46

MILO I catch the packet midair, my fingers brushing against the cardboard. I watch, heart hammering against my ribs; Leone addresses Fallon again, his voice low and laced with a threat that sounds too much like a promise and sets me on edge. “You’ll have to quit once you’re pregnant; I won’t have you harming our unborn child.” Fallon’s body goes rigid, the smoldering cigarette nearly forgotten between her fingers. My gut clenches at the sight—her vulnerability obvious against Leone’s cold certainty. She shifts uneasily, distancing herself as she takes a seat in one of the wrought-iron chairs scattered across the balcony. Her movements are cautious and deliberate, as if the chair could shield her from the weight of Leone’s gaze and the future he has planned for her. The silence stretches between them, thick and suffocating, making the cold air icy as his glare holds her hostage. Finally, Fallon draws on her cigarette. Her green eyes are hard and challenging when she turns back to face u