Chapter 320: Confused

CHAPTER 321

KATYA POV

I stopped so abruptly that Chiara nearly walked straight into my back.

Romeo.

He was already there. Seated beside Nonna as though he’d belonged there all morning.

A cup of black coffee rested beside his plate, untouched now, while breakfast seemed to be nearing its end. He ate with the same quiet precision he seemed to do everything else, completely composed, completely unaffected by my arrival.

No acknowledgment.

Not even a glance. I remained standing in the doorway for a heartbeat, longer than necessary, suddenly hyperaware of every terrible possibility racing through my head.

Had he already spoken to Nonna? Had he told her everything? The lie from last night… Had it only been temporary?

Beside me, Chiara had gone suspiciously quiet.

Not a good sign. If Chiara wasn’t talking, then she was just as terrified as I was.

Nonna looked up from her tea.

The moment her eyes landed on us, something inside my chest tightened. I searched her face instinctively.

Anger. Disappointment. Anything.

Instead… Her expression softened. “Katya,” she said warmly.

“There you are.” A tiny smile found her lips.

“I was beginning to think you intended to sleep through breakfast.” A nervous breath escaped me before I could stop it.

“I…” My voice sounded much smaller than I’d intended.

“I almost did.”

“Mm.”

Nonna smiled knowingly.

“I considered sending someone to wake you.” She paused, amusement flickering briefly across her face.

“But then I remembered yesterday must have been rather exhausting.”

Yesterday. The single word sent another wave of panic crashing through me.

Did… Did she know? I couldn’t tell. She sounded perfectly normal.

Too normal. I forced my feet to move. The familiar scent of fresh bread, butter, and coffee wrapped around me as I crossed the dining room.

It should have felt comforting, but every step toward the table felt like I was approaching my own trial.

When I reached Nonna, I bent down automatically.

“Good morning.” She smiled before opening one arm.

“My sweet Cara.” The words were so familiar they almost made me emotional.

I leaned down, wrapping my arms gently around her shoulders in the brief morning hug we’d shared almost every day since I’d come to Italy.

It had started awkwardly months ago.

Now… It simply felt natural. Her lavender perfume surrounded me, warm and familiar..

One of her hands rubbed lightly against my back before she let me go.

“Good morning,” she repeated more softly. “I’m glad you’re awake.”

“Me too.” The words escaped with a nervous laugh. I wasn’t entirely convinced they were true.

I moved toward my usual chair on Nonna’s left.

Behind me, Chiara quietly slipped into the seat beside mine.

Which meant… I looked up. Romeo sat directly opposite me. But those grey eyes never lifted from his breakfast. He continued eating as though nothing around him required his attention.

As though the room contained only himself and his plate.

The silence felt strangely deliberate. Almost practiced.

A maid appeared almost immediately beside me, placing a fresh plate and cutlery before disappearing again with the same silent efficiency.

I barely noticed. My thoughts had already begun racing.

Had Romeo told her? Maybe he’d waited until this morning. Maybe last night’s lie had only been intended to postpone the inevitable.

Maybe he’d decided honesty suited him better after sleeping on it.

Maybe… Maybe Nonna already knew everything. My appetite disappeared instantly.

I reached absentmindedly for a glass of juice, more to give my hands something to do than because I wanted it.

Across the table… Romeo calmly cut another piece of toast. Nothing about him betrayed anything.

Not guilt. Not satisfaction. Nothing. How could someone be this unreadable?

I hated it. Absolutely hated it. My thoughts spun faster and faster.

If he had confessed… Would she stop trusting me?

Would she think—

“Katya.”

I blinked.

“Hm?”

Nonna’s gentle voice pulled me back into the room. She smiled faintly. “Eat.” I looked down.

My breakfast sat completely untouched.

“Oh.”

“I know yesterday must have been tiring.”

Tiring. The word caught my attention. I looked back up at her. There wasn’t even the slightest trace of sarcasm in her voice.

No hidden accusation. No disappointment. Nothing. She sounded…

Concerned.

Simply concerned. My eyebrows pulled together slightly.

Tiring?

What exactly did she think yesterday had been? I reached slowly for my fork, more out of obligation than hunger.

Maybe…

Maybe Romeo really hadn’t said anything. Hope began creeping cautiously into my chest.

Small. Fragile. Dangerously optimistic. Perhaps we’d actually survived.

Perhaps—

“Romeo told me everything that happened yesterday.”

The fork slipped from my fingers. It clattered loudly against the porcelain plate.

My entire body froze.

Everything.

He told her…

Everything?

The blood drained from my face so quickly my fingertips suddenly felt cold.

No.

No, no, no. My breathing stalled.

Beside me, I heard Chiara stop moving too.

Slowly…

Almost mechanically…My eyes lifted. Straight across the table.

Romeo. He didn’t look at me. Didn’t even acknowledge that Nonna had spoken.

He simply continued eating breakfast with infuriating calm, as though conversations exploding around him had absolutely nothing to do with him.

How? How could he sit there like that? What exactly had he told her? My mind spiraled so violently I barely registered Nonna reaching across the table.

Warm fingers settled gently over my hand. I flinched slightly. Her skin felt warm.

Mine suddenly felt like ice.

“My goodness.” She frowned softly.

“Your hands are freezing.” I couldn’t answer. I wasn’t even sure I remembered how.

Nonna gave my hand a reassuring squeeze before continuing. “I’ve already spoken to Romeo.”

I swallowed. Painfully.

“And I made it very clear how unhappy I am.” My heart pounded so violently I was certain everyone at the table could hear it.

“I honestly don’t know what possessed him.” Her voice carried the unmistakable tone she used whenever she was disappointed in someone.

“I’ve already scolded him.” My brain stopped working.

…What?

“I told him very clearly,” Nonna continued, “that he is never to take you on night work or any other work again.”

I stared at her. Night… Work? “I don’t care how important the matter was.”

She shook her head gently. “You’ve barely settled into this family.”

Family.

The word barely registered.

“I certainly don’t appreciate him deciding to involve you in business matters without properly asking whether you wanted to participate.”

Participate? My mouth opened slightly.

Then closed again. Nothing. Not a single coherent thought remained inside my head.

I looked slowly across the table. Romeo still hadn’t looked up. He calmly lifted his coffee. Took one measured sip. Set the cup back down.

Completely unaffected. As if Nonna wasn’t reprimanding him. “…Romeo,” Nonna sighed.

“What do you have to say…?”

Silence. Romeo buttered another piece of toast, several seconds passed as he finished chewing.

He dabbed the corner of his mouth with the folded napkin. Only then did he answer. His voice remained perfectly level.

“I’m sorry for taking you with me, Katya.”

I stared at him in complete disbelief.

WHAT?!

what do you think Romeo is up to lol