I didn't move.
I couldn't.
"You're staying."
His words kept replaying in my head.
Over and over again.
"No."
The word came out before I could stop it.
Silence filled the room instantly.
Alessandro's eyes darkened.
"What did you say?" he asked quietly.
Too quietly. My heart pounded.
But this time… I didn't back down.
"I said no," I repeated, my voice shaking but stronger now.
"I'm not staying here. You can't force me to—"
"You think this is a choice?" Matteo cut in, laughing softly.
"I know it is," I snapped, turning to him.
"You're not my family. You're not my anything. You can't just decide—"
"Watch your tone."
The room went cold.
Alessandro's voice wasn't loud.
But it didn't need to be.
⸻
It carried authority.
Control.
Power.
I swallowed hard. But I refused to look away.
"I'm leaving," I said, turning back toward the door.
"You're not." I ignored him this time.My hand grabbed the handle again. Pulled. Hard.
Still locked.
Frustration burned through me.
"Open it!" I snapped, turning back to them.
Matteo smirked.
"Make me."
My chest rose and fell quickly. "You're unbelievable," I muttered.
"Careful," Matteo said, stepping closer again.
"You're getting bold."
"Or maybe I'm just tired of being scared," I shot back.
⸻
That caught them off guard. Just for a second.
Even Alessandro.
Good.
"I don't belong here," I continued, my voice steadier now.
"This isn't my life. I don't know what you people do, and I don't want to know."
⸻
"You already know enough," Luca said quietly.
I looked at him.
"And that's exactly why I should leave," I replied.
Silence.
Then—. Alessandro moved.
Fast.
Before I could react, he was right in front of me again.
⸻
Too close. Too intense. Too much.
"You talk too much," he said.
"And you don't listen," I snapped back.
A dangerous pause.
His jaw tightened slightly, But instead of getting angry… He smiled.
Not soft , Not kind, Dangerous.
"You're different," he said.
My heart skipped.
"I don't care what you think—"
"You should." His hand reached out again.
This time… He didn't touch my chin.
He grabbed my wrist.
Firm.
Unavoidable.
I gasped softly.
"You don't get to decide anything here," he said, his voice dropping lower.
My pulse raced under his grip.
"I do," I said, even though my voice betrayed me.
"No." His thumb brushed lightly against my wrist.
Slow. Intentional. And somehow…That small movement made everything worse.
"You don't even understand where you are," he continued.
"Then explain it instead of acting like this!" I snapped.
Matteo laughed again.
"She has a mouth," he said.
"I like her."
"Not now," Alessandro muttered.
Luca stepped forward slightly.
"She's right," he said quietly.
All of us turned to him.
"She deserves to know something," Luca added.
Alessandro went still.
Then slowly…
He looked back at me. Long, Careful. Like he was deciding something.
"You want answers?" he asked.
"Yes."
A pause. Then—
"You're in a place," he said slowly,
"where people disappear." My stomach dropped.
"And you walked into it."
Fear crept back into my chest.
"So let me go," I whispered.
"No."
Always that word. Always final.
His grip tightened slightly.
"If you leave…"
A pause.
⸻
"…you won't make it far." My breath hitched.
"And if I stay?" I asked.
Silence. Then , His eyes locked onto mine again.
"Then you stay alive."
My heart stopped.
Alive.
That wasn't comforting.
⸻
That was a warning.
And suddenly…
Staying didn't feel like protection anymore.
It felt like survival.
⸻
If you were Elena… would you stay or risk leaving? 👀