Chapter 342: Nightmare

CHAPTER 343

katya pov

My hand stopped in midair as another sound followed. It was faint, so faint I almost convinced myself I’d imagined it. I held my breath. My heartbeat slowing, tilting my head slightly toward the door. Was someone in there?

Of course someone was. It was Romeo’s room.

But… Something didn’t sound right. Another noise reached me. Lower this time. Indistinct. Almost like someone speaking under their breath.

No… Not speaking. Breathing. Uneven. Labored. A strange knot tightened in my stomach. I remained perfectly still, listening. Several long seconds passed.

Nothing.

Maybe I really had imagined it. I let out the breath I’d been holding and took a small step backward. Then it came again.

A sharp sound. Followed by what sounded unmistakably like furniture scraping across the floor.

My eyes widened.

That wasn’t normal. I stared at the door. Every instinct told me to walk away. Whatever Romeo Salvatore was doing on the other side of that wall had absolutely nothing to do with me.

It wasn’t my business. I should climb back into bed. Forget I’d heard anything. Pretend this moment never happened.

Instead… I found myself rooted to the spot. The silence stretched while more muffled sound drifted through the wood.

My fingers curled against my palms. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t even be listening.

Whatever was happening beyond this door belonged to Romeo, and Romeo’s world had taught me, time and time again, that curiosity came with consequences.

I took another step backwards. Then stopped. Another strained breath reached my ears.

Uneven. Almost painful. My stomach twisted.

No. I wasn’t opening the door. Absolutely not. I stared at the polished wood separating our rooms, silently arguing with myself.

If everything was fine, I would look ridiculous.

If everything wasn’t fine My thoughts faltered. What if he was hurt? The idea appeared so unexpectedly that I frowned.

Romeo… hurt? It didn’t fit. Somehow, he’d always seemed larger than everyone around him. Untouchable. Like nothing in the world could truly reach him.

The thought should have been absurd. Yet the sounds hadn’t stopped. Another heavy thud echoed from the other side, followed by the unmistakable rustling of sheets.

I swallowed. Just one look. That was all. If everything was normal, I’d close the door and pretend none of this had happened.

Slowly, Very slowly I reached for the handle. My heartbeat pounded loudly enough that I was certain he would hear it. The cold metal pressed against my palm.

I hesitated one final time. Then carefully turned it. The latch released with the faintest click.

I froze. Nothing changed. No footsteps. No voice. Only that same uneven breathing. Drawing in a slow breath, I eased the door open barely enough to peer through the narrow gap.

Darkness greeted me. The room lay almost completely swallowed by the night. Only a faint ribbon of moonlight slipped through the partially opened curtains, stretching across the polished floor before disappearing into the shadows.

It took several seconds for my eyes to adjust. At first, I couldn’t make out anything. The furniture appeared only as vague silhouettes. An armchair. The edge of a bookshelf.

Everything stood perfectly still. Maybe Maybe I really had imagined…Movement.

My gaze snapped toward the bed.

A figure shifted violently beneath the dark covers. I sucked in a quiet breath.

Romeo. He lay twisted amongst the sheets, his body tense in a way I’d never seen before. His head moved restlessly against the pillow.

One arm jerked sharply before falling back onto the mattress. The blankets had become tangled around his legs as though he’d been struggling for quite some time.

Another strained breath escaped him. Long. Uneven. Painfully laboured. My fingers tightened around the edge of the door.

He wasn’t awake. Even from where I stood, I could see that. His eyes remained firmly shut. His brow was drawn tightly together. The rigid composure that never seemed to leave him during the day had vanished completely.

There was no cold confidence. No calculated control. Only… distress. A deep crease had settled between his brows. His breathing grew harsher, each inhale sounding more difficult than the last.

Another restless movement rippled through him.

His shoulders tensed. His hand clenched tightly into the sheets before relaxing again.

A quiet sound escaped him. Not a word. Not something I could understand. Just a broken fragment of breath that made the room feel strangely smaller.

