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Falynn
PLAYLIST: ? NO TIME TO DIE - BILLIE EILISH ?
My eyes popopen to darkness circling me. It takes me another second to sit up, check the time, and remember why I’m still in bed so late in the afternoon. I hadn’t been feeling well and had still been exhausted when sitting down for breakfast with Gio. I’d gone back to bed after.
The wooden tiles are cold beneath my bare feet as I plod over to the tall windows and pry apart the curtains. The afternoon sunlight blinds me, bright and unforgiving. Squinting at the window, I let my eyes adjust.
It’s a nice day compared to the last few. The villa overlooks the marina as people come out of hiding and take their boats for an afternoon of sailing the turquoise waters. I spot Gio and his yacht immediately. It’s impossible to miss due to its size and sleek design alone. Though no one can see me, I smile anyway.
This holiday trip has been Gio’s way of devoting time to us. In Vegas, no matter how hard we try, it seems something always comes up. He brought me across the world to Portofino for us to relax and be together uninterrupted. He brought me here for my happiness.
But it’s something he needs too—a break from the constant stressors and threats to his life and empire. I can see it every time we’re curled up in each other’s arms. Our getaway helps me just as much as it helps him. His voyage this afternoon is only more proof of that.
Gio needs this…
He’ll be back from his sail by the time it’s over. I tear my gaze from the sparkling water and move to turn away.
A thunderous boom rocks land and sea. The blast is so massive, the balcony floor under me shakes. A torrent of fire floats atop the water. Black smoke billows into the air at the same time as a chorus of screaming.
I whip around, and my heart sinks to the pit of the earth.
It’s Gio’s yacht.
Gio’s yacht has exploded. Debris is flying everywhere. What remains drifts helplessly on the water, engulfed by flames.
For a startled, paralyzing moment, I don’t move. I don’t even react.
I stand there and stare, eyes filling with tears, horrified by what’s happened.
Surely it’s a nightmare. I’m still asleep.
No. No. No. NO!
Ant-sized people at the marina are scurrying around. Any surrounding boats are fleeing to safety. Sirens blare among the chaos before emergency responders flood the scene.
Gio’s boat. It’s exploded. And he was on board.
The insane reality grips me at once. I snap out of crippling shock and dash for the balcony door leading inside. I have to get to him. I have to make it down to the marina and find out he’s okay. He’s survived this somehow. He’s alive. Still breathing.
Dressed in a slinky negligee and robe, I don’t bother with proper clothes, or even shoes. I fly across the large bedroom and wrench open the door. I’m already halfway through the doorway before I collide with a mass as solid and unmovable as any wall.
I stumble back and look up.
Another current of debilitating shock rushes through me. Gio's twin brother Giancarlo stands outside the bedroom door, as broad and towering as him, with his identical face but eyes dark like obsidian.
The shock’s too much. The fear in my veins too widespread. I stumble another few steps back, and my knees buckle.
He catches me. I shove at his chest, though it’s like trying to hurt a tank. It does nothing.
“Get away from me!” I scream. “Don’t touch me! GIO!”
His grip only tightens. “You can’t leave.”
“LET ME GO!”
“You have to stay here.”
“Gio is out there—he was on the boat that just exploded!”
