I didn't know what scared me more.
The way Alessandro looked at Matteo…
Or the way he looked at me.
The tension in the room hadn't disappeared. It just settled into something quieter. Heavier. Like a storm waiting to happen.
No one spoke for a while.
Then Luca exhaled softly and ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't helping," he said. "We're making it worse."
Matteo scoffed but stepped back, creating a little space between himself and Alessandro. "I'm not the one acting like she's property."
Alessandro didn't respond immediately. His eyes shifted back to me instead, like Matteo's words didn't matter as much as I did.
That made my stomach twist.
"I'm not property," I said quietly, more to remind myself than them.
"You keep saying that," Matteo muttered.
"Because it's true," I snapped.
Alessandro finally spoke. "Enough."
One word.
And everything stopped again.
He turned fully toward me, his expression unreadable now. Not angry. Not soft. Just… controlled.
"Come here."
My heart skipped.
"I'm fine where I am," I said quickly.
"You're not," he replied.
"I said I am."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
The room went silent again.
I hesitated. Every part of me wanted to refuse, to stand my ground, to prove that I still had some control over my own life.
But another part of me—the part that remembered the locked door, the warnings, the way everything here felt bigger than me—knew I was pushing something dangerous.
Slowly, I stood up.
Each step toward him felt heavier than the last.
When I stopped in front of him, I kept a small distance between us. Not too close. Not too far.
But it didn't matter.
He closed the gap anyway.
His hand reached out again, and this time I didn't flinch.
I didn't know why.
Maybe I was getting used to it.
Maybe that was the problem.
His fingers wrapped around my wrist again, but softer now. Not as tight as before. Not as forceful.
Just… there.
"Why are you still shaking?" he asked quietly.
"I'm not," I lied.
His thumb brushed lightly against my skin.
"You are."
I swallowed.
"Maybe because I'm stuck in a place I don't understand with three men who won't let me leave," I said.
Matteo let out a quiet laugh behind me. "Fair."
But Alessandro didn't react.
He was still watching me.
Always watching me.
"You're safe here," he said.
I blinked.
"Safe?" I repeated. "You call this safe?"
"Yes."
"How?"
He didn't answer immediately.
And that silence… it made something shift inside me.
"Because you say so?" I asked.
"No," he said. "Because I said so."
That shouldn't have made sense.
But somehow…
It did.
And that scared me more than anything.
"You're confusing," I muttered.
His lips curved slightly.
"Good."
I frowned. "That's not a good thing."
"It is for me."
I opened my mouth to respond, but Matteo cut in again.
"Can you not?" he said, sounding annoyed now. "You're making her more confused than she already is."
Alessandro didn't even look at him.
"Stay out of this."
Matteo stood up again.
"I'm serious," he said, walking closer. "You're pushing her too far."
"I know exactly what I'm doing."
"Do you?" Matteo challenged.
The tension started rising again.
I could feel it.
Like the room was shrinking around us.
"Stop," I said suddenly.
Both of them looked at me.
"I don't understand any of this," I continued. "One minute you're arguing, the next minute you're acting like… like this is normal."
"It is normal," Matteo said.
"For you," I replied. "Not for me."
Luca stepped closer again, his voice calm but firm. "Then we'll make you understand."
I looked at him.
He was the only one who didn't feel overwhelming.
The only one who didn't make my heart race in a way I couldn't control.
"Then start explaining," I said.
Silence.
Then Alessandro spoke again.
"You don't need to understand everything right now."
"I do," I insisted.
"No," he said. "You need to listen."
I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself.
"Then tell me one thing," I said. "Just one."
He studied me for a moment.
"Why can't I leave?" I asked.
The question hung in the air.
Heavy.
Real.
And this time…
He answered.
"Because you're already involved," he said.
"In what?" I pressed.
"Our world."
"That doesn't mean anything to me," I said.
"It will."
That again.
Future tense.
Like everything was already decided.
"Then make it make sense," I said.
Alessandro was quiet for a moment.
Then—
"You saw us," he said. "You heard things you weren't supposed to hear. You walked into a place people don't just find."
My chest tightened.
"And because of that…" he continued, "you're not just someone who can leave."
I swallowed hard.
"So what am I then?" I asked.
Silence.
Then—
He stepped closer again.
Closer than before.
"You're someone I have to keep close."
My breath caught.
"Why?" I whispered.
His gaze didn't leave mine.
"Because I don't trust anyone else with you."
My heart skipped.
Hard.
"That doesn't make sense," I said quickly.
"It doesn't have to."
"It does to me."
His expression shifted slightly.
Not softer.
But less distant.
"You'll understand later," he said.
I shook my head. "That's not good enough."
"It will have to be."
I exhaled, frustrated.
"Everything with you is 'later' or 'you don't understand' or 'just listen,'" I said. "Do you even hear yourself?"
He didn't answer.
Instead…
His hand moved from my wrist slightly higher, resting just above it.
Warmer.
Closer.
More intentional.
"Stay close to me," he said quietly.
My heart started racing again.
"That's not an answer," I whispered.
"It's the only one you're getting."
I stared at him.
At how serious he looked.
At how sure he sounded.
And for a second…
Just a second…
I stopped fighting.
Because something in me understood one thing clearly.
As long as I stayed close to him…
Nothing else in that room would touch me.
Not Matteo.
Not whatever world they were talking about.
Not whatever danger was outside.
And that realization…
It scared me.
Because it meant I was starting to rely on him.
Even if I didn't want to.
⸻
Is Elena starting to trust Alessandro… or is she just trying to survive?