I stood motionless. Unable to look away. I’d never imagined Romeo Salvatore looking like this.

Not once. This wasn’t the man who terrified rooms simply by entering them.

This wasn’t the man who spoke in calm, measured tones while everyone else held their breath. This wasn’t the man who looked impossible to shake.

This was someone trapped somewhere far away. Someone who couldn’t wake up.

A nightmare. He was having a nightmare. For several long seconds, I simply stared.

Confused and uncertain. Almost waiting for him to suddenly open his eyes and demand to know why I was standing in his room.

He didn’t. Another sharp movement ran through him, his body twisting harder against the mattress.

Without thinking, my hand tightened around the doorknob. I should leave. There was nothing I could do.

Nothing I should do. Yet My feet refused to move. Almost without realising it, I pushed the door open a little wider. Then, as quietly as I could manage, I stepped into the darkness of Romeo’s room.

“…Please…” My breath caught as the words that escaped from him hit me,

“…Please…” The single word drifted through the darkness, rough and broken, carrying none of the quiet authority I had always associated with Romeo Salvatore.

I stood frozen. My fingers tightened instinctively against the fabric of my robe.

Please. The word echoed inside my head.

He sounded… Afraid.

No. That couldn’t be right. Romeo wasn’t afraid of anything. He was the man everyone else feared.

The man who walked into every room as though the world itself belonged to him. Yet the person lying before me didn’t resemble that man at all.

His breathing hitched again. His head shifted restlessly across the pillow, dark hair damp where it clung to his forehead. The sheets had become hopelessly tangled around him, as though he’d been fighting something invisible for a long time.

“…Please…” The whisper came again. This time it sounded almost desperate.

My chest tightened. I swallowed hard, my feet remaining rooted to the floor. I shouldn’t be here.

If he woke up… Heat rushed into my face at the thought. How exactly was I supposed to explain this?

Sorry, I heard strange noises coming from your room, so I let myself in while you were asleep. That sounded completely insane.

I should leave. Right now. Before he opened his eyes. Before he discovered me standing beside his bed like some sort of intruder.

I took half a step backwards. Then another restless movement tore through him. His shoulders jerked sharply. A strained breath escaped him, almost like someone trying to outrun something they couldn’t escape.

I stopped.

“…Please…” Something inside me twisted painfully. What was he dreaming about? The question arrived before I could stop it.

That wasn’t my concern. None of this was. I drew a slow breath, forcing myself to think. People woke others from nightmares all the time…

Didn’t they?

Or Was that a bad idea? I couldn’t remember. Maybe I should find someone.

James?

No By the time I found him and explained why I was searching for him in the middle of the night…

Another glance at Romeo made the thought disappear. His breathing was growing more uneven. I bit the inside of my cheek.

Just…Just wake him. Then leave. That was all.

Nothing more. Slowly—carefully—I took another step closer to the bed. Then another. The thick carpet muffled every footfall until I found myself standing beside him.

Up close He looked even worse. A fine sheen of sweat covered his forehead despite the cool night air drifting through the slightly open balcony doors.

His jaw remained tightly clenched. Even in sleep, every muscle in his face seemed strained.

My heartbeat refused to slow. This was the closest I had willingly stood beside Romeo since coming to the villa.

It felt Strange. The room was silent except for his ragged breathing. I stared at him for another long second.

Then hesitantly, Very hesitantly I lifted my hand. Not to touch him. Just Close enough that if I gathered enough courage, I could gently shake his shoulder.

My fingers hovered uncertainly in the air. This was a terrible idea.

Every instinct screamed at me to stop. To turn around. To leave while I still could. I took one shallow breath before finally gathered enough courage to move my hand the last few inches.

Before my fingers could even brush the fabric of his shirt, Something clamped around my wrist.

Hard. A sharp gasp caught in my throat.

My entire body jolted. Romeo’s hand had closed around mine with frightening strength.

His grip was instant. Unyielding. My eyes flew to his face. His eyes were still closed. He hadn’t woken up.