So he was the one engaged to Krystina.
Fucking bastard.
I should've been grateful. Should've at least thanked him for saving my life. But after what he did to Krystina? The mere thought of him made my stomach twist with disgust.
Still, I took in his features-grey-blue eyes, dark hair, young, tall. Almost as tall as Judas. Equally cruel, if not worse. I could see it in the way his lips curled, in the way his gaze flickered over me like he was assessing, calculating.
I hated men like that.
I turned to Judas, exhaling sharply. "I'll be in my room."
Judas didn't say a word. He just leaned down and kissed me.
Hard.
My breath hitched, my mind blanking as his lips claimed mine, rough and possessive. His fingers grazed my jaw, tilting my face up as if he wanted to savour the moment, make me feel him even as I pulled away.
His lips brushed against mine one last time before he whispered, "I'll visit."
A promise.
A fucking threat.
I shivered, smiling just a little before walking away, shooting Massimo one last glare before disappearing down the hall.
Now that I was feeling a little better, I needed to check on Rara.
I hadn't heard from her since the blast, and my stomach twisted at the thought of something happening to her. Her room was three doors down from mine. I took a steady breath before slowly pushing it open, peeking inside.
The first thing I saw was her.
Sitting on the bed, glasses perched on her nose, a book in her hands.
The second thing I saw were them.
Killian Schmidt was peeling an apple for her with a knife so precise it made me wonder if he'd used it on someone before. Ralph Romano was sitting beside her, massaging her foot like it was second nature. Alexei, on the couch was typing away on his laptop, his glasses slipping slightly down his nose.
Three intimidating, powerful men.
Caring for her like she was their entire fucking world.
I blinked.
I could never imagine something like this.
Feeling awkward, I hesitated, but before I could slip away, her soft voice stopped me.
"Sera?"
Four pairs of eyes turned to me at once.
I shifted on my feet under their gazes.
Killian was the first to stand.
And dear God-even in his late fifties, he was breath-taking. Silver-streaked hair, chiselled features, piercing eyes. There was something effortlessly charming about him, and I almost tripped over myself when he walked toward me with that easy, knowing smile.
I might have developed a crush.
Or maybe I hit my head harder than I thought.
"Prinzessin," Killian murmured in German, his voice deep, velvety. He placed a gentle hand on my lower back, guiding me inside before pulling out a chair.
I swallowed, suddenly unsure what to do with myself.
Alexei's sharp gaze raked over me, and I had to look away. His expression was illegible, but something about the way his eyes lingered on my bruised face made me feel… exposed.
"Injuries healing well?" His tone was casual, but I knew better.
"Good," I said, my voice softer than I intended.
His eyes flickered over my face again, and I fought the sudden insecurity creeping in.
Alexei wasn't a man you could fool.
He saw things. Knew things.
Before I could speak again, he dropped a bomb.
"We'll be leaving for home today. Your mother and brother will stay with us for the time being."
I blinked.
"They can?"
Alexei's gaze didn't waver. "Why not?"
"I mean-"
"They're your family, Sera," Rara cut in gently. "Your family is our family."
I swallowed hard.
Family.
A foreign concept. A distant dream.
Ralph cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "You girls talk. Call if you need anything, topolino."
He leaned down, pressing a firm kiss to Rara's lips before the three of them filed out of the room, leaving us alone.
As the door shut behind them, silence settled between us. The kind that wasn't uncomfortable, but heavy. Full of things unsaid.
Rara set her book aside, slipping off her glasses as she looked at me. Her gaze was calm, understanding-like she already knew what was going on inside my head before I even said a word.
"Sit," she said softly, patting the space beside her.
I hesitated.
She arched a brow. "Sera."
With a quiet sigh, I sank down beside her, pressing my hands between my knees.
"Talk to me."
I stared at the floor, my throat tight.
There were too many things I wanted to say. Too many emotions twisting inside me like a storm, chaotic and suffocating.
"I don't know how to do this," I admitted finally, my voice small. "I don't know how to… accept any of this. Accept him."
Rara was silent for a moment. Then, she reached out, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.
"Let me tell you something I learned the hard way," she said. "Reality doesn't wait for you to accept it. It just… is."
I swallowed.
Her eyes was wise, warm, and holding a thousand untold stories-searched mine with something raw. Something only women who had been through hell could recognize in each other.
"He's my son, Sera," she said softly. "But you? You're more than anything to me."
My breath hitched. Feeling overwhelmed slightly. My life had taken a turn I never knew I could handle but it was the reality. I had to do t. Even if I was tired and exhausted.
"I see myself in you," she continued, offering me the apple but I refused. "I feel you. Every doubt. Every hesitation. Every war you're fighting inside yourself. And I need you to know something-I will not tell you what to do. I won't stand in your way if you want to run. But I will tell you this."
She reached out, taking my hand in hers, her grip was gentle but firm.
"You get to choose."
A lump formed in my throat.
"Choose what makes you happy. Choose what makes you feel alive. You don't owe him your love, Sera. Just because fate threw you into this storm with him doesn't mean you have to drown in it."
I swallowed hard and my chest tightened.
"But if you do love him," she whispered as he soft eyes narrowed, "don't waste your time fighting it. Because love? It's the only thing worth breaking for."
My eyes stung. "And if it breaks me completely?"
She smiled, squeezing my hand. "Then let it. There is nothing more beautiful than being broken by love-because only then do you know it was real. Only then do you learn what it means to give your heart away, even when it terrifies you. Even when it ruins you. And if it does?" Her voice softened, her thumb brushing over my knuckles. "Then you'll rise from the wreckage, not as the person you were, but as someone who has known love so fiercely, so completely, that even the pain was worth it."