Chapter Four —
As their bond deepened, the city sharpened its teeth. Rival factions staged provocations.
Media whispers, when they existed, were thin and easily redirected.
Elara's friend at the club began to suspect the truth and was "encouraged" by a man asking about loyalty. Elara had to lie to keep her mother and brother safe. Lies love is forced to tell have a weight that wears the spine thin.
One night, when the city felt especially cold, Luca brought Elara to a church that had seen better days. He left her at the threshold and returned carrying an old envelope.
Inside were photographs: Luca with men she didn't know, a ledger, a signature she'd seen on legal documents but never understood.
The ledger named deals, the photographs showed discreet handshakes, and the signature had a looping flourish as if the pen had been hurried.
"This is the ledger that keeps my family in place," Luca said.
"I told them I would be different. I told them I would stop certain things. They believed me and they didn't. Choices have consequences.
Elara's fingers traced the paper as if it were a relic. "You're asking me to accept all of that."
"I'm asking you to accept me," he said. "All of it."
Her breath came in short, uneven pulls. She loved him in ways she had not known phrases for. But to accept all of it was to take on danger as a constant.
"I love you," she said simply. "But I won't let love be the chain that locks me to fear."
Luca's face broke with emotion. "Then let it be the chain that holds us together when the rest falls apart."
They kissed beneath the stained glass, a small explosion that smelled of old wood and cheap perfume. Outside, the city simmered, readying another wave.