Fragility
I enter the house holding Vitorio; he keeps his promise and doesn't take the bottle from my hands.
I feel the anger of the boys behind us, but in the state I'm in, they could be wearing pink skirts and it wouldn't bother me.
I hear the voices of the others in the living room and let go of Vitorio, running there.
The room falls silent when I enter, drinking the rest of the whiskey from the bottle.
"Wow, that was so good," I complain, sitting on the sofa between Leonardo and Luca.
I throw the empty bottle on the floor, dissatisfied.
I just wanted one more sip.
Everyone looks at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Elena, why do you smell like marijuana?" Leonardo asks, and I smile at him.
I tug at his shirt and whisper in his ear.
"You're going to need to restock your supply," I say jokingly.
Leonardo chokes as I cover my mouth to disguise my laughter.
"Elena," Lorenzo calls, standing in front of me with his arms crossed.
I see he's really angry and I become serious; my stomach churns for a moment and I realize I've drunk too much.
I feel nauseous and, in seconds, a trash can appears in front of me.
I vomit practically all the drink into the bucket; it helps clear my head a little.
When I look up, I feel dizzy, but it's undeniable that my brothers are furious.
"Am I in trouble?" I ask, squinting to lessen the double vision.
"You bet," says Fernando, entering the room with Grandpa and Uncle Massimo.
I look at Fernando and roll my eyes; I think it's a little late for him to try to play my father.
"Any problem?" he asks with his arms crossed.
"What a stupid question," I say irritably.
My mind screams, telling me to shut up.
“Look around, everything is a problem, or have you forgotten that I caused a war?” I ask, turning my anger at myself into fuel.
“Elena,” says Vicente, and I don’t know if he’s calling my attention because I’m speaking loudly or to console me.
“Besides, today was a horrible day,” I admit, running my hand through my hair, standing up and feeling hot.
I stagger a little, but I don’t let any of them touch me.
“I thought you were smart,” I say, leaning against the window where the cold wind helps me, “that you would see through Edgar’s manipulations.”
I know it’s not fair to accuse him like that, but I can’t stay silent.
“I burned Silas’s notebook, right there,” I say, looking at where I’m sitting. “I thought it would help me forget him, to focus on something other than the monsters that haunt me.”
Everyone listens to me without interrupting.
"But it didn't solve anything, it seems it only caused me more pain, so I decided to drink," I say, turning to them angrily. "Until you bother me."
I realize I woke the others who were sleeping, and that only makes me feel worse.
"I should go," I say softly. "I think in the end, Henk and Jocellyn were right, I don't deserve a family."
The next thing I feel is Fernando's arms around me. At first, I'm tense, but gradually a feeling of security washes over me.
"Never say that again, you deserve the world," he says tenderly.
Even touched by the gesture, I can't hug him, not yet.
Fernando pulls away and looks at me affectionately.
"I'm sorry, we're all sorry that you thought talking to Edgar would be a way to help us," he says, understanding the subtext of my words.
“I just wanted to show that I’m not useless,” I say, my eyes welling up with tears. “But it hurt, it still hurts.”
He hugs me again and I let the tears fall.
Gradually, my body grows heavy and I feel sleepy. My father picks me up and carefully places me on the sofa.
“We’ll talk tomorrow,” he says, but his voice is already distant.
POV: Lorenzo
Elena practically fainted after crying like a five-year-old.
Seeing my little sister drunk and drugged was an experience I never want to repeat.
She's a teenager, that was to be expected, but her words showed how hurt she felt today.
What we did just to get information was stupid; we should never have let her see Edgar again.
Dominic threatened to withdraw support from the Russian mafia if he found out Elena met with that psychopath again.
Seeing how much he cares about my sister relieved me, since Elena is obviously developing feelings for him.
“We failed her,” says Grandpa, sitting in the armchair near the sofa where Elena is.
He, like all of us, remembers the promise we made to her when she met the family.
“What we did today was what we swore we would never do, and to think that she submitted to that meeting just to feel useful disgusts me,” says Vicente quietly.
The twins are silent; I know they blame themselves too.
"Don't blame yourselves, you two," says Uncle Carlo. "We all agreed to ask her for this."
"But it's our duty to uncover the manipulations and lies," says Giorgio, frustrated with himself.
"Elena is a strong girl, that's why we agreed," says Aunt Isadora. "But we should have given her more time; Sinclair's death was too recent."
We all look at Elena. I know the image of our princess huddled in the corner of the room in the days following Silas's death is still etched in everyone's minds.
We were too busy dealing with the war to realize that our most precious treasure was struggling with her own conscience right before our eyes.
"We'll talk to her tomorrow; today, we should all rest," I say, getting up.
"As soon as she wakes up, we'll resolve this issue," says Nonno, and we all agree. “She’s sleeping with me tonight,” I announce, wanting to keep an eye on her in case she wakes up or feels unwell.
“I’ll be in my room if you need me,” Matteo announces, following me to the dorm floor.
I pick Elena up and carry her to my room while she sleeps soundly.
I don’t remember the last time she slept so well; even though I’m angry with her, I know she only did it to relax and clear her mind.
I’m relieved she hasn’t reverted to her old habits.
I lay her on my bed, cover her up, take a shower, and put on my pajamas before finally going to bed myself.
When I return to the room, I smile to see Elena stretched out on the bed.
I adjust her to make more room on the bed and lie down. It takes her five minutes to hug me and rest her head on my shoulder.
I fall asleep peacefully, knowing Elena is safe by my side.