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Dino, the quieter of my brothers, waited his turn before pulling me into a gentler hug. “You look tired, Lari.”

“Do I?” I said, forcing a smile.

“Come, come. A good cup of coffee for all of us would help us, won’t it?” Dino suggested.

We settled in the kitchen where I made coffee while they unpacked little gifts they bought for me from the airport. It felt almost normal, this routine of ours. But nothing seemed the same. Not even when I thanked them for the gifts. It felt like I was simply moving through the motions.

Carlo ruffled my hair. “Where's Gastone?”

“Meeting with the Bianchi family. Won't be back until tonight.”

A look passed between my brothers.

“What?” I asked, feeling like the look had been more about me than Gastone.

“He told us about…your involvement,” Carlo offered.

“With that Lebedev fellow,” Dino growled.

“He was furious, but of course we told him you weren’t to blame,” Carlo explained, a look of protectiveness etched over his face.

“He manipulated you, we knew that from the start. God, Larissa,” Dino went in for a hug again from the chair beside me. “We can’t imagine how much he traumatized you for you to think you… you cared for him.”

I couldn’t believe this. My brothers were painting Gio as a monster, which was so far from the truth that I could have laughed.

I pulled out of Dino’s hug and couldn’t help the anger that flashed across my face. “Gio was nothing like that. I wasn’t manipulated in any shape or form.”

“Gio?” Carlo’s eyes narrowed. “What's going on, Larissa? Don’t tell me you willingly got mixed up with one of the Lebedev men.”

The moment had arrived sooner than I'd expected. But for some reason, I didn’t feel the need to hide or scare away. They weren't Gastone, which meant they might actually listen.

“His name is Giovanni,” I said, straightening my shoulders.

Dino's knuckles whitened around his mug. “Jesus, Larissa.”

“It's not what you think,” I continued quickly. “Yes, he kidnapped me, but he never held me as a prisoner.” I chose to omit the minor detail of being locked in the basement cell during my first two days there.

“What does that mean? He kidnapped you. You were a prisoner,” Carlo's voice remained calm, but I could see the tension in his jaw.

“I should have walked away, but...” I paused, searching for words that wouldn't trigger their protective instincts. “He was kind to me, Carlo. Different than what we've been told about them. His entire family was lovely and his sister Elena, she showed up for me when I needed her to.”

“Kind?” Dino echoed skeptically. “These are the same people who bring battles to the streets.”

“Did he touch you?” Carlo asked, his tone deceptively mild.

“No,” I lied. I couldn't bear to see the rage that would follow the truth. “That's what I've been trying to tell Gastone. Nothing happened.”

“Then what's the problem?” Carlo asked.

I fidgeted with my coffee cup. “I think... I started to have feelings for him. And Gastone found and was furious. But I’m telling you, Gio is the kindest man I’ve met.”

“Fuck,” Dino muttered, running a hand through his dark hair.

Carlo's expression remained carefully neutral. “And what did Gastone do?”

“He threatened to kill him.” The words fell between us like stones. “So I ended it. I told Gio it was all a mistake.”

My brothers exchanged another look, a silent conversation passing between them. Carlo sighed, reaching across the counter to take my hand.