Silent love

Chapter 31

On the previous chapter...

"I think he still hears it sometimes". She finally said. "Our father's voice. Telling him to be strong. Telling him to endure. Even when no one is hurting him anymore, I think he still feels it".

I nodded.

"He doesn't know how to stop fighting. Even now, when the war should be over". Seraphina let out a small breath, her fingers gripping the blanket tightly. "He's always been protecting us, but who protected him?"

Neither of us had an answer to that.

"He thinks he has to carry everything alone". I murmured.

"He thinks feeling something makes him weak. But it doesn't". Seraphina tilted her head back against the headboard, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment. "He won't talk about it".

"He never will".

"Do you think he'll ever let it go?" I ask.

She didn't answer right away. I thought about Federico, about the way he kept everyone at a distance, about the way he refused to be vulnerable, about the way he carried the world on his shoulders.

"I don't know". She admitted. "But I hope so".

For a moment, we just sat there in silence. There were no words to fix the past, no way to rewrite the pain. But at least, in that moment, neither of us was alone.

ʚ FEDERICO'S POV ɞ

The sound of my fists slamming into the heavy bag echoed through the empty gym. Each hit sent a dull ache up my arms, my knuckles raw and split, but I welcomed the pain.

It was better than feeling anything else. It was the only feeling I ever have felt.

Jab.

Cross.

Hook.

Breathe.

Repeat.

I didn't know how long I had been here. Could've been minutes, could've been hours.

Time didn't matter.

Not when my head was filled with thoughts I didn't want to face.

Seraphina.

The image of her stumbling through the door, blood staining her clothes, skin pale and shaking, wouldn't leave me. It had been days, but I still saw it every time I closed my eyes.

And I hadn't been there.

I hit the bag harder, my jaw clenching. My entire life, I had one job, to protect them. Her and Fiorenzo. But I hadn't.

I let this happen.

A sharp breath left me as I swung again, my knuckles screaming in protest. I should've known something was off that night. I should've stopped her from going.

But I didn't.

The bag jerked violently under my punches, my breath coming in ragged gasps. It wasn't just Seraphina. Fiorenzo had been quiet lately. Too quiet. I wasn't stupid. I knew that silence meant something. I could see the anger in his eyes, the frustration at feeling useless.

Everything was falling apart. And I didn't know how to fix it.

I exhaled sharply, shaking out my bruised hands before rolling my shoulders back. My muscles burned, my body begging for rest, but my mind was still restless. I didn't know how to stop. I didn't know how to let myself breathe. Because if I did...