Chapter Twelve #2
“We're back!” Bianca suddenly called out, her voice echoing through the house.
The quiet shattered instantly.
Footsteps thundered from upstairs, and doors opened somewhere down the hall. Within seconds, several unfamiliar faces appeared in the entryway. They moved quickly at first, but the moment their eyes landed on me, they slowed down.
Some looked surprised. Others simply watched, studying me in the same careful way everyone else had been all night.
Rafael folded his arms across his chest and looked at them calmly.
“Boys,” he said, “introduce yourselves.”
The first one stepped forward. He was tall and lean, with chestnut hair and sharp brown eyes that held a quiet intensity. He seemed familiar. I had seen him before.
“Leonardo,” he said simply. “Nineteen.”
His gaze lingered on me for a moment, thoughtful and steady. Whatever he saw seemed to settle something inside him because his shoulders loosened slightly.
“It's... really good to finally have you back, Sabrina,” he said. “We've been waiting a long time for you to come home.”
A strange pull formed in my chest.
Images flashed through my mind before I could stop them: cold concrete, flickering lights and the suffocating silence of the place where nightmares lived.
And him.
Another prisoner. Another kid who shouldn't have been there. Bloodied, exhausted and still refusing to break.
I was the reason he escaped.
The memory returned with painful clarity.
I remembered slipping into Ivan Volkov's office while the guards were distracted, my heart hammering against my ribs as I found a number in the worn wallet they'd taken from him.
I sent the message and deleted every trace before anyone could discover what I'd done.
I never saw him again after that night.
Until now.
Leonardo studied me with quiet curiosity. He didn't recognise me, and of course he didn't. Back then, I had been just another shadow moving through those halls, a faceless ghost who helped him escape before disappearing again.
But I remembered him.
And now he wasn't just someone I had once saved.
He was my brother.
I swallowed the tightness forming in my throat as the next guy stepped forward.
He had an easy grin and dark hazel eyes that sparkled with mischief. His dark brown hair fell loosely across his forehead, and his relaxed stance made him look as though he was already enjoying the situation.
“Luca,” he said. “Eighteen.”
His grin widened as he glanced between me and the others.
“I'm really glad you're here,” he added, scratching the back of his neck. “The house has been full of boys for way too long.”
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
“Matteo's my twin, by the way. Try not to mix us up.”
“Watch it,” Matteo muttered from behind him.
The small exchange earned a few quiet laughs, breaking some of the tension that had settled over the room.
Then another brother stepped forward.
He was slightly taller than Luca, with dark hair kept neatly away from his face and deep brown eyes that studied me with quiet attention.
Unlike Luca's easy-going expression, there was something more reserved about him.
He didn't seem uncomfortable, exactly. He simply looked like someone who preferred to observe before speaking.
“Salvatore,” he said. “Twenty-three.”
His gaze remained on me for a moment before he gave a small nod.
“Welcome home, Sabrina.”
His voice was calm and measured, carrying none of Luca's playful energy. There was something quietly intimidating about him, though I couldn't have explained why.
I nodded back.
“Thank you.”
Salvatore stepped aside, and my attention drifted to someone else.
My twin.
Carlo stepped forward slowly, and for a moment, everything else faded into the background.
His dark hair was slightly messy, as though he'd been running his fingers through it, but it was his eyes that stopped me.
Grey.
Exactly like mine.
He looked at me the same way I was looking at him, like he was staring at a reflection that had somehow stepped out of a mirror.
Our faces shared the same structure, the same features I'd only ever seen in fragments – in broken mirrors and fleeting memories I had tried to forget.
He studied me carefully, as though he were afraid I might disappear if he blinked.
Neither of us said anything because neither of us knew how to start.
For the first time in my life, I was looking at someone who shared my face, and I had no idea what to do with that.
I felt a small tug at my side and glanced down.
Dario was standing tall beside me, his little chest puffed out as though he were ready to take on the world.
He wasn't hiding, but his hand brushed against my arm for a fraction of reassurance.
His dark eyes scanned the room eagerly, taking in the new faces.
Luca noticed him instantly and raised an eyebrow, a small smile forming.
“Wait... is that–?”
Rafael cut in before he could finish.
His gaze softened as it landed on the confident little figure beside me. The tension in the room eased slightly, replaced by warmth.
“And this little whirlwind,” Rafael said, the faintest smile brushing his lips, “is Dario. Our newest addition to the family.”
Dario didn't hide shyly behind me. Instead, he stepped forward, chin high, and grinned.
“Hi!” he said loudly. “I'm Dario! Nice to meet you!”
He strutted closer to Luca, extended his hand confidently and added, “Are you going to show me around?”
His tone was commanding, as though he were already the boss of the new place.
Luca laughed, kneeling to meet his level.
“Alright, kiddo. You're in charge now. I'm Luca, and yes, I'll show you around.”
“You guys are my brothers, right? Cool! I like brothers!”
His grin was wide and unstoppable, and I could feel my chest loosen as I watched him.
Then, without missing a beat, he looked up at Rafael, eyes narrowing with mock seriousness.
“Hey, do I get a room?”
Rafael chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, you do.”
Dario's grin widened even further. He turned towards the brothers and pointed at them, his small finger wagging like a general giving orders.
“You! You! And you! Take my luggage up to my room. And listen carefully – if a single one of my toys is broken, you won't want to know what happens next!”