Before Alessio, Matteo, or Dario could react, she yanked the blanket off the bed, exposing their tangled, naked bodies to the harsh light spilling in from the hallway.

Rafe’s face drained of all color. He threw himself over Gianna, roaring.

“Nina! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Aaaah!”

Gianna clutched the sheet against her chest, curling into Rafe’s side, sobbing hysterically.

Her hand pressed against her own chest, breath coming ragged. Her voice emerged raw.

“I’m the crazy one? You’re my husband, Rafe, and you’re in bed with my sister. What would you call that?”

Rafe’s jaw tightened as he scrambled for an explanation.

“There was a storm last night. Thunder. Gianna got frightened and called me over.”

Gianna’s face had gone chalk-white. She wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, trembling against him, sobbing.

“Nina, I’m so sorry… last night I just… I was terrified, so I called Rafe and begged him to come…”

Alessio stepped into the room.

“Rafe was completely drunk last night. He probably passed out and woke up confused.”

Matteo backed him up immediately.

“It’s completely understandable. Gianna used to get scared like this all the time. He was only comforting her and things got out of hand.”

She turned to Dario.

He forced an uncomfortable smile. “They’re right, Nina. Gianna would never do something like this.”

Why?

Why did every single one of them take her side, without even a moment’s hesitation?

She was trembling with fury. She raised her phone.

“I recorded everything from last night. Every sound. Should I play it for my brothers, so they can hear exactly how he was comforting her?”

The color drained completely from Gianna’s face. Her breathing turned shallow and rapid.

“Alessio… I can’t… I can’t breathe.”

“Still pretending?”

Alessio shoved her back hard enough that her knees hit the floor.

She lay there, hand pressed against her chest, staring up at him.

“Don’t look at me like this! If you hadn’t started this, Gianna wouldn’t be collapsing right now!”

He scooped Gianna into his arms and rushed her toward the medical wing.

“Bring Nina in. We need her blood. Now!”

Matteo and Dario seized her and dragged her into the clinic.

Panic swallowed her whole. She was shaking, struggling, trying to push herself backward with whatever strength remained in her legs, shaking her head over and over.

“Please… please don’t…”

Dario prepared a large syringe while Rafe held her arm in place, refusing to meet her eyes.

“This is your fault. You’re the one who triggered this. Giving her some blood is the least you owe her.”

Matteo stepped forward and pinned her shoulders down.

One glance at their faces told her everything. Fighting back was pointless.

She closed her eyes and extended her arm.

Her voice came out barely above a whisper.

“Take it. Drain me completely if you have to. Whatever it takes to save your precious Gianna.”

Dario turned his face away and placed his hand gently over her eyes. When he finally spoke, his voice was hollow.

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s just a little blood. It won’t hurt much.”

An hour later, Alessio had stabilized Gianna. All four men exhaled at once.

Alessio pulled off his surgical mask, his voice turning to ice.

“Now we deal with you. You’re going to answer for what you did to Gianna.”

They turned around together, and every expression shifted at once.

She was lying on the bed beside them. Curled up. Motionless.

A scalpel was buried in her chest.

A dark pool spread beneath her, spilling steadily across the floor…