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“No, I don’t. But I want to.”

For a long moment, he says nothing. Then, almost to himself, he mutters, “You really don’t know what you’re asking for.”

I can hear the fear in his voice, and it only makes me more determined. “Maybe I don’t,” I admit. “But you don’t have to face it alone anymore, Remo. You don’t have to hide behind this…this bullshit. Not with me.”

He stares at me for a beat like he’s trying to figure out if I’m lying. Or if I’m crazy. Or both.

Finally, he sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do with that.”

“Maybe nothing,” I say, my voice softer now. “Just know I understand you.”

The thing is, though, understanding someone doesn’t make it easier. It just makes it more complicated. More painful. Because once you understand the scars, once you see the cracks, it’s hard not to want to fix them.

But I know I can’t. He’s too far gone for that.

So, I settle for something else instead.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I say. “Whether you like it or not, I’m in this with you. And I’m not leaving.”

He doesn’t look at me. Doesn’t need to. But I can tell by the way his body tightens, the slight shift in his posture, that my words hit harder than I expected.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Volpi,” he finally says.

I smile just a little because I know something he doesn’t. I don’t make promises I can’t keep.

Chapter 18

Remo

Daniela is in my head, like a song I can’t shake or a dream that lingers long after I wake.

It’s not just attraction. Attraction, I can handle. This is something deeper. It claws at me and drags me under, and I know it’s only a matter of time before I lose control.

Obsession. That’s the word. She’s carved into my thoughts, my skin, my goddamn soul, and I don’t know how to scrape her out. Part of me doesn’t want to. It’s sick. It’s sick wanting something so badly that it hurts and needing to claim her, to leave a mark she can’t erase.

Yet here I am, teetering on the edge, knowing I’ll fall. Maybe I already have.

I hate it. I hate how powerless I feel, how she can twist me up with a single look. But I crave it too—the fire, the chaos, the way she makes me forget the hollow inside me.

I’ve fought for control my whole life. But with her? It’s slipping. And the scariest part? I don’t think I want it back.

The car hums beneath us as the buildings pass by us in a blur. Daniela sits beside me, her copper hair catching the glow of passing streetlights. She hasn’t spoken since I told her about the surprise, but I can feel her curiosity itching beneath her calm façade.

Finally, she breaks the quiet. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

A smirk pulls at my mouth. “What would be the fun in that?”

She rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue. Smart. There’s no winning against me when I’ve made up my mind.

Then, her voice softens, sounding almost playful. “So kidnapping me wasn’t enough. Now you’re dragging me to mystery outings?”

I glance at her. Her lips are curved in a teasing smile. “If you didn’t want to come, you could’ve said no.”

“Right. Like that’s an option,” she says with a scoff.

I let out a low laugh, but the sound dies quickly. The way she looks tonight—hazel eyes daring, the curve of her dress clinging just right—makes my chest tighten. I can feel the obsession crawling under my skin, carving into me like a sickness I don’t want to cure.

“You clean up well, Volpi,” I say, my tone gruff.