[Salvo's Pov]
Every time I look at Alfio… Something inside me snaps. Not breaks. Snaps.
Like a wire pulled too tight, one breath away from unraveling everything I've worked so hard to contain.
I don't know what the feeling is. I've tried to name it. Tried to kill it. Smother it with silk sheets, diamonds, and blood. But it keeps coming back. He keeps bringing it back.
That boy is carved from sunshine and stupidity. And yet, I burn for him.
So when I noticed he'd gone to the bathroom and hadn't returned, something in my chest stirred — an old, rusted machine cranking back to life.
"Did Alfio not come back yet?" I asked, keeping my voice lazy, distant, and effortless — like the blade before it slices.
Enzo glanced around, blinking. "No, sir. I was wondering too. It's been… a while."
I hummed. Low. Almost a growl.
I waited longer. I counted the seconds in my mind. I told myself I didn't care. He'd be back. Maybe he just needed a little space. Time. A moment to breathe.
