What We Left in the Dark

Thirty Seven

Luca came up the stairs quietly, but the tension in the air was palpable the moment he stepped into the room. He found Cat and Gian standing close, an unspoken exchange hanging between them. Their faces were taut with emotion, the kind of raw honesty that only comes after something deep and painful has been exposed. Luca didn't say anything right away. He didn't need to—he could read the room, and he could see the fracture lines between them.

"I just got word," Luca said after a beat, his voice steady but laced with underlying exhaustion. "It's safe to head back into the city. Everything's under control."

Gian's eyes flicked to Luca, a hint of frustration tugging at the corners of his mouth. He turned toward Cat, the protective gleam in his eyes resurfacing. "I'll take her," Gian said, his tone leaving little room for discussion.

Luca stepped forward, clearly not thrilled by the idea. His jaw clenched for a brief moment before he responded. "I'll take her home."

It wasn't just a suggestion—it was a statement. Cat could feel the familiar pull between the two brothers as their gazes locked, unspoken tension simmering beneath the surface. She wasn't sure if this was about her anymore or the broader context of their fractured brotherhood.

"Please," Gian said quietly but firmly, his eyes not leaving Luca's. "Let me do this."

The air between them thickened, a silent battle of wills that was quickly resolved when Luca exhaled sharply, his shoulders dropping ever so slightly in surrender. He stepped back but not without a look of caution. His gaze shifted to Cat, the hardness in his expression softening as he approached her. She felt a pang of guilt under his watchful eyes.

Luca placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, an intimate gesture that had become more frequent with him lately, as though it were his way of reminding her that she was safe with him. "Stay safe," he said softly, his voice carrying a weight that reached deeper than just the words. "We'll talk after I get things settled."

Cat nodded, offering him a small smile of reassurance, but the reality was, she wasn't sure how she felt about being left alone with Gian after everything. As Luca walked away, his presence lingering, Gian's eyes found hers again. There was something different about his gaze now—softer, yet more intense. He gestured toward the door with a small nod.

"Ready?" he asked.

Cat wasn't entirely sure she was. But she nodded anyway. She followed Gian down the stairs and out of the cabin, the crisp morning air biting at her skin as they stepped outside. The tension between them was thick, hanging heavy in the cool breeze. Gian's car was parked off to the side, a sleek black vehicle that fit the profile of someone trying to remain invisible.

He opened the passenger door for her, and she slid into the seat, the faint scent of leather and something distinctly Gian surrounding her. When he got into the driver's seat, he hesitated before starting the engine. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, as though bracing himself for the conversation that neither of them wanted to have.

The silence between them was suffocating as they pulled away from the cabin, heading back toward the city. The hum of the engine was the only sound filling the air, and Cat's mind raced with a million thoughts. She kept glancing at Gian from the corner of her eye, wondering how things had gotten so complicated. How had they gone from lovers in another life to whatever this was—caught in a web of lies, violence, and fractured loyalties?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Gian broke the silence. "I don't know what to say," he admitted, his voice low and rough. "There's so much I want to explain, but I don't even know where to start."

Cat's fingers tightened around the edge of her seat. "I'm not sure an explanation is enough," she said quietly, her words hanging in the air between them. "What happened last night, Gian... you carrying that gun, all of it—it changed things."

"I know," he said, his jaw clenching as he glanced toward her. "I never wanted you to see me like that. I wanted to protect you, Cat."

"By bringing a gun to a gala?" she replied, a sharp edge to her voice. She wasn't angry—just bewildered, confused by the man she once thought she knew.

"I didn't plan on using it," Gian said defensively, though the guilt was evident in his voice. "But this world... it's different than what you think. Things aren't black and white."

Cat shook her head, looking out the window as the city skyline slowly crept into view. "I don't know if I can live in that world, Gian. I don't know if I want to."

The car fell silent again, but this time it felt heavier, more final. Gian's grip on the steering wheel tightened, and his knuckles turned white. "I don't want you in that world either," he said after a long pause. "I never wanted you to be a part of this. But now..."

"Now I am," she finished for him, her voice soft but certain. "And I don't know if I can go back to who I was before. Things are different now."

Gian's shoulders slumped slightly as if the weight of his own choices were finally settling in. "I know," he said. "And I'm sorry for that."

Cat exhaled, her chest tight with the realization that the man beside her wasn't the same Gian she once loved. Or maybe he was, and she just never knew the full extent of his darkness. Either way, things between them had shifted, and there was no going back to the way things were.

As they entered the city, the familiar skyline rising before them, Gian pulled up outside her building. The tension still hung between them like a heavy fog, but there was also a strange sense of finality. Gian turned off the engine but made no move to get out of the car.

Cat glanced at him, waiting for him to say something—anything—that might ease the turmoil inside her. But he just sat there, staring straight ahead, his jaw tight.

"Gian...," Cat began, her voice soft, but he cut her off.

"Don't," he said, his voice low and filled with emotion. "I know. I know things are different now. But just know that everything I did—everything I've done—it's been to protect you. Whether or not you believe me, that's the truth."

Cat's heart clenched at his words, and for a moment, she wanted to reach out to him, to bridge the gap that had formed between them. But she couldn't. Not anymore.

She nodded slowly, her hand resting on the door handle. "I'll see you around, Gian," she said quietly, her voice heavy with the weight of everything left unsaid.

Gian didn't respond, his eyes still fixed straight ahead. Cat opened the door and stepped out into the cool morning air, her heart aching with the realization that the man she once loved was now a stranger.

As she walked up to her building, she glanced back at Gian, still sitting in the car, motionless. And for the first time, she wondered if she had ever really known him at all.