Chapter 177

I remained frozen, unable to move, transfixed by the figure lounging on the sofa, legs crossed. Domenico's cigarette smoke filled the air, adding to the tension as he locked eyes with me, momentarily leaving me dazed..

Adler's shirt barely reached the middle of my thighs, offering little comfort against the penetrating gaze that seemed to strip me naked. 

The room felt oppressively dark, and the atmosphere was heavy with an unspoken threat. 

I wanted to glance behind me, to check if Adler was nearby, but I couldn't bring myself to break the intense eye contact with Domenico. It wasn't bravery that held my gaze; it was more like a strange compulsion, as if I were under some spell.

"You haven't changed much," Domenico remarked. 

What should I say? Was it the pregnancy? The inability to move on from my past, or that he should go fuck himself because it was none of his business.

The only place that was happening was in an alternative realm. Th