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SWEATER WEATHER - THE NEIGHBOURHOOD ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯
Chapter thirty
❦
"Ashes of Him, Ashes of Me"
❦
I stared at the wall, its pale surface a blank canvas, mirroring the chaos in my mind. The voices around me were muffled, their words dissolving into static as I spiraled inward.
The papers on my desk lay untouched, a meaningless pile of obligations. Contracts blurred together, the ink bleeding into a senseless script. My thoughts, like fractured glass, reflected only one thing—Sollana.
Her voice echoed in the hollow chambers of my chest, a melody of anguish that wouldn't relent. "The day whatever you're hiding gets revealed, don't wait for me. I won't be back."
I ran a hand down my face, my fingers trembling against the weight of her words. She had no idea how deeply they had cut. Sollana thought I pushed her away to wound her, but she didn't understand. If she knew the truth—if she knew what I was hiding—it would destroy her.
"Alessandro?" Luca's voice snapped me out of my spiral, jolting me like a thunderclap.
I blinked, my gaze sweeping across the room. All eyes were on me. Luca. Valencia. Asteria. Their stares were sharp, carving into my skin as though I'd just broken apart in front of them.
"What?" I muttered, fidgeting with the silver band around my finger.
"Were you even listening?" Luca's tone was clipped, his patience wearing thin.
My eyes flicked to the far end of the table where Valencia sat, her expression folded into a frown.
Fuck. If Valencia hadn't opened her mouth, none of this would've spiraled out of control.
"No," I admitted, leaning back in my chair. The word landed like a stone in the silent room.
Luca sighed, rising from his seat with a sharp adjustment of his suit. "This isn't going to work. Meeting's over."
The room emptied in a matter of seconds, everyone vanishing like shadows at dawn. I didn't move. Couldn't move. My legs felt like lead anchors tethering me to the wreckage of my thoughts.
Luca paused at the door, his gaze weighing heavily on me. When he spoke, his voice was softer. "What's on your mind?"
I didn't answer him. Instead, my eyes locked on Valencia. "Ask her," I said, pulling a cigarette from my pocket. "She's the one who started all of this."
Valencia rolled her eyes, a sharp scoff slicing through the tension. "How is it my fault you're heartbroken? I was just warning her."
"I don't need you meddling in my relationship, Valencia."
