Page 94

Ours.
Always.
Forever.
Chiara looks at me again, gathering a little courage, as the words slip out.
Her voice is much steadier now, but I still hear the anxiety in her question.
“How long will you both be gone for?” She swallows hard, and I know she’s feeling her throat tighten with every word. “Just…how long?”
I find myself struggling to answer her.
Mikhail glances over at me, his expression neutral, but his eyes sharp.
He’s the first to break the silence.
“We won’t be long.” He replies, his tone careful, but a little dismissive too. “We need to deal with something, then we’ll be back here with you. Don’t worry, Chiara. You’re safe here.”
She nods, though I can see the faint tremor in her hands.
I know it’s not from the sex.
She doesn’t speak again, but her gaze lingers on both of us for a moment longer, like she’s trying to find some reassurance in our faces.
Neither one of us can offer her that—not really.
We watch as she swallows once more, and we take that as a sign of silent acceptance as she curls into herself.
“Take care, beauty.”
My brother says, his voice softer than usual.
“We’ll be back before you know it, darling.”
There’s a small dip between her eyebrows as she nods at us, then she closes her eyes, pressing her face into her pillow.
Mikhail and I take that as a sign to leave.
The door clicks shut behind us, and the silence after is deafening.
As we make our way back through the halls, heading towards our wing, the weight of everything begins to press down on me again.
We walk in silence, our footsteps echoing in the empty halls.
Finally, as we reach our part of the house, I glance over at Mikhail.
He’s walking beside me, his face unreadable, but I can tell he’s thinking about all of this just as hard as I am.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?”
I ask him, my voice quieter than usual.
Mikhail doesn’t answer me immediately.
Instead, he nods, his eyes fixed straight ahead as we continue walking.
“She’s faced worse.”