CHAPTER 240
ROMEO POV
The door closed. I remained standing, staring at the empty space where he'd been.
My gaze drifted back to the phone on my desk. Katya's phone.
I picked it up again, thumb brushing over the cold screen. Control had always been simple before. Clean. Necessary.
Now it felt like a blade balanced too close to something fragile. The silence pressed in after Antonio left.
I stood there for a long moment, unmoving, jaw tight, fingers curled at my sides like I was holding something invisible together.
Then I reached for the cigarette case. Metal clicked open. One cigarette slid free between my fingers.
Routine. Automatic. I struck the lighter and cupped the flame, inhaling deeply as the tip caught. Smoke filled my lungs, sharp, grounding. Familiar.
I paced slowly at first. Measured steps across the length of the office, leather shoes whispering against the floor.
Smoke followed me like a shadow, curling toward the ceiling.
Attachment.
