CHAPTER 17
Mia wandered barefoot, the floor beneath her like ice. The walls whispered unintelligible voices calling her name, low and urgent, like a warning.
She turned a corner.
There they were. Her parents. Standing in the kitchen like ghosts, backs to her, still as statues. Her mother stirred something on the stove, humming a soft lullaby she hadn't heard since she was a child. Her father read the newspaper like it was any normal morning.
"Mom?" Mia whispered.
They didn't move.
She stepped closer. The air felt wrong heavy, metallic. Then, just as she reached for her mother's hand, the lights went out.
Gunshots.
She screamed.
Red bloomed across her mother's white apron. Her father fell with a thud. And then...
Luca appeared, Covered in blood. His expression blank.
"You didn't stay hidden," he said coldly. "This is your fault."
Mia's breath caught. "No... I tried- I was-"
But he turned and walked away. Vanished into the dark.
"No! Luca...please ...don't leave me!"
She ran after him, screaming, but the hallway stretched longer and longer until it swallowed her whole.
Mia bolted upright, breath ragged, her sheets twisted and damp with sweat. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks as she clutched her pillow to her chest. She couldn't stop shaking.
The nightmare felt too real too cruel.
Her heart screamed for Luca, even though she knew he was probably miles away buried in work.
Her small frame shook with quiet sobs as she sat curled up in her room.
Her favorite teddy slipped from her clutch now forgotten on the floor, as the ache of missing Luca grew heavier.
She hadn't seen him in days, not since he'd left early that morning and disappeared into the shadows of his work.
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she clutched her blanket tighter.
"Grayson...... " she whispered, voice trembling.
Grayson, who had grown used to her soft cries and gentle needs, appeared quietly at the doorway, he pushed the door open gently, eyes scanning the room.
She was curled tightly on the far side of the bed, knees drawn to her chest, fists clutching the sheets. Her breath came in ragged gasps, shoulders shaking.
"Mia." His voice softened. "It's just a dream. You're safe."
She flinched at the sound, then turned her tear-streaked face toward him. Her wide, glassy eyes were filled with something more than fear guilt, confusion, pain she couldn't voice.
Grayson stepped further in, staying near the edge of the room to give her space. "You're okay," he repeated. "You're here. You're home."
"I... I thought he left me," she whispered, voice cracked from crying. "Luca...he..."
Grayson's expression softened.
"You know your brother wouldn't do that," he said gently. "Not in this life or the next."
Mia didn't answer, just wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"I'll stay, if you want," he offered quietly. "Right here. You don't have to say anything."
Mia sniffled, looking up with wide, desperate eyes.
"I want to see him... I want Luca." She said, her voice trembling
"Princess, he'll be back soon," Grayson said softly, brushing a stray tear from her cheek.
Grayson hesitated, knowing how fiercely Luca protected her world.
" No now. Please"
Mia's tears hadn't stopped.
She clung to Grayson's arm, her voice small but persistent.
"Please... just tell him I miss him. Tell him I want to see him."
Grayson exchanged a glance with the quiet house around them, he knew Luca was buried in work, but Mia's heart was fragile, and maybe Luca's words would ease her pain
He sighed softly and pulled out his phone.
"I'll call Luca," Grayson promised, his voice gentle.
Mia nodded quickly, wiping at her cheeks, hope flickering in her eyes.
Grayson's fingers moved swiftly over the screen, placing the call.
Minutes later, Luca's deep voice answered, steady but filled with concern when he heard Mia's quiet sobs.
Princess," Luca said softly through the speaker, "I'm coming home soon. Hold on for me, okay?"
Mia's tears eased, a small smile breaking through.
"I love you, Luca."
"I love you too, princess. I'll be there."
Grayson lowered the phone, watching as a fragile peace settled over Mia once more.
Hearing Mia's voice, her trembling, her longing, cut deeper than any threat or deal he'd faced all day.
He clenched his jaw, swallowing the weight of his responsibilities.
The door creaked open, The moment Luca stepped inside, he could feel it ,a heaviness in the air.
Grayson had said she'd been crying for hours.
That she'd had another nightmare, that she'd begged, quietly and brokenly, for her brother.
He quietly walked through the hallways his eyes immediately searching for her bedroom door.
He pushed open Mia's door without knocking.
The room was lit, the curtains drawn, She was curled up on her bed, back to him, shoulders trembling.
The moment she heard the door creak, she sat up slowly, swiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie, her cheeks still puffy and flushed from crying, eyes red but trying to hold back fresh tears.
His heart clenched at the sight.
Without a word, Luca crossed the room in long strides and knelt beside her.
He gently brushed a stray tear from her cheek, his rough fingers soft against her skin.
"Princess," he whispered, voice thick with emotion.
At the sound of the name, something in her snapped. A sob tore out of her, and she covered her face with her hands, as if ashamed to let him see her like that.
Mia blinked up at him slowly, a shaky smile breaking through.
"Luca..." her voice cracked.
Luca pulled her close, holding her with a fierce tenderness only she ever saw.
"Hey...hey, look at me, I'm here now" he said, voice gentler than anyone else would ever hear from him.
"I...I'm sorry," she hiccupped through tears. "I tried not to cry. I really did, I didn't want to bother you...."
"You didn't," he cut in, reaching up to brush her hair from her damp face. "You never bother me."
Luca's grip tightened just a little, as if to remind her she was never a burden, never to him.
"You're my princess," he said firmly. "Nothing about you is a burden. I should've been here."
"I was so scared, Luca." Her bottom lip trembled. "I woke up and I couldn't breathe, and I thought... I thought I was alone again."
He closed his eyes for a second, forcing down the wave of protectiveness that surged in his chest.
"You're not alone. Not ever," he said, his voice low and steady. "You have me, You always will."
She leaned forward, practically falling into his arms, sobs wracking her body as he held her tightly. His hand found the back of her head, gently cradling it.
"Why am I like this," she whispered. "I want to be strong, like you, not weak."
"You're not weak, Mia," he murmured. "You just feel everything too deeply, that doesn't make you weak. That makes you human."
She clung to him like he was the only thing keeping her grounded
She melted into his embrace, the weight of the days apart finally easing.
Mia looked up at him, eyes glistening.
"I missed you so much, Luca."
"I missed you too," he admitted, brushing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"For everything you've had to face alone, I'm sorry. But I promise, no more long absences."
Mia smiled through her tears, the warmth of his words wrapping around her like a shield.
"Thank you, Luca."
He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, his expression soft but resolute.
"Always, princess. I've got you."
For Luca, nothing mattered more than this,his sister, his world.