The ride back was silent.
Not peaceful silence.
The kind that pressed against your chest until breathing felt like work.
Elena sat in the back seat, staring at nothing.
Her hands were still stained faintly with Adrian's blood.
She hadn't noticed when it got there.
She hadn't tried to wipe it off.
Across from her, Matteo watched.
Not openly.
But enough.
He hadn't said a word since they left the warehouse.
Neither had she.
In the front seat, Enzo drove.
Too fast.
Too aggressive.
Like he was trying to outrun something that was already inside him.
The city lights blurred past the windows.
Bright.
Distant.
Unreal.
Elena blinked slowly.
And suddenly she was back there.
The gunshot.
Adrian's body going still.
The sound of her own voice breaking.
Her breath hitched.
She turned toward the window quickly, pressing her forehead against the cold glass.
No.
She wasn't going to cry again.
Not here.
Not in front of them.
Matteo noticed anyway.
He leaned slightly forward.
"Slow down," he said quietly.
Enzo didn't respond.
"Enzo."
"Don't," Enzo snapped.
Matteo's tone didn't change.
"You're going to crash."
"Maybe I should."
The words hung in the air.
Elena closed her eyes.
"Stop the car."
Both men went still.
Her voice was soft.
But it wasn't weak.
"Stop the car," she repeated.
Enzo tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
For a second, it looked like he wouldn't listen.
Then he slammed the brakes.
The car jerked to a stop on the side of the empty road.
Silence.
Elena opened the door and stepped out.
The cool night air hit her instantly.
She inhaled sharply.
It didn't help.
Nothing helped.
Footsteps followed behind her.
Matteo.
Of course.
"Go back in the car," he said quietly.
"No."
"Elena."
"I said no."
She turned toward him.
Her eyes were red.
But dry.
"I watched him die."
Matteo didn't respond.
"There was nothing I could do. Nothing."
Her voice cracked slightly on the last word.
Matteo stepped closer.
"That wasn't your fault."
"Yes it was."
"No."
"Yes," she said, louder now. "He was there because of me."
Matteo's jaw tightened.
"He was there because Caterina is unstable."
"He was there because I walked into your world."
Silence.
Heavy.
Real.
Matteo looked at her carefully.
"You didn't choose this."
"No," she said quietly. "But I'm in it now."
Behind them, the car door slammed.
Enzo stepped out.
He looked worse up close.
Like the anger had nowhere to go anymore.
"Elena."
"Don't," she said immediately.
He stopped.
"I don't want your apologies."
"I wasn't."
"Yes, you were."
Her voice was sharper now.
"You keep saying you didn't mean for this to happen."
Enzo's expression hardened.
"Because I didn't."
"But it did," she said. "And he's dead."
The words landed hard.
Enzo looked away.
For the first time since she met him, he didn't have anything to say.
Matteo watched the exchange carefully.
"You need to get back in the car," he said.
Elena shook her head.
"I need a minute."
"You don't have a minute," Matteo replied. "Not anymore."
She frowned.
"What does that mean."
Matteo hesitated.
Then he spoke.
"Caterina didn't just kill him."
Elena's stomach twisted.
"What are you talking about."
Enzo exhaled slowly.
"She sent a message."
"To who."
Matteo answered.
"To us."
Elena looked between them.
"I don't understand."
Matteo stepped closer.
"You were the target."
Her breath caught.
"And she didn't get you," he continued. "So she took something else."
"Adrian," Elena whispered.
"Yes."
Silence stretched.
Then she asked, "So what happens now?"
Matteo didn't hesitate.
"Now we end it."
Enzo laughed bitterly.
"You make it sound easy."
"It's not," Matteo replied. "But it's necessary."
Elena looked at both of them.
"You're going to kill her."
"Yes," they said at the same time.
The synchronization made something twist inside her.
Different reasons.
Same outcome.
She swallowed.
"Good."
That one word surprised even her.
Matteo studied her carefully.
"Are you sure."
"No," she admitted. "But I don't care anymore."
Something shifted in his expression.
Respect.
Understanding.
Something deeper.
Enzo saw it.
And didn't like it.
"Get back in the car," he said.
This time, Elena didn't argue.
The Moretti estate was fully locked down when they returned.
Guards at every entrance.
Lights on in every room.
It didn't feel like a home anymore.
It felt like a fortress preparing for war.
The moment Elena stepped inside, Bianca rushed toward her.
"Oh my God."
She stopped when she saw Elena's face.
"What happened?"
Elena didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Bianca looked at Matteo instead.
His silence told her everything.
Bianca's hand flew to her mouth.
"No."
Elena walked past her.
Up the stairs.
Step by step.
Slow.
Heavy.
Like each one carried everything she was trying not to feel.
Matteo started to follow.
Enzo grabbed his arm.
"Give her space."
Matteo looked at him.
"She shouldn't be alone."
"She doesn't want you right now."
Matteo's eyes darkened slightly.
"That's not your call."
Enzo stepped closer.
"You think I don't see it?"
"See what."
"The way you look at her."
Silence.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Matteo didn't deny it.
Enzo let out a bitter laugh.
"This is a mistake."
Matteo's voice dropped.
"Everything about this is a mistake."
"And yet here we are."
They stared at each other.
Years of tension sitting just beneath the surface.
Ready to explode.
Upstairs, Elena stood in the bathroom, staring at her reflection.
She barely recognized herself.
Her eyes looked different.
Harder.
Colder.
She turned on the tap and let the water run.
Slowly, she washed the blood from her hands.
It took longer than it should have.
Like it didn't want to come off.
Like it belonged there now.
When she was done, she gripped the edge of the sink.
Breathed.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Then a knock.
Soft.
She didn't answer.
The door opened anyway.
Matteo.
Of course.
"I said I needed space," she muttered.
"I know."
"Then why are you here."
He stepped inside.
Because you shouldn't be alone.
He didn't say it.
But she heard it anyway.
"You're not fine," he said.
"No," she replied. "I'm not."
Silence.
Then she looked at him.
"Does it get easier?"
Matteo didn't lie.
"No."
She nodded slowly.
"Good."
He frowned.
"That would mean something's wrong with you."
A faint, broken smile touched her lips.
"Maybe there already is."
Matteo stepped closer.
Not too close.
Just enough.
"There's nothing wrong with you."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
Their eyes met.
And for a moment everything else faded.
The war.
The blood.
The chaos.
Just them.
Standing there.
Breathing the same air.
Too close.
Too aware.
Elena looked away first.
"This changes things," she said quietly.
"Yes."
"How."
Matteo's voice lowered.
"It means we don't lose again."
Her heart skipped.
"We?"
He didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Because for the first time it didn't feel like she was just trapped in their world.
It felt like she was becoming part of it.
And that scared her more than anything.
Downstairs, Vittorio stood near the window, watching the dark city.
Isabella stood beside him.
Silent.
Composed.
"Caterina crossed a line," Vittorio said.
"Yes."
"She thinks this is about emotion."
Isabella smiled faintly.
"That's why she'll lose."
Vittorio's gaze hardened.
"Prepare everything."
Isabella nodded.
"It's time."
And somewhere in the city, Caterina sat in the back of a moving car, staring out at the same night.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Like she hadn't just started a war she couldn't control.
Her phone buzzed.
A message.
She read it.
Then smiled slowly.
Because the person inside the Moretti family had just sent her another update.
And this time it was about Elena.