Lissy Romano

82| Untrustworthy.

Lissy Romano

"Dante, let go of me! Let go of me!" I shouted, my fists pounding against his back.

"You can do better, cupcake. I taught you how to throw a punch," he teased, effortlessly carrying me downstairs.

"Stop it, Dante!" I yelled, my frustration boiling over.

He set me down on the floor, and I immediately punched him in the stomach. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"We'll have to practice some more," Dante said, pinching my cheek.

"Don't touch me," I snapped, pushing his hand away.

"Someone's mad. Good, punch me again," he said, grinning.

I did, harder this time.

"See? That was better. When you're angry, your body's more ready to fight," he said, ruffling my hair.

"Leave me alone," I muttered, turning away and walking off.

"My cupcake's angry," Dante said as he followed me.

"I'm pissed off. You're really pissing me off," I retorted, spinning to face him.

"I was just joking, cupcake," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"I'm still mad at you," I said, my gaze dropping to the floor.

"You won't be..." he started, but his phone rang, cutting him off.

He answered it in Italian, and I stood there like an idiot, unable to understand a word. When he hung up, his face was pale, his expression tense.

"What's going on?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Nothing important," Dante said quickly, though his voice gave away the lie.

"Don't lie to me, Dante," I insisted, crossing my arms.

"I have to go," he said, turning to leave.

Before I could protest, he rushed upstairs. I followed, my voice rising as I asked, "What's happening?"

"Go to your room," Dante commanded, his tone harsh.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on," I demanded, louder now.

Dante hesitated, his eyes flicking between me and the stairs, and just then, Davide came out of his room. He looked... shocked. No, sad, maybe even a little scared.

"Did Vincenzo already tell you about Giovanni?" Davide asked Dante, his voice low.

"What about Giovanni?" I asked, my concern growing. But Davide ignored me, his gaze locked on Dante.

"Nothing," Dante said abruptly, his voice sharp.

"What's going on..." I began, but Dante cut me off with a shout.

"Go to your room!" His voice was thunderous, making me flinch. My breath caught in my throat, and before I knew it, I'd backed away from him, gasping.

I placed my hand over my mouth, trying to hold myself together, but I felt the tears start to form. His yell—so unexpected, so harsh—struck a deep, painful chord inside me. I didn't like being yelled at. I hated it. And Dante knew about my past. He knew how much aggression scared me.

But still, he did it.

He looked regretful, guilt flashing across his face as he stepped forward. But I couldn't bear it. I rushed to my room and locked the door behind me.

I heard him calling my name, knocking on the door, but I ignored him. I couldn't look at him the same way now. Not after that.

"Lissy, open the door," Dante's voice came through, but I remained silent.

"I have to go, but I didn't want to scare you. You have to understand," he said. The footsteps retreated, and I was left alone.

Understand what? I've always been the one who tries to understand, to be kind, honest, and patient with them. But they kept secrets from me. They didn't trust me. They never tell me what's going on.

I picked up my phone and tried to call Giovanni, but he didn't pick up. My worry deepened.

"Lissy, we're leaving the house. Only Enzo's staying. Don't make it hard on him and come out of the room when he asks you to," Davide said, his tone final, before I heard his footsteps fade.

They were leaving. Without explaining anything. Without telling me what was going on.

I wanted to call Vincenzo—ask him myself—but the knock on my door interrupted me.

"Lissy, Jax wants to see you," Enzo said from the other side, his voice unusually soft.

I didn't hesitate. I opened the door, and there he was—Enzo, holding Jax in his arms. Gone was the usual playful Enzo. Instead, he was subdued, almost solemn.

"Why are you crying? Did they tell you?" Enzo asked, his eyes wide in concern.

"Told me what?" I asked, taking Jax from his arms.

"Nothing. I'm not supposed to tell you," Enzo said, avoiding my gaze.

"Then why are you crying?" he pressed, his voice softer this time.

"I hate Dante. He's a jerk," I muttered, sitting down on my bed, Jax curled up in my lap.

"He can be a jerk, yeah. What did he do this time?" Enzo asked, sitting next to me.

"Did something happen to Giovanni?" I ignored his question, wiping my tears away.

"Don't ask me," Enzo said, standing up and heading for the door.

"Why are you all like this?" I shouted after him, my voice cracking with frustration. "Why are you keeping secrets from me?"

I waited, but he didn't answer. He just walked away and slammed his door behind him.

I was left alone in my room, tears streaming down my face, my heart breaking a little more with each passing second.

The only one who was still there for me, who didn't yell at me, was Jax. He stayed by my side, licking my face, his big brown eyes filled with concern.

"It's okay, Jax," I whispered, petting him gently. "I'll always be with you."

I clutched him tighter, knowing that no matter how badly things got, I could count on him. He would never yell at me.

"I'll never yell at you," I sobbed into his fur, my emotions spilling over.

Even Davide didn't care about me. He saw Dante yell at me. He saw how I flinched, how I tried to keep myself together, but he did nothing. He didn't even acknowledge it.

I used to think that this place was my home, the one place where I could feel safe. But now? Now, I wasn't so sure anymore.

I felt so lost, so small in this big house, surrounded by people who were supposed to care, but they didn't seem to. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to close my eyes and be gone from this life.

But there was Jax, and there was still some part of me that refused to give up. I couldn't leave him.

I grabbed my phone once again, dialing Santino's number, but he didn't pick up either. Even he had abandoned me.

With a shaky breath, I closed my eyes, hoping to drift off into sleep. I didn't want to think anymore. I just wanted to rest. But rest was hard to come by when the weight of everything pressed down on me.

I just wanted it all to stop. To be left alone, in peace.

And so I lay there, exhausted, trying to find some semblance of comfort in the quiet, in the company of my dog who seemed to understand me more than anyone else.

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