~ELENA~

I am in my room now after Vincenzo, Riccardo, and Nico finally calm me down.

They don’t leave immediately.

Vincenzo stands by the window, arms crossed, staring into the darkness outside like he’s expecting the night itself to move wrong.

Riccardo paces the room slowly, his boots quiet against the floor, his jaw tight.

Nico sits on the edge of the armchair opposite my bed, elbows on his knees, watching me like I might disappear if he blinks.

No one speaks for a while.

The silence feels…wrong. Heavy. Pressing.

“You should sleep,” Nico finally says, his voice gentler than usual. “Tomorrow will be worse if you don’t. Because you'll...