“She hasn’t been right,” Gianni continued.“Not since Alessio.”
My grip tightened around the glass.
“People think she’s fine,” he went on.“She smiles.She shows up.Does what she’s supposed to do.”
Yeah.I’d seen that version of her.The controlled one.The one that didn’t bleed in public.
“But she’s been drifting,” he said quietly.“Aimless.Stuck.”
I said nothing.
“We all moved on,” he continued.“One by one.Marriage.Kids.Building lives.”He glanced at me.“And she… she didn’t.She’s just stuck in the moment.”
I swallowed, the whiskey finally burning on the way down—but not for the right reasons.
“She got left behind,” he said, exhaling slowly.“I get it.It happens.People move forward.Not everyone does at the same pace.”
My jaw flexed.
“And then there’s you.”
I let out a quiet, humourless laugh.“Unfortunate for all involved.”
He ignored that.
“I know what you are,” he said.“And I know how you are.”
That got my attention.I turned slightly, meeting his gaze.His eyes held mine.Steady.Certain.
“When you love, you don’t do it half way.”
Something in my chest went still.
“You do it hard,” he continued.“Obsessively.Like it’s the only thing that matters.”
He possibly knew me better than I even knew myself.
“And I think,” Gianni said, “that’s exactly what she needs.”
Silence stretched between us.Thick.Uncomfortable.
I looked back at my drink before I spoke.
“She didn’t come with me.”
Gianni didn’t react immediately.
“She chose her brother,” I added, jaw tightening.
“And you’re surprised?”
I shot him a look.“I gave her an out.”
“You gave her an ultimatum.”
I didn’t like that.Didn’t like how right it sounded.
“Raze will kill me if I go near her again,” I said instead.