Chapter 25 #2
Frozen. His body was tense, his fists still clenched, and the fury rolling off him was impossible to ignore.
I blinked once. Then twice. Trying to process everything that had just happened.
The restaurant that had been filled with laughter only moments ago now felt completely different. Heavy. Cold. Like Aldo had walked in and sucked all the warmth out of the room.
But there was no time to check on everyone else. Not yet. Adriano came first. I needed to know he was still here. That the words Aldo threw at him hadn't pushed him past the point of no return.
Because if Adriano lost control now...
The consequences would be catastrophic.
I looked back toward Yana and Mili. They were already watching the children, their expressions calm but alert. They met my eyes, and without saying a word, they gave me a small nod.
We've got them.
Go.
I followed Adriano out the door. The cold Italian air hit me immediately, but he didn't react. He stood there with his back facing me, completely still. Almost too still. Like a storm trapped inside a human body.
I slowly walked toward him and placed my hand against his back. Every muscle beneath my palm was tense. Coiled. Ready to explode.
I swallowed and stepped around him until I was standing in front of him. His eyes weren't on me. They weren't on anything. He was staring somewhere far away, his jaw clenched tightly, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
I didn't say anything. I just wrapped my arms around his waist and held him. His body was rigid beneath my touch. I could hear his heartbeat. Fast, heavy and unsteady. I rested my head against his chest, listening to the man who had always been my strength.
The man who had saved me. The man who had protected everyone around him. And now he was standing here, breaking silently. I didn't know how to fight this battle for him.
So I did the only thing I could. I stayed...minutes passed. Maybe longer but neither of us moved. Then I felt it. A single warm drop against my hair. My breath caught.
I lifted my head slowly. And my heart shattered. Adriano's face was broken Tears slid down the cheeks of a man who had spent his entire life convincing the world he didn't feel pain.
And when his eyes finally met mine...I saw everything.
The fear. The guilt. The hurt. My own vision blurred instantly. I had only seen Adriano cry once before. When I told him we were having a baby. Those were happy tears. Tears filled with love and disbelief.
These were different. These were sorrowful, broken tears. I brought my hands up and held his face, wiping away the tears that continued to fall.
"Talk to me, my love." My voice came out barely above a whisper.
His breathing shook. "The kids..." His voice was rough. And instantly, I understood. Aldo hadn't hurt Adriano by threatening him. He hurt him by making him question whether he had failed our children.
I knew what he was thinking. Aldo had done exactly what we always feared. He had exposed them. But not with honesty. With hatred and cruelty. Our children were still innocent. They didn't understand the decades of bloodshed, the history between families, the hatred between Russians and Italians.
They didn't understand why some people would look at them differently. Why their bloodline made them targets. They were something the Mafia had never truly seen before. A family born from two worlds that were never supposed to mix.
We always knew the day would come when they would have to face it. We just thought we would have more time. More time to prepare them. More time to teach them. More time to protect their hearts before the world showed them how cruel it could be.
But Aldo took that from us. And now Adriano was afraid. Afraid of the questions. Afraid of their hurt. Afraid of explaining to our children why someone could hate them for something they never chose.
I tightened my grip on him. "You are strong." His eyes lifted to mine. "Stronger than anyone I know."
I brushed my thumb across his cheek. "You are the strongest man, the strongest father, I have ever met." My voice trembled slightly, but I refused to let it break. "We will survive this together."
I leaned closer. "We will tell them the truth. We will answer every question they have. We will remind them every single day that they are loved." I smiled sadly through my tears. "I know our children are your softest spot, Adriano. I know that is where Aldo wanted to hurt you."
I cupped his face. "But that is also why I love you." His eyes softened. "Because beneath everything else... beneath the Capo, beneath the fear everyone has of you..."
I whispered. "You are just a father who loves his children more than anything." I wiped away another tear. "Don't let Aldo win, my love."
For a moment, he just stared at me. Then slowly...the Adriano everyone knew returned. I knew it wasn't because the pain disappeared. But because he remembered who he was fighting for.
His arms tightened around me, pulling me against him as he buried his face into my hair. Then he lifted my chin and kissed me. With love and a promise. A promise that no matter what came next, we would face it together.
We stood there for a long time holding each other. Tonight we reminded each other that we were not alone. And as long as we had each other...no force in this world could break us.