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She repeated the breath. This time, I managed to draw in a thin stream of air, though pain burned through my chest.
“Good. You don’t need a deep breath. Take only what your body will allow.”
Tone breathed again, and I followed.
The room slowly steadied. The pressure around my ribs eased by degrees, leaving a deep ache behind. My hands continued to tremble inside Tone’s, but my lungs no longer felt as though they were collapsing.
Tears had slipped down my face without me noticing.
Beyond Tone’s shoulder, Demitri stood motionless. The color had drained from his face. His hands hung empty at his sides, and for the first time since I had met him, he looked uncertain of what to do. The sight hurt me more than my own pain.
The rosary pressed against my chest beneath my blouse, as heavy as the confession I had refused to give him.
Tone glanced over her shoulder.
“Leave us.”
Demitri didn’t move. “Tone—”
“Now.”
His jaw tightened. For a moment, I thought he might refuse, but then his eyes found mine.
There was no accusation in them. Only the dawning horror that he had become another man whose questions had made me afraid. He left without another word. Neve and Samira followed him, closing the door behind them.
Tone remained on the floor beside me while my breathing settled. She didn’t ask questions or fill the silence with reassurance. She simply stayed until I was no longer fighting my own body.
I wiped my face with the back of my hand.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.”
“I’d call it a panic attack.”
“They came here because of me.” My voice broke under the weight of the words. “I brought the Coccico cartel to your family’s doorstep.”
“Demitri shouldn’t have questioned you alone.”
“He was trying to protect me.”
That was the worst part. Demitri had saved me so many times that gratitude had begun to feel like debt. Somewhere along the way, I had started believing I owed him every hidden part of myself, even the one my father had made me promise to guard.
Tone leaned back against the sofa. “You don’t owe anyone an explanation.”
“But you still need one.”
“If you’re hiding something because you’re afraid of this family, I understand. You know what we’re capable of, but you don’t yet know where we draw our lines.”
“I know what your family does.”
“Yes. We’re dangerous people.” Tone’s gaze did not waver. “But no one in this house is a danger to you.”
“How can you promise that?”
“I can’t ask you to believe a promise from someone you met yesterday. Trust will have to come later.” Her voice hardened with certainty. “What I can tell you is that no one here will hand you over to the Coccico cartel. They could bring an army to our gates, and the answer would still be the same.”
I looked toward the closed door.
“Even if keeping me here puts everyone at risk?”
