Chiara
CHIARA
I ’m sitting in the corner of Studio 3, staring at the blank canvas in front of me, but my mind isn’t on the painting. I’ve been dragging my brushes through paint, making strokes that don’t seem to fit together.
Everything feels wrong, and I can’t shake the guilt that’s been gnawing at me since yesterday. The way Giovanni pushed me, the way he crossed every line—it’s left me feeling raw and exposed.
Leo’s joining me, and while I’m looking forward to his company, I can’t help but feel a heavy weight in my chest. I haven’t been able to look at him without thinking about how I let Giovanni get under my skin, how I let myself be pushed to the edge.
How I let him go down on me and didn’t do a damn thing about it.
What the hell is wrong with me?
The door to Studio 3 creaks open, and Leo walks in with his usual easygoing smile. As soon as he sees me, it falters a bit, but he quickly regains his composure .
“Hey,” he says, his voice light but with an edge of concern. “How’s it going?”
“Hey,” I reply, trying to muster a smile. I stand up from my stool, forcing myself to be upbeat, but it feels like a mask slipping over my real emotions. “It’s going. Just… painting.”
Leo takes a seat at the small table in the corner, setting down a couple of bags. “Got us some snacks,” he says, reaching into one of them. “Thought we could hang out, maybe talk a bit. I’m here to help you unwind.”
I nod, though the knot in my stomach tightens. “Thanks, Leo. I could use a distraction.”
He picks out a couple of items from the bag and looks at me with a soft smile. “You’ve been quiet today. Everything okay?”
I want to tell him everything, but I can’t bring myself to. The guilt—it’s like a barrier between us. I shake my head.
“Yeah, just … a lot on my mind.”
Leo looks at me, his eyes searching mine, and I can see the concern in them. “If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”
I appreciate the offer, I really do. But I don’t know how to explain what happened, how Giovanni’s actions have twisted my thoughts. I feel like I’d be betraying Leo even more if I said anything.
“It’s complicated,” I finally say, trying to keep my voice steady. “Just … not sure I’m ready to talk about it.”
Leo nods, though his eyes still hold that worried look. “Alright. We don’t have to talk about it now. Let’s just hang out and enjoy ourselves.”
We sit in silence for a moment, and I still can’t bring myself to talk. Leo tries to lighten the mood by unpacking the snacks and offering me a cookie. I take it, but it’s as if the sweetness of the treat has no effect on the bitter taste in my mouth.
“So,” Leo says, trying to break the silence, “I was thinking we could do something fun today. What do you think about a walk in the garden or maybe catching a movie at my Suite?”
I’m about to respond, weighing the risk of spending more time with him against my own curiosity, when the door slams open with such force that it echoes like a gunshot through the room.
Nikolai storms in, his face a mask of fury, his eyes zeroed in on Leo with lethal intent. His presence is like a storm front, dark and foreboding.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing with ?” Nikolai bellows, crossing the space in two long strides. Before Leo can react, Nikolai grabs him by the collar and slams him against the wall, his fists ready to strike.
Leo, pinned and gasping, tries to speak, his eyes wide with shock and pain. “Nik?—”
“If you have a death wish, Volkov, I can arrange it faster than you can blink,” Nikolai hisses, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
“Nikolai! Stop!” I scream, rushing over to them. My hands push against Nikolai’s tense back, trying to pull him away, but he’s immovable, a statue of anger and muscle.
He turns to glare at me, the fury in his eyes so intense it makes me step back. “Do you even know who his family is, ? What they did?”
His words are like ice water down my spine, reminding me of Giovanni’s warning about Leo and his family. The memory of his words sends a shiver through me.
“I think you should know better than to trust a Volkov. Or has she not learned that lesson yet?”
I shake my head, looking between Nikolai and Leo, who’s struggling to regain his composure against the wall.
Nikolai’s voice drops to a dangerous whisper. “Leo’s father kidnapped my mother years ago. We haven’t seen her since, just... pieces of her.” His last words are spat out with such venom that it physically pains me to hear them.
The room spins, the gravity of Nikolai’s revelation hitting me like a physical blow. Leo, the man I was just considering spending more time with, his family responsible for such an atrocity?
Leo’s face pales, his eyes flickering between me and Nikolai. “I’m not my father, Nikolai,” he says quietly, his voice steady despite the chaos.
