The house felt too quiet as Fina sat there, surrounded by the soft murmurs of her family, yet it seemed as if the world around her was moving in slow motion. Her body trembled with each sob, as if her chest was being crushed by something too heavy to name. The blanket that wrapped around her had become a shield, a small comfort she clung to like it was the only thing tethering her to reality.

Her mind felt like a storm, thoughts colliding with each other, crashing, relentless. The memory of Aiden's kiss, his touch, mixed with the image of him with Sophia, so vivid it felt like it was happening all over again. The betrayal was a sharp, gnawing pain, twisting inside her. But what hurt more was the emptiness—the complete disconnect she felt from herself.

Fina's cries became more desperate, louder, as if they were trying to force the weight off her chest. She wanted to scream, to tell someone how much she hurt, but her voice wouldn't cooperate, suffocated by the flood of emotions that refused to stop.

Enzo, ever protective, pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as if he could shield her from the world. "Fina, please, stop," he whispered, his voice strained with frustration and helplessness. "You don't have to keep holding it in."

But she couldn't stop.

The grief, the confusion, the fear—everything she'd been holding back, pretending not to feel—came pouring out in waves. She didn't know how to stop it, didn't know how to make it go away.

Isabella's voice cut through the noise, softer but no less firm. "Fina, sweetheart, I need you to listen to me. We're going to help you, okay? You're not alone in this."

But Fina's mind wasn't listening. It was trapped in the memory of Aiden's lips on her neck, the warmth of his body pressed against hers, only to be replaced by the image of him with Sophia—Sophia, who had come between them. The overwhelming pain of being ignored, of feeling like a fool, made her want to curl into herself and disappear.

"I hate this," she managed to choke out through her sobs. "I hate feeling like this. I hate not knowing what's real anymore."

"Fina, what happened today, what you saw—none of it was your fault," Matteo said quietly, his hand rubbing circles on her back. "But we need to understand what's going on. That's why we called Aiden."

Fina stiffened at his words, pulling back from Enzo just enough to look up at her brothers. "You called Aiden?" she asked, her voice trembling with disbelief.

Alessandro's jaw tightened. "I wanted to make sure he was there for you. He's been a part of your life long enough that we needed to get some clarity. The way you left—everything was too sudden."

"Then I want him to stay away," Fina hissed, her chest heaving. "He's the one who—" She stopped herself, swallowing hard. The words were like venom in her mouth, and she couldn't bring herself to say them. Not yet.

Her brothers exchanged glances, but before any of them could respond, the sharp ring of her phone interrupted the heavy silence.

Fina froze.

The screen lit up with a name she never thought she would see at this moment—Aiden.

Her hands shook as she stared at the screen, torn between answering and rejecting. The temptation to disconnect from it all, to block him out completely, was overwhelming. But in some corner of her mind, she knew she needed answers—answers that no one else could give her.

With trembling fingers, she swiped to answer.

"Aiden?" Her voice was hoarse, raw. She barely recognized it.

"Fina?" His voice was tight, worried. "I—I tried calling earlier. I was going crazy, not knowing where you were. I... I'm so sorry for what you saw today. Please, just let me explain—"

Fina sucked in a breath, biting back a sob. "Explain?" she echoed bitterly. "What is there to explain, Aiden? I saw you with Sophia. I saw her all over you. And you didn't push her away."

Aiden's silence spoke volumes.

"I don't want to hear it. I don't want your excuses," Fina whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "I don't even know who you are anymore."

"Fina, please—"

But she cut him off, her words sharp as daggers. "I can't do this. I can't keep pretending that what we had meant anything when you were already with her. When you never even told me."

Her heart pounded in her chest as she hung up, feeling a rush of emptiness as the call ended. It was final.

Fina collapsed back into Enzo's arms, her sobs coming harder now, louder, as if the last threads of control had snapped. She wasn't sure if she was crying for Aiden, for herself, or for the entire mess she found herself trapped in. All she knew was the suffocating feeling that everything had changed—irreparably.

"Fina," Enzo whispered, his voice laced with sorrow, "we'll get through this. You won't have to do it alone."

But Fina wasn't sure if anything would ever be the same again.

a/n

trust you will hate me in the upcoming chapter 😃😃