ABSOLUTE INSANITY: A forbidden bond-Chapter 226: Giggling girl?

Chapter 226

ROMEO POV

— minutes before —

Water still clung to my skin when I stepped out of the bathroom.

Steam fogged the mirrors, curling lazily toward the ceiling, carrying the sharp, clean scent of soap meant to rinse the day off me. It never quite did. It only made things quieter—dangerously so.

I grabbed a towel and dragged it over my shoulders as I crossed into the bedroom.

My eyes went straight to the file.

It sat exactly where I’d left it, open on the low table by the window. The pages were slightly misaligned, like someone had touched them and then thought better of leaving evidence behind. Not that it mattered. I didn’t need to read it again.

I already knew every detail inside.

Katya.

A short, humorless chuckle slipped out of me as I reached for my joggers. The sound echoed faintly in the room, hollow.

Her face surfaced in my mind without effort—frozen, wide-eyed. The way her breathing had stuttered when I leaned in just enough to pull her back from the edge. The way Nonna had bristled the moment I’d said it.

Little sister.

I’d barely threatened her.

If anything, I’d been generous.

I’d handed that girl a way out most people would’ve crawled on their knees for. Money. Distance. A clean break from my world before it could sink its teeth into her. A chance to disappear and stay gone.

A mercy.

And what did I get in return?

I tugged the waistband of my pants into place, jaw tightening as irritation crept in, slow and familiar.

I’d been in my office earlier that day, buried in work, when a little birdie decided to chirp.

Apparently, my Nonna—so righteous, so principled—had decided she needed a new family member.

Adoption.

The word sat wrong in my head. Heavy. Invasive.

A decision she hadn’t bothered to mention to me. No warning. No discussion. Just an offer laid neatly at Katya’s feet, like this was charity work instead of my house.

I scoffed under my breath, fingers knotting briefly at the drawstring of my joggers.

Yes, the girl’s past was ugly. Anyone with eyes could see that. Her father was a bastard, and whatever he’d put her through had left marks deeper than bruises.

But that didn’t mean Nonna got to step in and rewrite the rules.

This wasn’t impulse.

And it sure as hell wasn’t coincidence.

Just when I’d done something good for once—freed my enemy’s blood, handed her enough money to build a new life far away—Nonna decided to anchor her right back here.

Under this roof. Under my name. My gaze drifted back to the file. I told myself I didn’t care.

That it was the principle of it—the secrecy, the disrespect. The fact that something had moved in my world without my permission.

That’s what bothered me.

Not her.

Except... I’d memorized the way her pulse jumped when she panicked. The exact shade her eyes turned when fear crept in. How quickly her body reacted to my voice, whether she wanted it to or not.

I’d noticed

That was the problem.

I exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over my face. I didn’t want her here. And yet, the thought of her taking that money—vanishing cleanly, safely—left a bitter taste in my mouth I hadn’t expected.

I didn’t want her gone either.

Annoyance flared sharper at that realization.

I straightened, jaw setting as the familiar mask slid back into place. Whatever Nonna thought she was doing, whatever Katya thought she was becoming—this was still my house.

My rules.

And sooner or later, everyone remembered that.. the better.

I shut the file with more force than necessary and left it where it was.

The bed creaked faintly as I dropped onto it, sprawling back against the cool sheets. One arm flung over my eyes, the other resting uselessly at my side. I stared at the darkness behind my lids, waiting for sleep to do its job.

It didn’t.

Instead, my mind betrayed me.

Katya—laughing.

The image slid in uninvited, sharp and vivid. Her head tilted back slightly, lips parted in that rare, unguarded smile as she pushed Nonna’s wheelchair toward the entrance

Carefree. Soft. Happy. My jaw clenched as the scene fractured to her smile vanishing, replaced by wide eyes and rigid stillness.

The way she’d gone pale. The way her breath had caught when I’d said it.

Little sister.

I saw it again—the panic flaring too fast for her to hide, her body betraying her before her mouth ever could. The way she’d shaken. The way her eyes had darted like a trapped animal’s, searching for an exit that didn’t exist.

"Fuck," I muttered, snapping my eyes open, staring up at the ceiling like it had personally offended me.

The glass mirror showed my irritated form. I was irritated. At her. At Nonna. At myself.

This was ridiculous. I didn’t lose sleep over girls. I didn’t replay expressions, didn’t catalogue reactions, didn’t care whether someone smiled or panicked because of me.

And yet— I dragged a hand down my face, exhaling harshly.

Why the hell was she smiling like that?

Why had it bothered me that she could look so... light, so untouched, walking into my house like she didn’t have her blood of enemy?

And worse, why had her fear unsettled me more than it should have? I turned onto my side tried of staring at my scared face.

I told myself it was about control. About boundaries. About Nonna crossing a line she knew damn well she shouldn’t have.

That was the story I stuck with.

Because the alternative—that Katya Boris had somehow lodged herself into my head without permission, without effort—was unacceptable.

Sleep didn’t come.

No matter how I tried to force it—slow breaths, closed eyes, counting the seconds between my heartbeat—it refused. My body stayed restless, coiled, like something was wrong in my own skin.

With a low groan, I pushed myself upright.

The room felt too quiet. Too still.

I didn’t think. That was the problem.

I stood, bare feet silent against the marble floor, and crossed the room without questioning why. I told myself I was checking on my house. On my rules. On something that didn’t sit right.

That was the lie I went with.

My hand found the concealed panel in the wall without hesitation. Muscle memory. The door was hidden seamlessly behind dark wood, invisible to anyone who didn’t know it was there.

I pressed it open.

The passage breathed cool air against my skin as I stepped through, the door sealing silently behind me.

The secret door to Katya’s room was just ahead, I inserted the passkey, expecting stillness.

A sleeping girl, unaware.

Instead, my eyes fell on a giggling Katya who was kicking her feet like a high school girl, a phone? in hand.

I stopped dead. My body froze mid-step, instincts screaming before my mind caught up. My hand dropped slowly from the wall as my eyes locked onto the scene beyond.

"Mr Salvator?!"

††

Hello my lovely readers

Please refresh the last Chapter, Chapter 225.

I made some edit on the last line.

Thank you