CHAPTER 251
KATYA POV
The moment Romeo turned and walked back into the house, something in my chest loosened and tightened at the same time.
The door closed behind him with a sound that felt heavier than it should have been. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just final. Like a sentence ending where you weren't ready for the period.
I didn't look back. I was afraid that if I did, I'd see him standing there again—tall, unmoving, watching us like he was deciding whether mercy was still worth the cost.
Or worse, that I'd see nothing at all and realize how easily he could disappear from my life after tearing it apart.
My fingers curled around the phone in my hand. It felt warm, solid. Real. I kept expecting it to vanish, the way everything else had lately—safety, certainty, the version of myself that didn't flinch at raised voices or heavy footsteps.
