CHAPTER 281
KATYA POV
The tension in the room was still thick when a phone vibrated. Romeo didn't look surprised. He reached into his pocket, glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted. He stood. "I need to take this," he said simply.
No explanation. His eyes moved briefly between Nonna and me, then he turned and walked out of the living room, heading deeper into the house instead of toward the entrance.
The moment he disappeared down the hallway, the air changed. The pressure eased. A breath left my lungs before I even realized I had been holding it.
My shoulders dropped slightly. My fingers loosened at my sides. I wanted to go upstairs. I wanted a shower. Silence. My bed. A few minutes to let the day settle somewhere inside me that didn't feel so tight.
I had just turned slightly toward the hallway when Nonna spoke. "Katya" Her voice was calm but there was something in it that made me stop.
