Chapter 86 Choice
NICO
I have crossed the lines most men wouldn’t dare step near. I’d lied with a straight face, stolen without remorse, and killed without hesitation. I have done things that would damn a man twice over and none of it had ever shaken me the way this did. None of it had ever left my hands trembling or my chest locked so tight I couldn’t breathe but not until today.
Fear, real fear, isn’t loud, because it doesn’t scream that It settles into your bones and turns them brittle. I felt it the second Lila collapsed upon my arm.
One moment she was standing in front of me looking so pale, too quiet, but still upright and the next, her body crumpled as if someone had pulled the strings holding her together. She went limp in my arms, her head falling back, her weight dead and terrifyingly still.
For a split second, I thought she was gone.
That thought came so sudden, so brutal and it nearly brought me to my knees. I’d faced guns to my head without blinking, but watching Lila faint felt like I was watching my entire world fracture in slow motion. Panic tore through me in a way I wasn’t prepared for, a kind of helpless dread I’d never known existed and the worst part?
Somewhere deep down, I knew this wouldn’t be the last time she’d make me feel this way. I could already see it more moments like this, more fear, more weakness and because Lila had done something no one else ever had.
She mattered to me, I didn’t understand how it happened. One day I despised her, resented her presence, blamed her for chaos I hadn’t asked for but now, now my first instinct was to shield her from everything, even myself.
The irony wasn’t lost on me because love had a sick sense of humor. When she finally woke, her lashes fluttering open slowly, confusion clouding her gaze, I searched her eyes for something, just anythin that would tell me she remembered what I’d said earlier. The words I shouldn’t have spokn and the truth I’d let slip when my guard was down but there was nothing no recognition or awareness.
It was like the moment had never existed maybe that was a mercy or it was proof I’d spoken too soon, acted without thinking. I’d let emotion take the wheel when I knew better. Around Lila, my instincts were compromised. I needed to start using my head again because love, in my world, wasn’t a blessing, It was a liability because the people you loved most were the ones who could destroy you most completely.
Uncle Lucas looked up from his desk when I entered the study, his sharp eyes were assessing me instantly. “Everything settled?” he asked. “Yeas she’s okay,” I replied, keeping my voice even. “Just dizzy and overwhelmed.”
He nodded slowly. “Understandable. She’s endured more than most people survive.”
I dropped into the chair across from him and dragged my hands down my face. It wasn’t even mid-afternoon, and exhaustion already weighed on me like a lead vest, when I glanced up, I caught the grin spreading across his face.
“What?” I snapped.
“You handled yourself well today.”
I leaned back, rubbing the back of my neck. “Yeah? That so?”
“I had reservations about bringing Lila into Doc interrogation,” he admitted. “But it achieved exactly what you wanted.”
“She passed out twenty minutes later.”
Uncle Lucas chuckled. “I’m surprised she didn’t collapse right there that girl is stronger than she looks, Nico and stronger than most men I know.”
“I’m aware.”
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “She’d make a formidable wife.”
I stiffened. “Say that again.”
“You heard me.”
I stood abruptly, grabbing the bottle from the bar and pouring myself a heavy drink. “You love her,” he said calmly. I swallowed hard before answering. “Since when does love factor into anything we do?”
“Since everything you’ve done lately revolves around her.”
I turned sharply. “Explain.”
“This is my house” he said, rising from his chair amusement dancing in his eyes.“Nothing happens under my roof without me knowing.” He poured himself a drink. “I know you got her entire wardrobe replaced and I know you had it delivered to your room. And I also know today wasn’t just about breaking her or preparing her.”
I said nothing, “You gave her what she needed,” he continued. “Revenge.”
He took a sip, watching me carefully. “And stepping up as acting Boss? That wasn’t about proving you’re bigger than your brother.”
I scoffed. “But I am.”
Lucas raised his glass. “True. But you and I both know the real reason you challenged him is because power is the only way you can protect her.”
I clenched my jaw. “That doesn’t change anything.”
“No,” he agreed, sitting back down. “It doesn’t but it was smart.”
I arched a brow. “You approve?”
“I do.” He leaned back. “Lila isn’t ordinary, Nico. She carries something rare like an inner steel forged by suffering. She’ll turn pain into power, whether she realizes it or not. She’s your equal and if my opinion still counts, I’d tell you to marry her tomorrow.”
I finished my drink in one go. “I’m not marrying anyone.”
“Why?”
I laughed bitterly. “It’s complicated.”
“Because of her,” he said flatly.
I sighed. “Say what you’re getting at.”
“A public union would show your brother you’re not afraid and that you’re not hiding.”
“I’m not hiding.”
“You’re hiding her.”
I slammed my glass down. “She stood beside me during an execution.”
“And then you locked her back behind these walls,” he countered. “You’re sending the message that she’s a weakness to you.”
“She’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”
“Then you’ve already lost.”
I surged to my feet. “Would you risk your wife?”
“I do,” he shot back. “Every day.”
Silence fell between us. “If something happened to her,” he said quietly, “living without her would be my greatest punishment.”
His hand landed on my shoulder. “Loving someone is fear and osing them is hell but you have to choose.”
I closed my eyes. “Bring Lila to dinner,” he added gently. “She deserves to exist outside your fear.”
When he left, the room felt emptier than before and for the first time, I wondered if protecting her meant letting her live or slowly suffocating her in the name of safety because I knew one thing with brutal clarity, my brother wouldn’t come for m, he’d always come for her and this war?
It started with Lila and God help me if it ended with her too.