Chapter 133: Chapter 133
REINA
Elisa’s entire expression shifted.
The tension in her shoulders melted almost instantly, and a warm, genuine smile bloomed across her face the kind that reached her eyes and made them sparkle.
"Paolo?" She let out a soft laugh, full of affection. "Paolo is... he’s the best person I know. Honestly. He’s five years older than me, so he was always this big, protective shadow when we were kids. My personal knight in slightly scuffed armor."
Her voice softened with nostalgia as she continued.
"He used to carry me on his back everywhere when my legs got tired. Even when I was eight and he was thirteen, he’d still do it without complaining. And when I had nightmares, he’d sneak into my room and tell me the silliest stories until I fell back asleep. He made up this whole series about a clumsy dragon who kept setting his own tail on fire I swear I still remember some of them."
She grinned, eyes crinkling at the corners.
"There was this one time when I was six and decided I wanted to be a ballerina. I kept falling during practice, scraping my knees bloody. Paolo spent an entire afternoon tying pillows around my knees and elbows with his old socks so I wouldn’t get hurt. I looked ridiculous, but he kept saying, ’Future prima ballerina needs proper protection.’ Then he danced with me—terribly, by the way—just so I wouldn’t feel embarrassed doing it alone."
A quiet, fond laugh escaped her. And I let out a soft laugh, trying not to picture Paolo doing ballet dance.
"He was always doing dumb big-brother stuff. Like the time he tried to ’fight off’ the monster under my bed with a plastic lightsaber at two in the morning. He tripped over my toy box and face-planted so hard he got a black eye. The next day at school he told everyone he got it defending a kingdom from a dragon. He protected my dignity even when it made him look stupid."
Elisa’s smile turned a little misty, her voice thick with love.
"He’s steady, you know? Even when everything else was falling apart... Paolo was the one constant. The one who would sneak me extra dessert when I was sad, who would sit with me for hours doing homework even though he hated math. He’s kind in this quiet, fierce way. And he loves so deeply it’s almost ridiculous. When he loves someone, he’d burn the world down to keep them safe."
She looked at me then, her expression warm and sincere.
"That’s why I’m so happy he found you, Reina. Because if anyone deserves someone who will love them like that... it’s both of you."
I felt my chest tighten, a strange mix of warmth and guilt swirling inside me.
Elisa sighed happily, still smiling at the memories.
"Anyway... that’s Paolo. My annoying, overprotective, secretly soft-hearted big brother."
The room felt lighter for a moment.
Then I made the mistake of pushing just a little further.
"What about your dad?" I asked softly. "What’s he really like?"
The effect was instantaneous and devastating.
Elisa went rigid, as if I had struck her. The bowl of popcorn slipped from her hands and scattered across the floor. Her breathing changed in a heartbeat, fast, shallow, panicked.
She shot up from the couch so violently the blankets flew off.
"No," she choked out, voice already breaking. "No. Don’t. Don’t ask me about him."
"Elisa, I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to."
She started pacing frantically, both hands clawing through her hair.
"That man..." Her voice trembled with raw horror. "That man is a monster."
Tears flooded her eyes instantly, spilling down her cheeks.
"If he wasn’t surrounded by a hundred armed dogs... if they wouldn’t come after me and Paolo..." Her voice rose into a painful, broken sob. "I would have killed him years ago. I swear to God, I would have slit his throat in his sleep."
My heart slammed against my ribs.
"Elisa..."
She was unraveling right in front of me.
Her entire body shook violently as years of trauma poured out.
"You don’t understand!" she cried, tears streaming. "He ruins everything he touches. Everything! He smiles that charming smile and the whole world thinks he’s powerful, generous, sophisticated..." Her face twisted in pure agony. "But he’s evil. He’s a fucking demon wearing human skin."
She gasped for air, sobbing harder now, her voice cracking with pain.
"He broke me. He broke all of us. The things he did... the things he made Paolo do... the way he.... mom," She cut herself off with a guttural sound, wrapping her arms around herself as if trying to hold her body together.
"Mom was only depressed you know, about what Paolo..." she whispered hoarsely, tears pouring. "And he... he enjoyed it. Dad, that monster enjoyed destroying us."
She looked at me suddenly, eyes wild and shattered.
"I’m only glad you haven’t been close to him. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone I love. Not even my worst enemy. Being near him is like... like letting poison crawl inside your soul."
The words hit me like ice-cold knives.
Domenico’s hands. His mouth. His obsessive gaze. The secret I was still carrying.
I stepped forward slowly and caught her trembling wrists.
"Elisa, breathe. Look at me."
She was hyperventilating now, tears falling uncontrollably.
I inhaled slowly and deeply.
After several shaky attempts, she began to match my breathing.
In... and out.
In... and out.
Gradually, her sobs quieted into broken, hiccupping breaths.
I gently guided her back to the couch and pulled her against me.
She collapsed into my side like an exhausted child, still shaking.
"I hate him," she whispered brokenly against my shoulder, voice raw and small. "I hate him so much it hurts to breathe."
I stared at the glowing television screen, my own pulse roaring in my ears.
My voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Yeah... I’m starting to understand why."
Because for the first time, the fear and disgust I felt toward Domenico was no longer just about me. It was more about how he had treated everyone else in his life like they didn’t mean anything. Especially his own children.
