ABSOLUTE INSANITY: A forbidden bond-Chapter 176: Anchor

Chapter 176

ROMEO POV

The hallway fell unnaturally quiet. No screams. No footsteps. No chaos.

Just Katya’s broken breathing. It was just the three of us now. Nonna. Katya and Me.

Nonna had wheeled herself as close as she could, her body angled awkwardly, one hand stretched toward Katya, the other gripping the armrest for balance.

I could see the strain in her shoulders, the frustration of being trapped in a body that wouldn’t move fast enough when her heart needed it to.

"Tesoro," she murmured again, voice soft but shaking. "Look at me. You’re safe now. No one is hurting you."

Katya didn’t answer. She was still trembling—full-body shakes that came in uneven waves.

Her arms wrapped around herself too tight, like she was afraid she’d fall apart if she loosened her grip even a little.

Her gaze stayed fixed somewhere on the floor, unfocused, distant, as if she hadn’t fully come back yet.

Her lips moved. No sound came out.

I’d seen fear before. I’d seen panic. I’d seen men break. This was something else.

This was what happens after the breaking—when the body keeps reacting long after the danger is gone.

Nonna tried to lean closer, but the chair restricted her, forcing her to stretch in a way that clearly hurt.

Her breath hitched, frustration flashing across her face. I didn’t plan it. Didn’t think it through.

I just... moved. I lowered myself to the floor beside Katya.

The marble was cold through my trousers. My knee brushed glass. Blood. I didn’t care.

None of it mattered, not the mess, not the danger, not even the fact that she could still lash out without warning.

All I saw was Nonna struggling to reach her. And Katya drowning right in front of us.

Nonna’s eyes flicked to me, startled, surprised but I ignored it.

Slowly, I kneeled in front of the broken girl, keeping space between us, making sure my movements were non-threatening.

"Katya," I said quietly. My voice sounded wrong to my own ears. Lower. Rougher. Stripped of command.

She flinched anyway. Her shoulders tightened, breath stuttering again, her head turning slightly like she was trying to place the sound.

I didn’t reach for her. Didn’t touch her. I just stayed.

Her fingers dug into her sleeves harder, knuckles whitening. Her lips trembled. "I—" Her voice cracked before the word could form. She swallowed hard, shaking her head. "I didn’t... didn’t mean—"

"I know," I said instantly, relief breaking through my nonna when Katya finally spoke.

Katya’s eyes flickered toward Nonna this time—really flickered. Present for half a second before slipping again.

"I... I can’t..." she whispered, the words barely there. "It’s too loud."

"I know," I said again, softer this time, like lowering my voice could lower the world around her.

I had never been good at this. Comfort wasn’t something I’d learned. Sympathy had always been a transaction.

When Nonna cried, I agreed to whatever with her. When my men broke, I gave orders until they stopped. I fixed problems. I didn’t sit inside them.

Katya wasn’t asking for anything. That was the problem.

She wasn’t demanding safety. She wasn’t begging for mercy. She was just... unraveling. And there was nothing I could bargain with that.

Nonna spoke again, her voice steadier now, anchoring. "Tesoro, listen to my voice. Just my voice. Nothing else."

Katya’s breathing hitched. I watched her hands that were still clenched like fists, shaking, hovering near her face as if she expected another blow.

Every instinct in me screamed that she was still a threat. Unpredictable. Dangerous.

And yet she looked small and defenseless. "I don’t know how to help," I admitted quietly, the words tasting foreign.

I wasn’t even sure who I was saying them to—Nonna or myself, Katya?. "But you’re not alone."

Katya’s head tilted a fraction, like she’d heard something unfamiliar.

Nonna nodded at me once, approving, then turned back to Katya. "Can you tell me what you see, cara?" she asked gently. "Just one thing."

Katya swallowed. Her eyes dragged upward slowly, unfocused at first, then landing on the wall opposite her. My door.

"The... the door," she whispered.

"Good," Nonna said immediately. "What color is it?"

"Black" Katya answered after a pause. Her breathing slowed, just a little.

I exhaled without realizing I’d been holding it. "You’re here," Nonna continued. "In my house. With me. With Romeo."

Katya’s gaze flickered and this time it landed on me fully. There was no fear in her eyes now.

Just shame. And confusion. And something that cut deeper than either.

I swallowed, then slowly—carefully—lifted one hand and held it out between us. Not touching her. Not reaching.

Just there. An option.

My fingers felt stupidly large in the space between us. I already knew she wouldn’t take it. She had every reason not to. I was the reason she was here. The reason her world kept collapsing in on itself.

I didn’t expect anything. Katya’s gaze dropped to my hand.

Her breathing hitched again, sharper this time. Her fingers twitched once, then stilled. She stared at it like it might disappear if she looked away.

Seconds passed. Then, hesitantly her hand moved. Slow. Trembling. Like she was testing whether the air itself would punish her for it.

Her fingers brushed mine and flinched back instantly. I didn’t move. Didn’t grab. Didn’t react.

She tried again. This time she wrapped two fingers around my hand, barely holding on, like she didn’t trust herself to grip harder.

Her skin was ice cold.The contact jolted straight through me.

I glanced up at Nonna without meaning to. She was watching us closely, eyes sharp still—but not angry now. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Something else softened her expression. She gave me a small nod. Then mouthed two words.

Hug her.

I blinked.

Hug?

My mind rejected it instantly. I didn’t hug people. I restrained them. I killed them. I negotiated with them.

Physical closeness had always been a weapon or a tactic—not comfort.

I looked back at Katya.

She was still holding my hand, knuckles white, breath uneven. Her eyes were shut tight now, like she was bracing for something bad to happen.

And somehow... the shaking had slowed. Just a little. Touch was working.

Shit.

Slowly—painfully aware of every movement—I shifted closer. I released her hand only to slide my arm around her shoulders, stopping immediately, waiting.

She tensed but didn’t pull away.

That was permission enough. I drew her in carefully, not tight, not trapping. Just enough to let her lean if she wanted to.

For half a second she stayed rigid. Then she broke.

Katya collapsed into my chest with a soft, wrecked sound, fingers clutching the front of my shirt like she was afraid the ground would disappear again.

Her forehead pressed against my shoulder. Her breathing turned uneven, sharp inhales turning into shaky exhales that soaked through fabric.

I froze—every instinct screaming I was doing this wrong. But Nonna spoke softly. "That’s it, tesoro. You’re doing good. Just breathe."

So I stayed.

I didn’t stroke her hair. Didn’t whisper promises I wasn’t sure I deserved to make.

I just held her.

Her shaking didn’t stop but it softened. The panic loosened its grip, inch by inch, replaced by quiet, exhausted sobs she didn’t even seem aware were happening.

††

Well well well?