What We Left in the Dark

Thirty One

Luca was quick, grabbing Giancarlo's fist before it made contact with his face. He shook his head, his jaw clenched, and gestured toward a more private corner, out of eyesight from the crowd. Giancarlo yanked his arm back, but followed begrudgingly, while I stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

I barely had time to react before a soft hand touched my shoulder, startling me from my paralysis.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," came a calm voice from behind me, "but maybe it's best if you stay away from them for now. For your own safety."

I turned and found myself face to face with a tall woman. Her deep auburn hair shimmered under the dim lights, and her warm eyes conveyed genuine concern. There was no trace of judgment or gossip—just the simple desire to help another woman navigate the chaos.

"Thank you," I replied, grateful for her intervention.

"I'm Alessandra," she introduced herself with a kind smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," I said, trying to gather my thoughts.

"I came with a date," she explained, gesturing toward Brad, Luca's business partner. "I'm guessing you're with Luca?"

I nodded, feeling the weight of her gaze and the unspoken understanding between us. She must have pieced together the connection with the brothers, even if she wasn't prying.

"I appreciate you looking out for me," I said, feeling the need to repay her kindness. "But I have to make sure they haven't killed each other yet."

Alessandra chuckled softly, then handed me her phone, her contacts already open. "I'd love to hang out sometime, maybe chat. Text me?"

I took the phone and entered my number quickly, offering her a thankful smile before turning on my heel and rushing in the direction Luca and Giancarlo had gone.

When I found them, tucked into a shadowy corner of the hall, it was immediately clear that the shouting hadn't stopped. Both brothers were still at it, their voices a tangled mess of rage and frustration. I froze for a moment, watching the two men I had somehow become entangled with, their love for each other fractured by something they couldn't seem to fix.

"What did I tell you!" Giancarlo yelled, his voice rough with emotion. "You can't have her. She's all I have to live for."

There was something raw in his words, something broken. His voice, though laced with anger, had an edge of desperation. I had never heard him sound so vulnerable before, and it shook me.

Luca's face, however, reflected a mix of pity and restraint. He looked torn, his features tight as he tried to reason with Giancarlo. "She doesn't want you, Gian. And she hasn't for a long time."

I felt like I had been struck in the chest. Luca's words echoed in the corner of the hall, hitting Giancarlo harder than any physical punch could. The weight of the truth—or at least, Luca's version of it—hung in the air, thick and suffocating.

"That's not your call to make!" Giancarlo spat, his fists clenched at his sides. His face was contorted with frustration, but the hurt in his eyes was unmistakable. "You don't get to decide how she feels. You don't know what we had. You never will."

"Had," Luca said, his voice cutting through the tension. "What you had is over. And if you can't see that, then you're blind."

Gian's face twisted with rage, and for a moment, I thought he might try to swing again, but instead, he stood still, glaring at Luca like he wanted to tear him apart piece by piece. Then his eyes flicked toward me, and everything in him seemed to freeze.

I had been standing a few feet away, trying not to be seen, but now that Giancarlo had spotted me, the full weight of the situation crashed down on me. His eyes softened, but the anger and betrayal in them were still evident.

"Catalina," Giancarlo said quietly, as though speaking my name might somehow soothe the storm raging inside him.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, not sure what to say or how to fix this mess. "Giancarlo, this isn't the time or place," I said softly. "We need to stop this before it gets any worse."

"How can it get worse, Cat?" Giancarlo shot back, his voice suddenly hoarse. "You don't understand what this is doing to me."

Luca scoffed beside him, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Enough of this melodrama. It's always been about you, hasn't it, Gian? You think the world revolves around you and your pain. But you lost her. You pushed her away."

Giancarlo's eyes flared with fury as he turned back to his brother. "You wouldn't understand what I did for her, what I sacrificed!"

"And that's where you're wrong," Luca countered, his voice low and sharp. "You sacrificed everything for yourself, not for her. And now you're pissed because she moved on."

Giancarlo shook his head, looking like he might implode with the frustration of being misunderstood. But something in Luca's words seemed to sink in, at least partially. His shoulders sagged slightly, and the rage on his face gave way to something far more haunting—defeat.

"You can't just erase what we had," Giancarlo muttered, but it was clear his anger was ebbing.

"She's not something to win, Gian," Luca said, his voice softening too. "You need to let her go."

The words lingered in the air, and for a moment, all three of us stood there, silent, caught in the impossible knot that had formed between us. I didn't know what to say, but I knew I had to end this, one way or another.

"Catalina," Giancarlo whispered again, his eyes pleading. "Tell me... tell me it's not over."

My chest tightened. I glanced at Luca, whose face was unreadable, but I knew I had to speak for myself. No more avoiding the confrontation, no more letting these two brothers speak for me.

"Gian..." I began, my voice wavering slightly, but before I could finish, a loud crash echoed through the hall, pulling all of our attention toward the ballroom. 

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the ballroom, followed by a loud, piercing scream that cut through the air like a blade. I stiffened, instinctively turning toward the chaos, my pulse quickening. The noise of panicked footsteps and frantic voices filled the room as people started running in all directions.

"Someone's got a gun!" a voice cried out, and the room seemed to descend into madness.