My hair is wild and messy, strands falling loose from the wig. My makeup is smudged, mascara slightly run. And there, on the side of my neck, is the mark he left.
I look different.
Not just physically. The woman staring back at me isn’t the same Eleonora who willingly took her sister’s place days ago. That girl had been angry, defiant, ready to sacrifice herself. This woman… she has changed. Softer in some places. Hungrier in others. She let the enemy touch her. Kiss her. Fuck her.
I pick up a damp cloth and bring it to my face, gently wiping away the remnants of the night.
“Hey.”
Nico’s voice comes from the doorway, low and quiet.
I turn. He’s leaning against the frame, suit jacket long gone, white shirt still bearing faint streaks of dried blood, sleevesrolled up to his elbows. He looks tired but impossibly handsome in the soft bathroom light.
“Hey,” I whisper back.
He walks over slowly and stops just behind me. His eyes meet mine in the mirror, searching.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, voice gentler than I expected. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. I’m just… looking at myself. Wondering when I changed. I’m not who I used to be anymore.”
Tonight confirmed it.
His eyes lock on mine through the reflection, dark and searching.
“Do you like what you see?” he asks quietly. “Or do you dislike the woman staring back at you?”
I shake my head slowly. “No. I don’t dislike her.” My voice trembles slightly. “As a matter of fact… I like what I see. I’m bolder now. I’m starting to realize what I want.”
He doesn’t move, but his gaze intensifies. “What is it that you want?”
I deflect, turning the question back on him. “What’s going to happen to me after all of this is done?” I meet his eyes in the mirror. “You said before that you didn’t know. But have you decided now? Are you going to send me back to my father?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he steps closer until his chest brushes my back. His voice is low, almost gentle.
“What do you want, Eleonora?” he asks again. “Tell me.”
I let out a shaky breath. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I had the chance to run tonight. But I didn’t.”
The admission hangs heavy between us.
He watches me carefully. “Do you want to go back?”
I look down at my hands on the counter, ashamed of my own answer. “Maybe not.” My voice cracks. “I don’t want to. But if my sisters need me… then I would have to. They’re the most important thing to me in the world. I can’t just abandon them.”
Nico is quiet for a long moment. When I glance up, his expression is dark, something possessive and conflicted flashing across his face.
“Of course,” he says finally, voice rough. “I understand that.”
I sigh, turning on the faucet again and splashing cool water on my face. I just want all of this to be over. I want to wash everything off. Gallo. Everything.
Nico’s hands settle gently on my shoulders. He turns me slowly to face him.
“We’ll only do what you want,” he says quietly. “If you want to stay… you’ll stay. And I’ll do everything in my power to protect your sisters.”
Before I can respond, he grabs a towel. I watch, surprised, as he brings it to my face and begins gently wiping away the remnants of my makeup. His movements are slow, tender, thumb brushing softly under my eyes to clean the smudged mascara.
“What are you doing?”
