Chapter 324: Flames

KATYA POV

“…What?” The word escaped before I could stop it. I stared at him, genuinely wondering if I had somehow misheard.

Of all the things I had expected Romeo to say, that question hadn’t even crossed my mind.

He didn’t repeat himself. He simply looked at me, waiting. The silence stretched between us again, but this time it felt different. Less suffocating.

More… uncertain.

For him?

No.

That couldn’t be right. I was probably imagining it.

“I’ve…” I cleared my throat softly. Don’t be scared. “I’ve been fine.” My answer came out shorter than intended.

It was also only half true. He gave a single nod.

Nothing more. I waited for him to continue.

Another breeze swept through the garden, lifting a few loose strands from my messy bun. Somewhere beyond the roses, a gardener pushed a wheelbarrow across the gravel path.

The entire estate carried on as though this conversation wasn’t the strangest thing happening today.

Romeo spoke again.

“How’s Italy treating you?”

I blinked.

Another question.

“…Good.”

Again…

Short.

Simple.

I couldn’t bring myself to elaborate.

What exactly was I supposed to say?

Italy is beautiful. I’ve made friends. I sleep better now. Sometimes I still wake up from nightmares.

None of those felt like things I should be discussing with Romeo.

He wasn’t a friend. He wasn’t someone I trusted.

He wasn’t even someone I particularly liked.

He was…

Romeo.

The man who had spent months reminding me exactly how powerless I was. The man who had terrified me long before I ever understood what fear truly felt like.

Six months apart didn’t erase that.

Six months in Italy didn’t magically transform us into two people capable of having casual conversations beneath rose bushes.

He asked another question.

“And my grandmother?”

My fingers tightened unconsciously around the sleeve of my hoodie.

“What about her?”

“How’s she treating you?”

I frowned slightly.

“…Good.” Another pause. “She takes care of me.”

His gaze remained fixed ahead instead of on me. “I know.” That answer caught me off guard. I looked at him. “You know?” He nodded once.

“She would.” That was all. No explanation. No elaboration. Just another impossibly short sentence. I didn’t understand this.

Not even a little.

The Romeo sitting beside me didn’t match the one I knew.

Or… Thought I knew.

My thoughts drifted back to six months ago.

The day I’d arrived in Italy with Nonna. Looking back now…

I barely recognized that version of myself. I’d been exhausted.

Numb. So detached from reality that entire days had blurred together without leaving much behind.

I remembered sitting by the bedroom window for hours, staring outside without really seeing anything but Lila’s bloody mouth.

I remembered jumping whenever someone knocked. Apologizing for things that weren’t my fault.

Waiting for the next terrible thing to happen because I genuinely believed it always would.

Nonna had been patient. Incredibly patient. She never pushed. Never demanded explanations.

She’d simply… stayed.

Day after day. Meal after meal. Conversation after conversation. Slowly, without me even realizing it…

Life had begun to feel peaceful.

Or at least… Something close to that.

I laughed now. I argued with Chiara. I complained whenever the chef overcooked pasta.

I even rolled my eyes at Nonna sometimes. The old me would’ve thought that impossible.

Italy hadn’t fixed everything. Some things probably couldn’t be fixed. Loud shouting still made me tense.

Unexpected noises still startled me. The sight of blood still made my stomach turn.

But…

I was healing. Little by little. I glanced sideways. Romeo hadn’t changed position.

He still sat with the same quiet composure, one hand resting loosely against the bench beside him.

No movement seemed wasted. No expression escaped him unnecessarily.

He was still a beast. Still the same strange man wrapped in expensive silence and impossible-to-read expressions.

Cold. Controlled. Unreachable. And yet… Ever since last night…

He’d somehow become even stranger. He’d ignored us in the alley. Then driven us home.

Covered for us.

Allowed Nonna to scold him without correcting her.

Apologized.

And now…

He was asking how Italy was treating me. How Nonna treated me. Questions so ordinary they somehow felt completely unnatural coming from him.

Nothing about this made sense.

The more he spoke… The less I understood him. And somehow…

That unsettled me far more than the version of Romeo I’d spent months fearing ever had.

A loud voice shattered the quiet.

“Katya!” I jumped so violently my heart lurched into my throat.

My head snapped toward the sound before I even realized I’d moved.

“Katya, mia cara!”

Nonna. Relief replaced the lingering tension almost immediately.

I was on my feet before I consciously decided to stand. Beside me, Romeo didn’t move.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him lean back slightly, an audible breath escaping him.

It almost sounded… Like an annoyed groan. I barely paid it any attention. My focus had already shifted entirely to Nonna.

She was making her way toward us along the stone pathway, expertly guiding her wheelchair over the smooth gravel.

A tablet rested across her lap, both hands fumbling impatiently with it as though she couldn’t decide whether to steer or hold onto it.

“Nonna.” I hurried over instinctively.

“You shouldn’t be wheeling yourself over here.”

“Nonsense,” she dismissed immediately, waving one hand, her face set in a very deep and concerning frown.

“Mia cara…” The worried tone was unmistakable.

“Have you seen it?”

I blinked.

“Seen… what?”

“This!” She immediately began fumbling with the tablet resting on her lap.

“Oh dear… where did it go?” Her fingers tapped across the screen with increasing impatience.

“No… that’s not it…”

Another tap.

“There.” She turned the tablet toward me. Romeo hadn’t moved. He simply watched. I lowered my eyes to the screen. The world stopped.

Flames.

Enormous flames swallowed the front of Michael’s nightclub, thick black smoke rolling into the night sky while emergency vehicles crowded every side of the street.

The building… It was burning. My breathing caught.

The video continued, the video of yesterday night.

Police officers escorted a handcuffed Michael through a crowd of shouting reporters toward a waiting police van.

Camera flashes exploded around him. Questions were hurled from every direction. He never answered. The van door slammed shut. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even blink.

“Katya?”

My throat tightened.