Chapter 329: Confront him

KATYA POV

Hours later… The silence inside my bedroom had somehow become louder than the conversation we’d had with the police.

The afternoon sun had long since begun its slow descent, painting warm streaks of orange across the wooden floor through the tall windows. Outside, the gardens looked exactly as they always did.

Peaceful. Beautiful. Normal. Inside my head…

Nothing felt normal anymore. I sat cross-legged near the foot of my bed, absentmindedly twisting the sleeve of my oversized hoodie around my fingers for what had to be the hundredth time.

Across from me, Chiara occupied the small armchair beside the window. Neither of us had said much since we’d come upstairs.

There simply didn’t seem to be anything left to say. The police had eventually stood to leave.

Inspector Ricci had closed her notebook with the same calm professionalism she’d shown throughout the meeting.

She hadn’t argued. She hadn’t threatened us. Not really. She’d simply looked at us both and said quietly,

“We’ll expect to see you tomorrow morning.”

Her expression hadn’t changed.

“If you fail to appear…” A brief pause. “…we’ll have no choice but to proceed differently.” That had been enough. No raised voices. No handcuffs. No dramatic accusations.

Just… Tomorrow.

Then they’d thanked Romeo for his time, nodded politely to the rest of us, and walked out of the villa as though they’d merely stopped by for afternoon tea.

I still couldn’t believe it.

Why? Why had they given us until tomorrow? If they genuinely believed we’d been there…

Why let us leave? Why not take us immediately? The questions had circled endlessly inside my head ever since.

“I don’t like this.” Chiara’s voice broke the silence.

I looked up. She was staring out the window now, one knee pulled against her chest.

“I really, really don’t like this.”

“…Me neither.”

She sighed. “They know we lied.” I didn’t answer. Because we both already knew that.

Inspector Ricci hadn’t believed a single word we’d said. Neither had the two officers standing behind her. Romeo knew we were lying. He’d listened to every ridiculous answer we’d given.

And he’d… Scoffed. “I can’t stop thinking about tomorrow,” Chiara admitted quietly.

“What if they arrest us?”

“They said they wouldn’t.”

“They said they wanted statements.”

She looked at me.

“And you believed them?”

I opened my mouth. Then closed it again. I didn’t believe them But I wanted to. Because the alternative was terrifying. The room fell quiet once more.

The grandfather clock somewhere downstairs chimed softly. Six times.

Dinner would be soon. Normally… That thought would’ve made me smile. Nonna insisted everyone eat together whenever possible.

She claimed meals tasted better when people talked. Tonight… The idea of sitting around the dining table pretending everything was fine sounded exhausting.

Chiara suddenly leaned forward.

“Katya.”

“…Hmm?”

She hesitated.

“Did you notice something?”

I frowned.

“What?”

“Don Romeo.”

Of course. Everything somehow circled back to him lately.

“What about him?”

“He didn’t say a single word.” She was right.

Not once. Not during the questioning. Not after.

Nothing.

“He could’ve said something,” Chiara murmured. “He owns this house. He knows important people. I thought…”

She trailed off. “You thought what?”

“I don’t know.” She laughed weakly.

“I thought he’d do… something.”

“So did I.” The admission slipped out before I could stop it.

We looked at each other. Neither of us had expected Romeo to rescue us.

But we’d expected…

Something. A question. An interruption. An order. Anything. Instead… He’d simply sat there. Watching. Smoking and Listening. Like the entire situation had nothing to do with him.

Except… It did. I knew it did. He’d been at the club. He’d been in that alley. He’d seen those bodies.

Maybe…

No.

I forced that thought away before it could finish forming. “I don’t understand him anymore,” I whispered.

Chiara gave a tired smile. “You understood him before?”

“…Fair point.”

Despite everything…A tiny laugh escaped me. Barely a laugh. More like an exhausted breath.

Chiara smiled too. It lasted less than three seconds. Then reality settled back over us. I stood and wandered toward the window.

The estate stretched peacefully below. Gardeners finished watering the flowers.

Staff crossed the courtyard carrying baskets of freshly picked vegetables toward the kitchens. Somewhere in the distance…

I spotted James speaking quietly into an earpiece before disappearing around the side of the villa.

Life continued. As if nothing had happened. As though tomorrow wasn’t waiting just beyond sunset.

I let my gaze drift away from the window. The room felt strangely untouched by everything that had happened downstairs. The bed remained neatly made.

Books still rested in uneven stacks beside the armchair. A vase of fresh lilies sat on the dresser, filling the room with their faint, sweet fragrance. Everything looked exactly as it had this morning.

My eyes wandered absently across the room before settling on the small side table beside the sofa. The Abadan gift box.

It was still there. Exactly where it’d been left. Untouched.

The cream-colored ribbon remained perfectly tied around the expensive black box, almost mocking me with its elegance.

Inside… Those jewels. Far too beautiful. Even now, I couldn’t bring myself to touch them.

Not after realizing who they most likely belonged to. Or rather… Who they’d most likely come from. My gaze lingered on the box for another moment.

The memory of opening it for the first time resurfaced.

The diamonds had sparkled beneath the bedroom lights like tiny stars. Any other girl would’ve probably screamed in excitement.

I’d done the exact opposite. I’d closed the lid almost immediately.

Because all I’d been able to think was—

Romeo. I still didn’t know for certain that he’d sent them. No one had actually said so.

But somehow… I knew. And somehow… That only made accepting them feel impossible.

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.

Three gentle taps. Chiara and I both looked toward the bedroom door at the same time.

“It’s open,” I called automatically.

The handle turned. The door swung inward. Romeo stepped inside. He’d changed sometime during the afternoon.

The black joggers remained, but he’d exchanged the fitted shirt for a simple dark sweater, the sleeves pushed carelessly to his forearms.

His expression was exactly as it always was. Unreadable. His pale grey eyes swept across the room once.

They landed on me. Only for a heartbeat. Long enough for me to become painfully aware that I was still standing beside the window staring back at him.

My stomach tightened. Neither of us said anything, just as quietly as he’d entered, he shifted his attention away.

Without another glance, he crossed the room with the same measured steps that somehow always seemed too calm.

Chiara instinctively moved her feet aside to give him space. He passed between us without brushing against either of us.

Straight toward the far wall.

Toward… The hidden door. I watched him reach for the discreet panel and the narrow door opened inward and he disappeared through them.

I continued staring at the closed panel long after the soft click of the hidden door echoed through the room.

Silence settled once again.

“…Katya?” I turned toward Chiara. She was watching me carefully now. “What are you thinking?”

I hesitated.

Because I wasn’t entirely sure myself. Confusion. Annoyance. Curiosity. All three seemed to be wrestling for first place.

And Without really thinking about it. The words left my mouth. “I want to confront him.”