The ties that bind

(Raffaele's POV)

Raffaele sat on the edge of his bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together so tightly his knuckles turned white. His chest felt heavy, an unbearable weight pressing down on him, suffocating him.

His vision blurred as hot tears spilled down his cheeks, silent but unstoppable.

He hated crying. He hated feeling like this.

But tonight, he couldn't hold it in anymore.

His heart ached in a way that was impossible to put into words.

Because he loved Serena.

He always had.

Growing up, she had been his partner in crime, his best friend, his lil sister, his lil baby  when the others teased him. She used to ruffle his hair, call him "Ell", and whisper secrets to him that she didn't tell anyone else.

But now?

Now she barely looked at him.

Now, she was just a shadow of who she used to be.

Raffaele sniffled, rubbing at his face roughly, trying to stop the tears.

He didn't even know why he was crying.

Maybe because he missed her. Maybe because the Serena he had known was gone.

Or maybe because a part of him was still searching for a reason to believe she hadn't done it.

"Serena tried to kill Sofia."

He had been told that so many times that it had become a fact in his mind. He had been too young to understand back then. Too scared to question it. Too hurt to even try.

But now, after seeing her again—so broken, so different—he couldn't help but wonder.

"Could she really have done it?"

It didn't make sense.

The Serena he knew had never been violent. She had been stubborn, reckless, and sometimes even ruthless when it came to protecting the people she loved.

But hurting Sofia?

Never.

And yet...

She had been found with the knife. She had been sent away because of it.

And when he had begged their father to let her come home, to tell him that there was some mistake, all he got was a cold, emotionless answer.

"Serena is gone, Raffaele. And you will not speak of her again."

He hadn't.

Because it hurt too much.

Because a part of him had been angry, too.

And now that she was back, he didn't know what to do with those feelings.

Raffaele's hands trembled slightly as he ran them through his hair.

He had spent seven years missing her.

And now, she was right here.

But he didn't know who she was anymore.

The Serena he remembered had been full of life, always laughing, always lighting up the room. She was the one who dragged them all into trouble, the one who made even the most boring days exciting.