The house in Rome felt too small that morning.
Too silent.
Too full of everything nobody wanted to say.
Estrella had barely spoken since the night before.
Thomas hadn't come over.
Aaliyah kept one hand on her stomach without even realizing it.
And Damiano… he paced the hallway like a caged storm.
He knew the confrontation was coming.
Estrella wasn't a child anymore.
And after the magazine leak about her night out with Thomas, everything detonated at once.
Finally, Estrella walked into the living room.
Eyes red.
Jaw tight.
A fire in her expression that looked way too much like Damiano's.
—We need to talk —she said.
Damiano stopped pacing. He inhaled sharply, bracing himself.
—Yeah. We do. Sit down.
She didn't.
She stood in front of him, arms crossed, her entire body vibrating with anger.
—Why are you so mad? —she demanded—. Because I went out? Because I kissed Thomas? Because I'm growing up?
Damiano rubbed his face, exhausted.
—Because you're fifteen, Estrella. Fifteen. And Thomas is older, and a public figure, and—
—And you were younger than that when you started dating girls.
And you were already famous.
And you messed up worse things than this.
So don't act like you're some saint, papá.
The word "papá" hit him like a slap.
His eyes softened, but his voice grew sharper.
—I'm trying to protect you.
—No.
You're trying to control me —she shot back—. Just like you try to control mamá. Like you try to control everything.
Aaliyah, who heard the entire argument from the hallway, felt her heart twist. She stayed behind the wall, listening, one hand pressed to her stomach.
Damiano took a step toward Estrella.
—You don't understand the world the way it really is. People are already talking about you. About him. About the age difference. About what could've happened. About—
Estrella's voice cracked.
—You're not worried about me.
You're worried about your name.
About your image.
About what they'll say about you.
Damiano froze.
Because the truth slipped out of her voice like a wound opening.
She shook her head, tears finally breaking through.
—I thought you trusted me.
But you just… don't.
Damiano's anger disappeared instantly, replaced by a panic he couldn't hide.
—Estrella, I trust you. I do. I'm just scared.
She swallowed hard.
—Scared of what? That I'll make mistakes?
Or that I'll make the same mistakes you did?
A cold silence filled the room.
Damiano's throat tightened. He didn't answer.
And that silence was the answer she needed.
With a broken sigh, Estrella whispered:
—I'm not you, papá.
Then she walked out.
Right past him.
Right past Aaliyah.
Straight to her room, slamming the door so hard the walls shook.
Aaliyah's Heart Drops
Damiano leaned against the wall, shaking.
—I'm losing her… —he muttered.
Aaliyah stepped toward him, gently placing a hand on his arm.
—She's hurt. She's young. She's strong. She needs space, not pressure.
He nodded, but his eyes were glassy.
He wasn't just scared.
He was terrified.
Aaliyah was about to say more… when her phone buzzed.
One notification.
Then ten.
Then fifty.
Then hundreds.
Twitter.
Instagram.
TikTok.
News accounts.
She frowned and opened one.
And her world tilted.
"AALIYAH PREGNANT AGAIN?"
"ROMA SOURCES CONFIRM BABY #2"
"MÅNESKIN FAMILY EXPANDS?"
"ESTRELLA ABOUT TO BE A BIG SISTER"
Aaliyah's hands trembled violently.
Her breath caught.
Her stomach dropped.
Her knees almost gave way.
—Damiano… —her voice broke—. They know.
He turned, confused.
—What do you mean?
She held out her phone with shaking fingers.
Damiano's face drained of color.
Completely.
—No… no, no, no. This can't be happening.
But it was.
The internet knew she was pregnant.
Before they even had the chance to process it themselves.
Before Estrella knew.
Before they were ready.
The world had taken the secret right out of her hands.
Aaliyah felt hot tears build in her eyes.
Damiano moved closer, his voice barely a whisper:
—Aaliyah… amore… we'll figure this out.
But she stepped back, overwhelmed.
—Everything is falling apart, Damiano.
Estrella hates you.
Thomas is terrified.
Ethan's causing problems again.
And now the whole world knows I'm pregnant and I didn't even get to tell my daughter first!
Her voice cracked so hard it hurt him physically.
Damiano reached for her —slowly— as if she were made of glass.
—Let me fix this. Please.
Aaliyah closed her eyes.
Her chest rising and falling too fast.
—You can't fix what's already broken.
She wasn't saying it out of anger.
She was saying it because she was scared too.
And as the chapter ended, the camera would zoom out:
• Estrella crying alone behind a locked door
• Aaliyah trembling with her phone in hand
• Damiano standing between both worlds, split in half
• And Rome outside their window, unaware of the storm exploding inside the apartment
The family was cracking.
And this time…
Love wouldn't be enough to stop the fall.