The drive back to the safehouse felt endless.
Elijah sat in silence, his hands clenched so tightly that his nails left crescent marks in his palms. Rain streaked down the car windows, warping the streetlights into hazy blurs.
Luca hadn't spoken since his promise to tell the truth.
Not a word.
Just that same sharp profile—cheekbones lit by the occasional flash of passing headlights, lips pressed into a line that could cut.
Elijah hated the part of himself that kept stealing glances at him, memorizing every detail even while anger brewed in his chest.
---
They arrived at the safehouse—a run-down apartment tucked between abandoned shops. Inside, it was dim and quiet, the air smelling faintly of cigarette smoke and disinfectant.
Luca locked the door, leaned against it, and finally looked at Elijah.
"You want the truth?" His voice was low, dangerous, but there was no malice in it—only weariness.
Elijah nodded, though a cold knot formed in his stomach.
---
Luca ran a hand through his damp hair. "Five years ago, I worked for him. The man you saw—the one who took you. Back then, I was young, reckless, and desperate. He found me on the streets. I thought he saved me. But what he really did was chain me to him."
Elijah swallowed, his throat dry. "Chain you how?"
"He made me his enforcer. His… weapon. I collected debts, destroyed businesses, silenced people who stood in his way. I did things I can't erase." Luca's gaze flickered away, as if afraid Elijah would see too much. "And then I found out what he was doing to your family."
---
Elijah blinked, stunned. "My family?"
Luca's jaw tightened. "Your father owed him. Big. And when he couldn't pay, the man ordered me to 'send a message.' You were the message."
The room tilted for Elijah. His mind raced back to years ago—strange phone calls, the way his father avoided certain streets, the tension that hung in the house like smoke.
"You were supposed to hurt me," Elijah whispered, more a statement than a question.
"I didn't," Luca said fiercely, stepping forward. "I refused. For the first time, I told him no. That's when he turned on me. Said if I wouldn't follow orders, I'd be the one paying the price."
---
Elijah shook his head, tears stinging his eyes. "So you… you worked for him all those years after that? Why not leave?"
Luca's voice cracked—not with weakness, but with something heavier. "Because I thought I could find a way to destroy him from the inside. I thought if I stayed close, I could take him down piece by piece."
"And did you?"
"I was close," Luca admitted. "Until I made the trade."
---
Elijah's heart stopped. "The trade?"
Luca closed his eyes, pain flashing across his features. "There was another man—a friend. He'd been with me since the streets. The boss caught him trying to run. He was going to kill him. I bargained for his life… and the only thing I had left to give was information."
Elijah's stomach twisted. "Information about me."
Luca's silence was answer enough.
---
The betrayal burned hot in Elijah's chest. "So you did hand me over to him."
"Yes," Luca said, voice breaking. "But I never thought he'd keep you. I thought… I thought he'd scare you, and let you go. I was wrong."
Elijah turned away, the taste of bitterness thick in his mouth. He wanted to scream, to curse, to tell Luca he was no different from the man he claimed to hate. But when he looked back, he saw the truth in his eyes—raw, unguarded regret.
---
"I came for you tonight," Luca said, stepping closer, his voice hoarse. "Not because it was part of the plan. Not because it was revenge. But because I can't stand the thought of you being in his hands. I can't stand the thought of you hating me without knowing the whole story."
Elijah's breathing hitched. "And now that I know?"
Luca's lips curved into a sad, almost broken smile. "Now you can decide. Hate me, or… keep letting me fight for you."
---
Elijah stood frozen. His mind screamed for him to run—away from Luca, away from this twisted web of betrayal and loyalty. But his heart… his heart had already betrayed him long ago.
The silence stretched between them like a bridge that could either connect or crumble.
"I don't know what I feel right now," Elijah admitted, voice shaking. "But I know one thing—if you want me to trust you again, Luca, you'll have to tear that man's empire apart… piece by piece."
Luca's eyes hardened. "Then I'll burn it to the ground."
And Elijah knew—whether it was love or revenge pulling them together—it was only just beginning.