A quiet chuckle escapes him, warm and brief. His fingers tighten around mine. “Brooding self?”
“Yeah. Your default setting.”
His lips tug into a slow smile. “Default? Really?”
I nod without hesitation.
He lifts his hands in mock surrender. “Alright. I’ll bring back my brooding self—for you, ma’am.”
“Good.” I turn back toward the storm.
For a moment, silence settles between us. The wind howls; the sky grieves.
Then his voice cuts through softly. “As much as I said I didn’t come to babysit you… I did come to see how you’re doing. With everything. So tell me, principessa—how are you?”
It feels like a weighted question. I want to lie. I want to pretend.
“I’m fine,” I manage—but the words splinter on the way out.
“Beatrice…”
I shrug helplessly. “I don’t know what you want me to say. If I’m anything other than fine, then?—”
My throat closes. My eyes burn. The tight grip I’ve kept on myself starts slipping, slipping?—
Breathe… breathe…
But I can’t.
And Valerio sees it. He always does. Nothing gets past this man when it comes to me. He sees the fracture before it even forms.
“I—” And then the band snaps.
I break.
Valerio rises and pulls me to my feet, drawing me into his arms. I try to blink the tears back, but they come anyway—one streak, then another, until I’m sobbing into his chest while the wind lashes around us, the thunder roaring overhead.
I don’t know how long we stay like that before I finally pull away and wipe the wetness from my face.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” he says gently.
I nod weakly. “But the truth is… I’m supposed to handle it. I’m the wife of the most powerful mafia boss on the coast, and I haven’t left my bed in weeks—too scared to face the world.”
He takes my arms firmly, forcing my eyes to meet his. “You don’t have to be strong all the time. So if you need to shatter—shatter.”
I shake my head. “No. I can’t. Not when my son and husband are at risk.”
“They can handle themselves,” he says quietly.
I know they can. And that is exactly why I’m terrified. Neither side will relent. Neither man will bend. They will go to the edge of death before surrendering, and I cannot stomach the thought of losing either of them.
But instead of telling him that, I simply nod. I let him believe the version that will ease him—just as I did with Daniele and Matteo.
Because one thing is certain: I will do whatever it takes to protect my family.
Even if itcosts me my life.
