Chapter 333: Are you scared.

KATYA POV

“The police…Why didn’t they question you?”

The words hung between us. Unlike before, Romeo didn’t answer immediately. His gray eyes remained fixed on my face, studying me with that same impossible calm that always made me feel as though he was seeing far more than I intended to show.

For one brief, irrational second, I wondered if I’d finally asked the wrong question. “Because they weren’t here for me.”

I frowned, I didn’t hear that right. “They came for You.” Romeo clarified but the simplicity of the answer made my jaw tighten.

I shook my head. “That doesn’t make sense.” Romeo expression remained unchanged but I still pushed.

“They came because of the fire.”

“Yes.”

“And the bodies.”

“Yes.”

I was irritated “So why weren’t they asking you questions?”

“Because I wasn’t the purpose of their visit.” he countered and I stared at him, leaning forward slightly before I could stop myself.

“You were there.” The words left my mouth much sharper than I’d intended.

“At the club.” A flicker crossed his eyes. “I saw you at that alley too.”

“Yes.” He didn’t deny but again the way he answered made me irritated. If he wasn’t lying about being there… Then why did every answer feel so incomplete? It wasn’t that he refused to answer.

It was that he answered with as few words as humanly possible. I searched his face, looking for something.

Anything. Guilt. Defensiveness. Concern. I found none of them.

He looked exactly the same as he had since walking into my room.

Calm and Completely unshaken. I couldn’t understand it.

“How could they not ask you anything?”

“They know who I am.” The answer came so matter-of-factly that I blinked.

“What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what I said.”

I frowned harder. “If the police believe people were at the club before the fire… shouldn’t they question everyone who was there?”

Romeo regarded me for a long, quiet moment without saying anything and that finally snapped the little patient I had.

“That’s it?” I let out a disbelieving laugh. Frustration slipped into my voice before I could stop it. “You keep answering me without actually answering me.”

The words burst out louder than I’d intended. Romeo didn’t react.

Didn’t interrupt. Didn’t even look offended. He simply remained where he was, leaning against my vanity, watching me with that infuriatingly calm expression.

That somehow made everything worse. “You know what?” I let out another humorless laugh. “Forget it.”

Except I couldn’t. Because once the words started coming they wouldn’t stop.

“You’ve been doing this since the very beginning.” Still nothing.

“You appeared at that club out of nowhere.” I lifted my hands helplessly. “You offered me a drink.” My fingers sliced through the air as every memory came rushing back.

I shook my head. ” And somehow everything just kept becoming stranger.” My voice grew tighter.

“The alley.” The word lingered between us. “I saw those people lying there.”

I swallowed.

“I saw you there.” my breathing became uneven. “And then… instead of letting us walk home…”

“You gave us a ride.” I laughed again, the sound brittle. “You barely spoke. You barely explained anything.”

“But you still drove us here.” I pointed vaguely toward the floor beneath us.

“Then Nonna asked questions.”

“You lied.” The memory replayed so vividly it almost made my stomach twist.

“You stood there and lied to her.”

“You covered for us.”

“You acted like nothing had happened.”

I looked directly at him.

“Why?”

No answer. Not even a flicker. My frustration surged higher. “And now today…” I threw both hands into the air. “The police come here.”

“They question me.”

“They question Chiara.”

“They practically tell us to report to the station tomorrow.”

“They look at us like we’re hiding something.”

Because we were.

“And you…” My voice cracked despite my best efforts.

“They barely said anything to you.”

“You just sat there. They even thanked you and left.”

I shook my head again and again. “I don’t understand!” The confession came out almost desperately.

“I don’t understand any of it!” My hands were moving wildly now, trying to explain feelings I couldn’t even organize inside my own head.

“You keep appearing whenever something terrible happens and I don’t get it…. I thought everything was finally gone.. I thought ” My throat tightened painfully.

I stopped talking. Only because I physically couldn’t force another sentence out. My eyes burned.

No. Absolutely not. Not now. Why was I…I blinked hard. The sting only worsened. That annoyed me even more.

Seriously? I was going to cry?

Over this? I angrily looked toward the ceiling, willing the feeling away.

Don’t. Don’t you dare. I hated crying. Especially in front of him. I dragged in a sharp breath, trying to steady myself.

Another one. My vision blurred for only a second before clearing again. I didn’t even notice Romeo moving. One moment he was still leaning against the vanity.

The next… Warm fingers rested lightly against my cheek.

I froze. Completely. My breath caught somewhere in my chest. Romeo had stepped close enough that I hadn’t even heard him.

Because of his height, he bent slightly, his hand gently cupping the side of my face.

Not forcefully. Not painfully. Just enough for his thumb to rest near my cheekbone as his fingers settled beneath my jaw, tilting my chin upward. My eyes met his before I could stop them.

Gray. Those impossible gray eyes searched mine with the same unreadable expression he’d worn throughout our conversation.

Yet… Standing this close… There was something quieter in them. Something I couldn’t name. The room had become impossibly still.

Even my frantic thoughts seemed to pause. His voice, when it came, was low.

“…Are you scared?” The question startled me so much that I simply stared at him.

Scared? What? I frowned instinctively.

“I never—”

“About the police,” he said before I could finish.

His gaze never left mine.

“A r e you scare d ?”