do that again. Never. That was a mistake I'd learned to live with, though its shadow lingered.

Matteo stayed in my room, sitting by my bed with his head resting against the headboard. Hours passed, and he eventually drifted off to sleep. Jax was snuggled in his playpen, fast asleep too.

I slipped out of bed quietly. Taking my backpack, I packed a few essentials: clothes, money Santino had given me, my phone, and a few other things. I slipped on my jacket and shoes, gently picked up Jax, and held him close. He was drowsy enough not to bark or make a sound.

Sneaking past the guards at the gates was easier than I thought. They were distracted, talking about money, laughing at some joke. I held my hand over Jax's muzzle, just in case.

As I walked farther and farther away from home, the weight of everything settled heavily on my shoulders. I felt helpless and stupid.

But I couldn't let them hurt me. I couldn't let them hurt anyone else because of me.

I needed to protect myself. No one else was going to.

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