Chapter 13

Leonardo’s POV

The room was dimly lit, the flickering glow of the TV casting soft shadows across Isabella’s face. She sat beside me on the couch, curled up against the armrest, her focus distant. Our father and brothers talked in the background, their voices blending into white noise. But she wasn’t really here. Not fully.

She was half-asleep, or maybe just zoning out, her eyes fixed on the screen but unfocused, like she was seeing something else entirely. I knew that look. I’d seen it too many times before. It made something in my chest tighten, a dull ache settling deep in my ribs.

I told myself to keep my eyes on the movie, to focus on the mindless action playing out in front of us, but I couldn’t. My attention kept drifting back to her—the slow rise and fall of her chest, the way her fingers twitched like she was caught between sleep and wakefulness.

A part of me wanted to reach out, to pull her close, to let her rest against me like she used to when we were younger. But another part—stronger, louder—kept me still.

*She’ll leave again."

The thought sat heavy in my mind, poisoning everything. It was a war inside me, between the instinct to keep her close and the bitter knowledge that it wouldn’t matter. That sooner or later, she’d disappear. Again.

I clenched my jaw, forcing my hands to stay in my lap. Marco was sitting across the room, glancing at Isabella every so often, but he said nothing. The others were absorbed in their own conversations. Meanwhile, I was stuck, watching my sister fade further and further away.

The tension in my chest was suffocating.

I exhaled slowly, trying to push it down, but it lingered. My subconscious taunted me, whispering things I didn’t want to hear.

"She’s already gone."

I shook the thought away, shifting slightly, careful not to disturb her. The last thing I wanted was to wake her up, to see that guarded look in her eyes again. The one that made it clear she didn’t trust this. Didn’t trust me.

I hated it.

I hated that she felt like she had to keep her distance. Hated that I didn’t know how to fix it.

The voices in the background faded into nothing, the only sound filling the space was the low hum of the movie. My fingers twitched at my side, a battle still raging inside me.

"Pull her close. Let her rest. Don’t let her go."

But I didn’t move. I just sat there, watching her, watching the way she drifted further and further away from all of us, and feeling completely powerless to stop it.

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Isabella’s POV

Sleep tugged at me, a quiet invitation I was too afraid to accept. The warmth of the couch, the steady hum of the TV, Leonardo’s quiet presence beside me—it all made it too easy to relax, to let go. But if I did, I knew what would come.

The nightmares.

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my eyes open, but exhaustion weighed heavy on me. In the distance, I vaguely registered Alessandro’s voice.

“I haven’t even had the chance to give you a full tour yet.”

The words barely registered before my head dipped forward, sleep pulling me under.

I didn’t hear my phone ring.

But suddenly, hands shook me, dragging me out of my daze.

“Your phone’s ringing,” Leonardo’s voice cut through the fog. I blinked, disoriented, as I fumbled for it. His gaze narrowed slightly. “Who’s Diageo?”

I stiffened, gripping my phone tighter. “No one,” I murmured, standing up too quickly. “I need some air.”

Before he could press further, I turned and walked away, heading straight to the balcony of my room, grabbing a blunt with me to drown out the thoughts, my heart pounding for reasons I wasn’t ready to face.

Lighting up, I took a long drag, letting the smoke curl around me, dulling the edges of my thoughts. My phone was still in my hand, the screen glowing with missed calls. I sighed and finally dialed back.

“Hey, Diageo, I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but please don’t interrupt me.” My voice was steady, but my nerves twisted in my stomach. I was scared of his reaction scared he would think I was abandoning him and Ryan.

“Isabella. Isabella. Hello? Are you there?” His voice was laced with worry.

I exhaled, watching the smoke disappear into the night air. “The people I thought were my parents weren’t. Well, actually, my mother was,” I corrected, though the word felt foreign on my tongue. “Anyway, long story short, they died, and my biological father took me in with my brothers.”

Switching to Russian, my voice dropped as I gave him the real truth. "Они итальянская мафия, но теперь у меня так много дел. Перемести мою мафию сюда. Эй, если ты и Райан хотите, у меня здесь есть дом, вы оба можете остаться." (They are the Italian mafia, but now I have so much work to do. Move my mafia here. Hey, if you and Ryan want, I have a house here, you both can stay.)

Silence stretched between us before he finally spoke. "Isabella, are you sure about this?"

I wasn’t. But I didn’t have the luxury of doubt anymore.

"Yes, I’m sure, but I’d love to have you and Ryan beside me. I can't be away from you both for too long. You’ve been with me for ages."

"Of course, we will live near you." I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

"Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Also, could you talk to my secretary to send over my motorbikes and cars?"

"Anything else you need?"

"No, just you and Ryan mostly. Let me know when you’re ready to leave, and I'll have the jet waiting."

"See you soon, Isabella. Also, stay safe." His voice held a quiet worry he tried to hide.

After we hung up and my blunt was gone, I sat on my bed rolling another one. Footsteps approached. I didn’t think anyone in this house cared enough to check on me, but to my surprise, Alessandro walked in. Moving quickly, I hid the blunt just before his head popped in.

"Hope you know I can smell that shit. But I won’t tell Dad." His smirk held amusement rather than judgment.

I raised a brow. "Thanks, I guess."

"You don’t know how scary that man can get." He shuddered. "But I know for a fact he could never be mad at you. After all, you’re his little princess. Look, Isabella, I know you don’t know us well, but we love you. I don’t know what happened when you were taken, but I’ll wait until my last breath for you to open up to me. Just so you know, I’m here for you. Always."

I shocked both of us by wrapping my arms around him, mumbling a quiet, "Thank you." Surprisingly, I didn’t panic. I only felt warmth. He quickly hugged me back, kissing my forehead before I pulled away.

"How about that house tour tomorrow?" he asked, slightly nervous.

"Sounds great. One question do you have a gym? I wake up early and like to get exercise."

"Yeah, we do," he grinned, leading me to it before we both headed off to bed.

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