STEFANO RUSSO'S (NERO'S) POV
It had been three days without Zoe. Three long, agonizing days. And I hadn't been myself since the truth came out.
My mind wouldn't rest — it spun like a damn carousel that wouldn't stop turning. Everything inside me felt off balance. My body, my thoughts, even the way I breathed. For the first time in years, I didn't know what to do. I was torn between two impossible choices: give up my revenge, or risk hurting Zoe if I went through with it.
Either way, I lost.
The cigarette burned low between my fingers as I leaned against the cold balcony rail, smoke curling up into the evening air. I took one last drag, exhaling a slow cloud, watching it fade. My chest felt heavy, like there was a weight pressing on it that no amount of nicotine could lift.
Behind me, the sound of the bedroom door opening broke the silence. Footsteps followed. I knew who it was without turning. Benny.
"Nero," he called, his tone casual but cautious — like he already knew my mood.
I didn't turn immediately. "You should have been here thirty minutes ago," I said when I finally faced him, frowning. My voice came out sharper than I intended.
He offered me that lazy grin of his. "Sorry, I'm late. Had something to take care of."
I didn't bother to ask what. My patience was thin tonight. "What did Bull report?"
Benny sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Zoe's fine. Said she resumed work at the bar today."
My chest eased a little. Just hearing that she was fine did something to me I didn't want to acknowledge. She was safe. That was all that mattered. Even if I couldn't see her. Even if I didn't deserve to.
But then Benny said quietly, "If you're that worried, why don't you just go see her?"
I turned my gaze back towards Somchai's estate below, the trees swayed with the gentle breeze. "I can't," I said, the words clipped. I turned and walked back inside before he could read the look on my face. The room felt too big and too empty without her.
Benny followed me in, sitting on the edge of the bed like he owned the place. "Why not? You really gonna stay away from her?"
I opened the mini bar, grabbed a bottle, and poured myself a glass of champagne. "I will," I said simply.
He frowned. "You think that's the best thing to do right now?"
I didn't answer right away. I just sipped the drink, letting the burn hit the back of my throat before I said quietly, "I don't have a choice." Because I didn't. Being near Zoe right now would only make things worse. It would make me weak and confused.
Silence filled the space between us, thick and uncomfortable. Benny leaned back on his hands and sighed — that long, knowing sigh that told me he wasn't done.
"Nero… what are you going to do now? You can't stay away from her forever."
I didn't answer. I couldn't. Because even though I wanted to believe I could keep my distance, every part of me already missed her. I missed her voice, her stubbornness, the way she looked at me like I wasn't the monster everyone else saw.
"She doesn't deserve this," Benny went on. "It's not Zoe's fault that her father is a murderer."
His words hit me like a punch, but I didn't show it. I stared into the glass in my hand, watching the light catch the bubbles. I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.
"Nero." His voice softened.
I exhaled a long breath and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Benny, this is what's best for both of us," I muttered. "We don't belong in each other's worlds. You know that. So stop pushing it."
He arched a brow, unamused. "I wouldn't push if you were normal. You've not been yourself," he said bluntly. "And I know she's hurting just like you."
I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I downed the rest of the drink and poured another. "Benny, I don't want to talk about this."
"Well, I do." He stood this time, his tone firmer. "You need to make a decision, Nero. You're dragging this out, and it's eating you alive."
"I'm fine," I muttered.
"That's a lie," he shot back.
I turned to him, irritation spiking. "Then what do you want me to do, huh?"
"Tell her the truth," he said simply. "Tell Zoe about her father. Tell her what happened — how he was involved in your mother's death. She deserves to know. Maybe then, you'll finally know what to do."
I stared at him, disbelief and anger flickering in my chest. "You want me to drag her into this blood feud?"
"She's already in it," Benny said calmly. "Shutting her out now won't change that."
"I don't want her caught up in this mess."
He gave a humorless laugh. "You should've thought about that before you abducted her."
That stung. Mostly because he was right.
I said nothing. Just stared down into my glass as the silence stretched between us again.
Benny sighed, the sound softer this time. "Think about it, Nero," he said before turning and leaving the room.
When the door clicked shut behind him, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
The silence came rushing back — and with it, the ghost of her voice, her laughter, the warmth I'd been trying so damn hard to forget.
But no matter how much I tried to convince myself this was what's best…
I already knew.
I wasn't fine. And I probably never would be.