Chapter 18: The Silence Between Them
Janet sat down at the breakfast table without a word. Her body was stiff, wrapped in discomfort. Her eyes never lifted to meet his. Across from her, Luca looked pristine—black shirt neatly pressed, glasses perched on his nose, one hand scrolling through his tablet, the other lifting a spoon to his mouth.
She couldn't speak. Not after last night. Her lips still burned faintly. Her heart still pulsed with the echo of his touch, his words.
He didn't look at her. Didn't speak.
The silence between them was louder than any argument.
Janet stared at her plate. The food was untouched, her stomach too tangled in emotion to even try. Her mind ran in circles—about the kiss, the blood, the scream, the mirror, the truth.
Her throat ached to say something, anything. But all she could do was sit there, silently, painfully aware of every breath he took.
And then, unable to hold it in anymore, she whispered—
"Were they really… my uncle and aunt?"
The question shattered the air like thunder.