“But you are a Volkov,” Nikolai shoots back, venom dripping from every syllable. “And Volkovs live up to their name, don’t they? Predators to the core.”
“Nikolai, let him go,” I plead, my voice barely above a whisper, my mind racing with the implications.
With one last shove, Nikolai releases Leo, who slumps against the wall, rubbing his throat. Nikolai turns to me, his expression one of deep betrayal mixed with anger.
“This is who you want to spend your time with? Someone whose family destroys lives?”
I can’t muster a response, the shock rendering me speechless as I try to reconcile the Leo I’ve started to know with the horrific actions of his family.
Nikolai grabs my arm, his grip firm but not painful. “We’re leaving. Now.”
I don’t resist, allowing Nikolai to lead me away from Leo, who’s left standing in the shadowy corner of the studio with an unreadable expression on his face.
I finally find my voice when we’re outside, though it’s barely above a whisper. “Nikolai, you have to tell me everything. What happened with your mom?”
He stops walking, his face a mask of pain and rage. “It happened ten years ago and was a power play. Sergei Volkov took her to get to my father, to break him. We were living this nightmare every day, wondering if today will be the day we get another... piece of her. Until he finally sent her head.”
Tears sting my eyes as the gravity of his words sinks in. The cruelty, the brutality of it—it’s too much. “I’m so sorry, Nikolai. I didn’t know.”
Nikolai’s expression softens slightly as he looks at me. “I know you didn’t. But you need to understand the kind of people the Volkovs are. You can’t be na?ve about this, not with your life, not with your heart.”
I nod, my mind still processing everything. “I won’t be, I promise. Thank you for looking out for me, even when I don’t realize I need it.”
He gives a small, sad smile and pulls me into a hug. “That’s what family does, . And whether you like it or not, you’re family.”
As we walk back to the main part of the campus, my head feels foggy. Fear, sadness, betrayal. Leo’s face, the way he looked so lost, so desperate for me to understand—it haunts me. But Nikolai’s words, the reality of what his family has endured because of Leo’s—how can I reconcile that?
“Nikolai…” I start, taking a breath. “I won’t get close to him, but you must know that he’s not his father, right?”
Nikolai’s expression darkens, and he steps toward me, his voice low and dangerous.
“Don’t be na?ve, . He’s a Volkov. His blood runs just as cold as his father’s. You think he’s any different? You think he’s some innocent bystander? They’re all the fucking same.”
I shake my head. “I’m not going to stop being friends with him, Nikolai. He’s been nothing but kind to me, and I don’t believe he’s like that.”
His eyes widen in disbelief, and for a moment, I think he might explode, then he scoffs. “Are you out of your fucking mind? After everything I just told you, you still want to be around him?”
“I don’t believe that someone should be judged solely on their family’s actions,” I say, my voice steady despite the fear curling in my gut. “You’re my family too, Nikolai, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to turn my back on someone who’s done nothing wrong to me.”
Nikolai’s face contorts with anger, and he takes a step closer, towering over me. “This isn’t some fucking game, ! You’re too goddamn stubborn to see the danger right in front of you!”
“I’m not stupid!” I snap back, my voice rising. “I know the risks, but I also know that Leo’s been nothing but good to me. I won’t just cut him out of my life because of something his father did.”
Nikolai stares at me, his chest heaving with the force of his anger. For a moment, I think he’s going to lose it completely, but then he takes a step back, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
“I don’t mean to hurt you. I just…” I trail off, sighing. “I don’t want to believe that everyone from that family is evil.”
Nikolai stops pacing abruptly, turning to face me with a glare that could cut through steel. “You think this is about me being hurt? This isn’t about feelings, . You’re so caught up in your idealistic bullshit that you can’t see the fucking cliff you’re about to walk off.”
“I’m not blind, okay,” I say, my voice trembling with frustration. “I know the risks. But I’m not going to live my life in fear, cutting people off just because of where they come from.”
He shakes his head, his blue eyes icy and filled with anger.
“You don’t get it, do you? This isn’t about fear, it’s about being smart. It’s about knowing who you can trust and who you can’t. And if you keep hanging around with Leo, you’re going to learn the hard way that trust can get you killed. ”
I feel a lump form in my throat, but I swallow it down, refusing to back down. “I’m not going to stop being who I am just because it’s dangerous. I’m not going to change for anyone.”
He stares at me, his expression hardening. “Then you’re a fool,” he says, shaking his head before walking toward our waiting SUV.