ABSOLUTE INSANITY: A forbidden bond

Chapter 282: New roommate.

Chapter 282

KATYA POV

The tension in the room was still thick when a phone vibrated. Romeo didn’t look surprised. He reached into his pocket, glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted. He stood. "I need to take this," he said simply.

No explanation. His eyes moved briefly between Nonna and me, then he turned and walked out of the living room, heading deeper into the house instead of toward the entrance.

The moment he disappeared down the hallway, the air changed. The pressure eased. A breath left my lungs before I even realized I had been holding it.

My shoulders dropped slightly. My fingers loosened at my sides. I wanted to go upstairs. I wanted a shower. Silence. My bed. A few minutes to let the day settle somewhere inside me that didn’t feel so tight.

I had just turned slightly toward the hallway when Nonna spoke. "Katya" Her voice was calm but there was something in it that made me stop.

I turned back. She was watching me carefully. "Come," she said, gesturing to the seat beside her.

The one Romeo had just vacated. I hesitated for only a second before walking back and sitting down. The cushion was still faintly warm. I tried not to think about that.

Nonna didn’t speak immediately. She studied my face, her sharp eyes moving slowly, like she was looking for something beneath the surface. "Are you alright?" she asked finally.

The question was quiet and I nodded automatically. "I’m fine, Nonna." Her brows drew together slightly. "No, not fine. Are you alright?" she said gently and I swallowed.

"It was... a lot. But I’m okay." I said more honestly this time. She watched me for another long moment, then her shoulders lowered slightly, though the worry didn’t leave her eyes.

"I love that boy," she said after a pause, her voice softer now. "He is my grandson. My blood."

She exhaled slowly. "But I love you too." The words settled warmly in my chest. "And today," she continued, "I did not know what to do."

Her fingers rested on the arm of her chair, tapping lightly once, a rare sign of her uncertainty. "When he walked in... unannounced, with his security, with that calm face like everything was already decided..." She shook her head slightly. "He knew I would not agree if he asked first."

That sounded like Romeo. "He hasn’t called in six months," she added quietly. "Not once. Then he comes like this."

There was hurt there. I quickly reached out without thinking and placed my hand gently over hers.

"He came for you," I said softly. "That much is true." Nonna looked at me, her eyes searching.

"I hope so," she sighed. "I am trying to believe what he said." Her expression hardened slightly with concern.

"I only pray he came for family," she murmured. "Not business. Because when that boy comes for business... trouble follows him like a shadow."

I didn’t respond. Because I believed that too. Romeo’s life style was trouble. He had tormented my life before and I could testify boldly. Nonna squeezed my hand once, then patted it gently.

"You did well today. I am proud of you." Warmth spread through my chest again, lighter this time.

"And I am grateful," she added. "You stepped in when you did. You gave me a way out. Otherwise..." She shook her head. "I would have had to choose. And that is something no grandmother should ever do."

My throat tightened slightly. "I didn’t want you to have to choose,"

"I know," she replied. She leaned back in her chair then, studying me once more, her expression turning serious again.

"Listen to me carefully, Mia cara."

I straightened slightly. "If Romeo does anything that makes you uncomfortable... anything at all..." Her eyes sharpened. "Even if he only looks at you the wrong way... you come to me."

I nodded immediately. "I will, Nonna."

"I mean it," she pressed. "I love him. But I will not allow anyone to disturb your peace in this house. Not even my grandson."

Emotion rose unexpectedly in my chest. "I know," I said softly. Then, after a small pause, "I love you, Nonna."

Her expression softened instantly.

"I love you too, teroso." She gave my hand one last squeeze before letting go. "Go rest. You’ve had enough for one day."

I stood, feeling lighter than I had when I first walked into the room.

As I turned toward the staircase, I glanced back once. Nonna had reached for the gift bag Romeo had given her earlier. She lifted it slowly, her fingers brushing over the handle before pulling the box inside out.

Her expression as she looked at it was complicated. There was Joy, sadness am undeniable love.

The kind of expression that came from missing someone and being happy they were back... and afraid of what that return might bring.

I didn’t interrupt her.

Quietly, I turned and walked towards the corner that led to the staircase, half expecting to see Chiara pressed against the wall again, eyes wide, ready to whisper updates like she was reporting live from a crime scene.

The hallway was empty. No shadows hiding behind the corner. No dramatic shushing. No excited whisper of "What are they saying now?"

For once, Chiara had disappeared and I was totally grateful. I wasn’t sure I had the energy for her commentary tonight.

I moved past the staircase slowly, my hand brushing along the railing as I climbed. By the time I reached the top floor, the house was quiet again.

Normal. Safe. I walked down the familiar corridor toward my room, already picturing it the way I had left it before dinner— curtains half drawn, the faint scent of laundry detergent, my bed still slightly unmade, the kind of peaceful mess that felt like mine.

I reached for the handle. Turned it. Opened the door and noise hit me.

Not loud but wrong. Movement. Sounds. Something being dragged across the floor.

I froze at the threshold. Two men I had never seen before were inside my room.

One was near the far wall, moving a small table aside. The other stood near the wardrobe, holding the door open while speaking quietly into a headset.

For a full second, my brain refused to process what I was seeing.

Until the realization landed. Romeo. My stomach tightened. The man near the table noticed me first. He stopped immediately, straightening.

"Miss," he said politely, with a small nod. The other one turned as well.

"We’re preparing the adjoining room," he explained calmly, like this was completely normal. "The Don’s instructions."

Adjoining. The word echoed in my head. Two-in-one. How come I didn’t know about that before. I slowly stepped inside, my eyes moving past them — past my bed, past my desk — to the far wall.

There. A door. I had never seen it before. It had been painted the same color as the wall, the edges almost invisible unless you were looking for them.

Now it stood slightly open, revealing the outline of another space beyond it. Dusty. Dark. Closed for years, just like Nonna had said.

Something heavy scraped from the other side. Someone else was working in there.

They weren’t touching my things. They weren’t even looking at me anymore. Just moving efficiently, quietly, like professionals who had done this kind of work a hundred times before.

Still, the awareness settled deep in my chest.

The wall between us didn’t feel like much of a wall at all. It was close enough to hear. Close enough to feel. Close enough that distance was no longer something I could control with a staircase or a hallway.

My fingers curled slightly at my sides. If he wanted the room, fine. If he wanted to be close, fine. Because this time, the distance between us wouldn’t be measured in walls.

It would be measured in choices. And this time...I wasn’t the one afraid.