~Salvatore's POV
Something was wrong long before anyone said it out loud.
I felt it in the silence first. My phone had been in my hand for the past ten minutes, and I kept checking the same thing over and over again, like the result would change if I stared long enough.
There were no calls or messages from Elsie. That one bothered me more than I wanted to admit.
I leaned back slightly in my chair, my jaw tightening as I stared at the screen again.
"Pick up," I muttered under my breath, dialing Elsie's number again.
It rang once, twice, and then nothing. I exhaled slowly, running a hand over my face.
"This does not make sense," I said quietly to myself.
Elsie never ignored my calls. Even when she was upset, even when she needed space, she would still answer eventually. There was always something. Either a message or a sign.
But this… This was nothing.
I stood up from my chair abruptly, the movement sharp enough to scrape against the floor.
"Matteo," I called out.
