The day had arrived, and I couldn’t stop crying. My hands shook as I packed a small bag for Leandro, but none of it mattered. Nothing felt real anymore. The weight of the world seemed to press down on my chest, suffocating me, and I couldn’t breathe.
This was it.
The mission.
He was leaving. Leandro was leaving, and the fear in my chest felt like a lead weight, pulling me down, threatening to crush me. I wanted to scream, to beg him not to go. But I knew that wasn’t an option. He had made a choice, and now I had to trust him.
“Leandro...” I whispered his name, almost to myself, as I looked at the empty space where he’d been standing just moments ago. The words I wanted to say felt lodged in my throat. I didn’t know how to explain the fear I felt.
Leandro turned to face me one last time.
“Trust me, Isabella. You have to trust me,” he said, his voice low and steady. “I’ll be back. I’m doing this for us.”
I shook my head, the tears flowing freely. “Leandro, don’t do this. Please.” My voice cracked, and I felt so weak, so helpless. I wanted him to stay. I wanted him to promise me he wouldn’t go, that he’d walk away from this dangerous world for good.
But he couldn’t. He couldn’t just walk away. Not when it was his life on the line, not when he was so determined to prove to me — to himself — that he was willing to do whatever it took for us.
“I have to do this, Isabella.” He took my hand, gently, holding it in both of his. His touch was warm, grounding me despite the storm of emotions swirling inside me. “I want you just as much as you want me. I want to fight for you. This is how I prove it.”
His words broke me a little more. I didn’t want to be the reason he was risking his life. I didn’t want him to do this for me. I wanted him to be safe. But I knew, deep down, he was already too far gone. He wouldn’t stop. He couldn’t.
I nodded, choking back my sobs, trying to be strong for him. But the fear didn’t stop. The panic didn’t stop. I couldn’t shake the thought that this might be the last time I saw him.
“Please be careful, Leandro.” My voice was barely above a whisper, trembling. “Promise me you’ll come back.”
Leandro cupped my face, brushing my tears away with his thumb. “I promise, Isabella.” He kissed me gently, a soft promise that I didn’t believe, but I clung to. “I’ll be back. You have to believe me.”
He let go, his hand lingering on mine for a moment longer than necessary. And then, without another word, he turned and walked out the door.
I watched him leave, my heart shattering in his wake.
I couldn’t move after he left. My body felt like it was made of stone. I couldn’t bring myself to do anything but wait, to hope, to pray that he would come back. The house felt empty without him in it. The silence was deafening, the void he left behind impossible to fill.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but eventually, I found myself standing in the living room. My father was sitting in his usual chair, staring at something in front of him, his eyes cold and calculating.
I felt a knot form in my stomach as I approached him. His presence was always suffocating, but today it felt even heavier.
He looked up as I walked in, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Where’s Leandro?” he asked, his tone cold, almost as if he already knew.
I didn’t want to lie to him. But the thought of Leandro’s safety, of him being at risk because of me, twisted in my stomach.
“I don’t know.” The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I immediately regretted them. But it didn’t matter. He didn’t believe me.
“You don’t know?” Isaac scoffed, a dangerous edge to his voice. “That boy will pay for this. He’s been playing games with us for too long.”
I tried to stay calm, but my heart raced. “Is Leandro lying about the Contis?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my best efforts. I needed to know. I needed answers.
Isaac didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he just stared at me, his face unreadable. He didn’t want to answer. He didn’t want to acknowledge what had been right in front of him. But before I could press further, the door to the living room suddenly burst open, and my stomach dropped.
Elio.
And right behind him, Natalie.
Isaac’s expression darkened. Without hesitation, he reached into his jacket and pulled out his gun again, his movements quick and efficient. He didn’t even look at me as he pointed the gun at them. I felt a chill run through my body.
“What are you doing?” I cried out, but my voice was drowned by the deafening bang of the gunshot.
I watched in horror as Elio and Natalie fell, their bodies crumpling to the floor in a grotesque heap. Blood stained the floor, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder and violence.
Isaac didn’t even flinch as he wiped the gun clean, holstering it as if it were just another part of his routine. He looked over at me with a cold, satisfied expression.
“They were a problem, Isabella.” His voice was cold, calculated. “And now they’re gone.”
I stared at the bodies, my heart pounding in my chest. The world around me seemed to blur, the sound of my heartbeat ringing in my ears. But underneath it all, a small, sickening part of me smiled.
Leandro had been right. The Contis had been lying, and my father had been blind to it. But none of that mattered right now.
Leandro still wasn’t back.
I needed him. I couldn’t lose him. Not like this.
I turned, my feet moving before I even thought about it. I ran, not knowing where I was going, just that I needed to find Leandro. He promised me he would come back.
I had to believe him.