n's

o felt t

aceful

w, but none of it reached me. The silence inside these walls pressed against my chest

hat he always did wh

where it

medical

zen ac

al from

been calculated

ur had passed, maybe more, but I hadn't noticed. My mind kept replaying the same images over and over: Do

lev

tighten

advice wrapped in judgment. I needed someo

e came

DeL

loud, reckless, sarcastic, and somehow emotionally sharp beneath all that noise. Where Dominic c

it

stantly breaking the stillness of the room. "Well, this is a surprise.

't realized I was holding

replied proudly. "Some people medi

ad. "I'm not in th

Ryan, that's illegal. You don't just call Luca De

sita

say before everyt

pped. "It's... complicated

ed out before

nce on the lin

. as in that Juliet? The one who

n't a

n't ne

u're in deep. I can hear it i

t's bad, Luca. Like.

my full attention,"

father found her

tone sharpen

emanded I cut ties with her. Threatened to destroy her if

as a lo

y, "That's.

ld hi

ow whistle. "Of

," I said. "Not for

ed firmly. "That's

eiling. "It doesn't feel like i

e said. "Important,

"Easy for y

But listen to me, Ryan, your father isn't doing this becau

kno

that more th

"He knows me. He kno

means you need a plan. Not

itted. "If he's watching, if he's already

said. "You gather informati

ou?" I

ily. "You panic, I think. You ra

ing, a small la

ca said. "That so

u make this fe

ed. "Difficult, yes. Dangerous,

n though he c

"your father is going to escalate. That's who he is.

eady,"

"Because you're no

ded a few m

o was st

longer f

nto my life like a storm, I felt something shift

how I would

ow I would take

how far my f

new one

t backi

wasn't