Chapter 130 THE TRUTH ABOUT EVERYTHING

Chapter 130 THE TRUTH ABOUT EVERYTHING

~ELENA~

The first thing I notice when I wake up is the silence.

Not the terrifying kind that follows gunshots or screams, but a calm, breathing silence. The kind that exists when nothing bad is happening. When no one is dying.

For a moment, I don’t trust it.

I lie still on the bed, staring at the ceiling, my heart pounding as memories crash into me all at once—blood, screaming, Riccardo collapsing, the sound of the gunshot echoing inside my skull.

I sit up abruptly.

“Riccardo…”

My voice comes out hoarse, barely a whisper.

The door opens immediately.

He’s there.

Standing. Alive.

Bandaged heavily, moving slower than usual, but unmistakably real.

My breath leaves my lungs in a broken sob.

“You’re awake already?” he says softly, his lips tilting into a weak smile.

I don’t answer.

I launch myself out of the bed and into his arms, uncaring of the pain it must cause him. He hisses slightly but wraps his arms around me anyway, holding me like I’m something fragile and precious.

“You’re here,” I cry, gripping his shirt like he might disappear if I let go. “You’re really here.”

“I told you,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to my hair. “I don’t leave that easily.”

My knees give out, and he carefully guides me back to the bed, sitting beside me. I cup his face with shaking hands, examining every inch like I’m afraid the wounds might reopen if I blink.

“You almost died,” I whisper.

His expression softens. “But I didn’t.”

Tears slid down my cheeks freely. I don’t wipe them away.

The rest of the day passes slowly.

Doctors come and go, checking Riccardo’s vitals again and again, clearly surprised by how fast he’s recovering.

He complains quietly, asks too many questions, and threatens to kill Nico with his bare hands if he doesn't behave and keeps flirting with the nurses.

Vincenzo mostly stays quiet.

He stands by the window, arms crossed, eyes dark and unreadable. But I see it….the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw tightens every time Riccardo winces.

He almost lost his brother. He almost lost another soul.

Again.

By evening, the doctor finally speaks the words that make my heart leap.

“He can be discharged today.”

Nico immediately protests. “Absolutely not.”

“I’m fine,” Riccardo insists.

“You were clinically dead,” Nico snaps. “Twice.”

Riccardo smirks faintly. “And yet, here I am.”

The doctor clears his throat.

“He’ll need constant rest, medication, and supervision,” he announces.

“We’ve got that covered,” Vincenzo says calmly.

The doctor eyes all three of them suspiciously but eventually nods.

The police arrive shortly after. My stomach knots the second I see their uniforms.

I sit quietly beside Riccardo while Vincenzo and Nico do the talking.

They explain everything….carefully, precisely.

Vincenzo explains that Luciano, Alessandro and Lorenzo's deaths are self-defense and that's because Luciano kidnapped and attempted to kill me.

Alessandro tried to rape me and died in the fight struggle when my stepbrothers stepped in to defend me.

Lorenzo killed his first wife, his daughter, my mother and my father and also tried to kill me when I confronted him so they stepped in.

As Vincenzo speaks, I realize everything happened because of me!

All those deaths happened because of me! And that's because my sweet boys were trying to protect me!

Vincenzo keeps talking. No unnecessary details. No lies that could crack under pressure.

The officers ask questions. Lots of them.

“Do you have any connections to organized crime?”

“No.”

“Were the deceased armed?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you contact the authorities earlier?”

Vincenzo meets the officer’s gaze evenly. “Fear. And shock.”

There’s a long pause.

They check records. Make phone calls. Whisper to each other. Finally, one officer closes his notebook.

“For now, there’s no concrete evidence to charge you. This case will remain open, but you’re free to go.”

My breath shudders out of me.

They leave. And just like that, the threat lifts…slightly, cautiously, but enough for me to breathe again.

When we return home, exhaustion hits me like a wave.

Riccardo is settled on the couch, surrounded by pillows, Nico hovering like an angry guard dog while Vincenzo quietly makes phone calls.

I barely have time to shower before the doorbell rings.

I open the door, and my heart breaks open.

“Elena!”

Gianna screams my name before throwing herself at me. Valentina is right behind her, crying openly, clutching my arms as if she needs to make sure I’m real.

“We were so scared,” Gianna sobs. “You disappeared. No calls. No messages. We thought….”

Valentina covers her mouth, shaking.

“I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking something terrible happened to you.”

I start crying instantly.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I wanted to tell you. I just… couldn’t.”

My goodness! I just realized that I missed them so much….more than I thought I did.

They pull me inside, refusing to let go.

We sit on my bed later, just like old times, knees touching, fingers intertwined.

I take a deep breath.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” I say.

They look at me seriously now.

So I tell them. Everything.

The danger. The deaths. The truth behind the men I live with.

And finally, the truth I’ve been most afraid of.

“I’m in love with them,” I whisper. “All three of my stepbrothers.”

The room goes quiet, and my heart hammers painfully.

The silence stretches. Then Valentina blinks.

Once. Twice.

And then she exhales slowly, leaning back against the bed.

“…Yeah,” she says. “That tracks.”

I stare at her. “What?”

Gianna presses her lips together, fighting a smile that she absolutely fails to hide.

“I knew it,” she says quietly. “I knew you were going to fall for them.”

My mouth falls open.

“You—what?” I ask in surprise.

Valentina bursts out laughing.

“Oh, come on,” she says, waving a hand. “Have you seen them? Tall, dangerous-looking, stupidly hot, and constantly hovering around you like you’re the center of their universe?”

Gianna nods seriously. “If I lived in a house with three men like that, I’d fall in love by accident too.”

I feel heat rush to my face.

“You’re not supposed to say that,” I tell them shyly.

Valentina grins.

“I’m absolutely supposed to say that,” she says, and leans forward, eyes sparkling. “I mean… three sexy, overprotective men who would literally kill for you? Elena, please. I would’ve folded in a week.”

“A week?” Gianna scoffs. “I’d last three days.”

I bury my face in my hands. “You’re both insane.”

“No,” Gianna says gently, scooting closer. “We just know you.”

Valentina’s smile softens. “And we’ve seen the way they look at you. It’s not subtle.”

My heart stutters. “You noticed?”

“Everyone noticed,” Gianna says. “You just thought you were hiding it.”

Valentina tilts her head.

“So… all three of them?” she asks me.

“Yes,” I admit, my voice small.

She whistles low. “Greedy.”

“Valentina!” Gianna scolds, then laughs. “But honestly? Iconic.”

I groan.

“I was expecting screaming. Or judgment. Or at least a lecture,” I tell them.

Gianna reaches for my hand, squeezing it warmly.

“Why would we lecture you for falling in love?”

Valentina nods. “Especially when you look happier than I’ve seen you in years. Besides you guys aren't related by blood in any way and didn't grow up together.”

I swallow hard.

“You’re really okay with this?” I ask my friends.

Gianna smiles softly.

“Do I understand it? No. It's kinda complicated.”

Valentina shrugs. “Do I secretly envy you a little? Maybe.”

They both look at me seriously now.

“But,” Gianna adds, “they’d better never hurt you.”

Valentina’s eyes sharpen playfully. “Because if they do, I don’t care how hot they are—I’ll still fight them.”

I laugh, tears burning my eyes.

“I love you both,” I whisper.

Gianna pulls me into a hug. “We know.”

Valentina joins, muttering, “Lucky bitch.”

I laugh harder, holding onto them, feeling—for the first time—completely seen.