He had reacted again—just from looking at me standing here.
Something in my chest tightened at the realization, equal parts disbelief and something far more dangerous.
Rafael followed my gaze.
His expression didn’t change outwardly, but the air between us shifted.
Then he exhaled slowly, as if forcing himself back into control.
“Bruno has been found,” he said finally.
The shift in topic was abrupt, almost jarring in its contrast.
My focus snapped back to his face immediately.
“He is being brought over.”
Something in me flinched at that.
“Will you really kill him... your own blood brother?”
The thought made my stomach tighten.
I should have been the one pushing for Bruno’s death, considering everything between us—our history, the ugliness of it all.
And yet the idea of him dying... especially at his brother’s hands... didn’t sit right with me.
Rafael went still.
For a moment, I thought I had crossed a line.
But instead of anger, something quieter passed over his expression. Something more controlled, but no less intense.
He stepped closer.
Not aggressively.
Just enough to close the remaining space between us.
His hand lifted, and his fingers gently caught my chin.
He tilted my face up toward him, forcing my gaze to meet his completely.
I had nowhere else to look.
“We do not take betrayal lightly in this world,” he said quietly. “It is the highest offense. And it is always answered the same way.”
A pause.
“Death.”
His voice dropped lower on the final word.
Then his hand left my chin and he pulled back.
His voice softened slightly when he spoke again.
“Go and get dressed properly,” he said. “I’ll be here when Bruno arrives.”
