Silent Scars

CHAPTER 98

LEONARDO HASTINGS

As the gates of the estate slid shut behind us, I turned my head, just enough to catch one last glimpse through the tinted glass.

But the angle betrayed me. I couldn't see her.

Ariana.

My chest pulled tight. I knew she was there, standing by the door, fingers curled around the frame, watching us go. She'd stand there until we disappeared, her eyes tracing every second of distance between us. And I hated it. Hated that she noticed too much, felt too much.

When will my baby finally live a life where she doesn't have to worry about anyone but herself?

The thought burned in my chest like defeat.

The silence stretched heavy inside the car, broken only by the hum of the engine and the faint click of the blinker as Marco guided us onto the road. His hands stayed steady on the wheel.

From the passenger seat, Domain shifted, elbows braced on his knees, his leg bouncing with restless energy. The silence in the car was heavy, pressing down on us.

"She knows."

His voice cracked through the quiet, sharp, certain.

I glanced at him, but he wasn't looking at me. His eyes were locked on the dark blur of the road ahead, jaw tight.

"Just like Luca said."

He muttered.

"She notices everything."

My teeth ground together. He didn't need to say it. I already knew.

And yet hearing it out loud, it landed like a punch to the chest.

The image hit me too easily: her small frame curled up, eyes wide and silent, pretending she didn't see, didn't understand. Holding it in because she thought it would help us.

It burned.

It made me feel like I'd already failed her. Like no matter how much power I carried, how much control I demanded, none of it was enough to protect her.

Domain's voice cut through my thoughts again, steadier this time, the edge of steel unmistakable.

"I promised her..."

He said, almost under his breath, like he was swearing it to himself as much as to me. His fists were clenched, knuckles white. Then, louder, firmer,

"And I'll keep that promise. No matter what."

The words settled heavy.

Marcus finally moved. He hadn't spoken since we left, his silence a wall around him. His eyes lifted, steady.

And then he said it, quiet but unshakable.

"We will."

Not you. Not him. We.

That was Marcus never dramatic, never more than he needed to be. Just certain. And somehow, that certainty pressed harder than anything else.

Marco's eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror, catching mine for the briefest moment before he gave a short nod. His face was unreadable, his voice absent. Just that silent agreement.

I held his stare a fraction longer than I needed to, long enough for the tension to thrum between us. Then I looked away, jaw tight.

Loyal. Always loyal.

But the thing about loyalty is, it's only real until the moment it isn't.

I leaned back against the seat, forcing the thought out of my head. My voice came low, steady.

"Davide?"

Marco answered smoothly.

"He's already there. Keeping an eye on every move."

Good. At least the first piece was in place.

The road opened wider as we left the city, the orange smear of sunset bleeding into a deepening blue. Headlights from oncoming cars swept across our faces in intervals, quick flashes of light before the dark settled again.

Marcus exhaled slowly, his gaze moving to Domain.

"Listen, when we're in there, don't swing first. That room isn't a ring. You'll want to, I know. Just don't give them the excuse."

Domain's jaw tightened, but he gave the faintest nod.

"I know where I am, Marcus. You don't have to worry."

I cut in, voice lower.

"Don't forget what you have to do."

For a second, Domain's eyes flicked toward Marco. Marco shifted just enough, catching the look, brief but steady.

Silence again, sharp and weighted.

I let the silence hang, the steady roll of the tires filling the space. But inside, my chest burned with two truths I couldn't escape:

We were driving straight into a storm.

And back there, my little ones were waiting worried, silent, far too aware.

Nothing I had said before leaving was enough to ease that.

I thought of the moment before we left the house. Kendric had hugged me so tight I could feel his heart racing through his chest. He hadn't said much, he didn't need to. The way he clung told me everything. He was still my youngest, still carrying the kind of fear he didn't want anyone else to see.

And Luca....God, Luca stood off to the side, holding himself together too perfectly. Like he thought if he slipped even a little, we'd all see the cracks. His restraint, his silence, it was louder than words. I couldn't let him walk away like that. So I pulled him into me, tight, not giving him the chance to keep pretending. And for just a second, he let me. His shoulders shook once against me before he found his balance again.

Those moments stayed with me now, lodged beneath my ribs.

It wasn't just about one of them. It never had been. Every promise, every burden, every step forward, it was all of them. And I'd carry it, even if it broke me, because I couldn't imagine a world without them standing beside me.

The vibration against my thigh broke through my thoughts. I slipped the phone from my pocket, the glow of the screen cutting sharp against the dim interior of the car.

Alessandro: We’re here.

I glanced at the clock in the corner of the display. 8:00 p.m. sharp.

Of course he’d be early. Alessandro never missed a beat.

"How much longer?"

I asked, my voice steady, though the weight of the night pressed heavier by the mile.

Marco’s eyes flicked to the mirror before he answered, smooth and certain.

"Twenty minutes."

Twenty minutes.

That was all. Twenty minutes until the mask went on, until the room filled with men who’d slit our throats if they thought it gave them an inch. Twenty minutes until Volkov’s eyes met mine, waiting for the smallest crack to widen into a fault line.

The hum of the engine seemed louder suddenly, every turn of the wheels counting down.

Domain leaned back, arms folded, jaw hard, like he could already taste the fight waiting on the other side. Marcus stayed unreadable, but I caught the faint tightening of his hands where they rested on his lap.

And me? I forced myself still, though my chest burned with the weight of it all.

Twenty minutes.

Not long at all.