Chapter 117. Something Is Wrong

Elena POV

I burst into the house like a storm tearing through glass.

“Vincenzo! Nico! Riccardo!”

My voice shatters the silence, raw and frantic, echoing down the corridor. My lungs burn as I stumble into the sitting room, chest heaving, heart slamming so violently it feels like it might rip its way out of me.

They rush in almost immediately.

All three of them.

Barefoot. Half-awake. Tense.

Vincenzo is first….his eyes sharp despite the hour, body already positioned in front of me like a shield.

Nico follows, jaw tight, scanning the room instinctively as if expecting danger to materialize out of thin air.

Riccardo comes last, concern etched deep into his face when he sees me.

“Elena?” Riccardo says urgently. “What’s wrong?”

I bend forward, hands braced on my knees, dragging in air like I’ve been underwater too long.

“I— I need to speak to my mom,” I gasp. “Right now. Please. I need to talk to her now.”