A Fragile Thread

Chapter 12: Outside?

POV: Emilia

I woke up feeling like my body had been weighed down by stones. My skin felt clammy, my head a little too heavy, but the worst of the fever seemed to have passed. Blinking against the soft morning light filtering through the curtains, I slowly pushed myself up, wincing as my arm ached in protest.

The voices outside my door were low, quiet enough that they probably thought I was still asleep.

"She's doing better," Matteo was saying. "The fever's going down, but she's still weak. We should keep her inside another day or two, just to be safe."

"Maybe," Luca's voice countered, "but she needs to get out at some point. If we wait too long, she's going to be even more scared of stepping outside."

"She already is scared," Nico muttered. "You saw how she was with the infection. She won't tell us when something's wrong, and if we push too hard, she'll just shut down again."

"So, we don't push," Raffaele said, his voice lighter than the rest. "We just... suggest. Ease her into it. Let her think it's her choice."

A pause. Then Matteo sighed. "I don't like the idea of overwhelming her."

"We don't have to take her far," Luca said. "Just something small. She needs to see that the world outside this house isn't dangerous. That she's safe with us."

There was another stretch of silence before Matteo finally spoke again. "Fine. But we keep it short."

My stomach twisted.

They wanted to take me outside.

My fingers curled into the blanket, gripping it tightly. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. The idea of leaving the house—of being in an open space, of being seen—made my chest tighten.

But a part of me, a very, very small part, whispered that maybe... maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

The door opened a few seconds later, and Matteo stepped in first, his face immediately softening when he saw I was awake. "Morning, dolcezza. How are you feeling?"

I hesitated, shifting under the blanket. "Okay," I said, though my voice was hoarse.

Matteo gave me a look that said he didn't quite believe me, but he let it slide.

Luca leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. "We were thinking about getting some fresh air today." His voice was casual, like it wasn't a big deal, but I could feel the weight of the suggestion in the way they all watched me.

I swallowed, my pulse quickening. "Outside?"

"Not far," Raffaele said quickly, stepping forward. "Just a short drive. There's a quiet spot outside the city—trees, fresh air, no people."

No people. That made it a little less terrifying.

Still, I hesitated.

Nico, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

I looked at him, then at the others. They were all watching me, waiting—not pressuring, just waiting.

I shifted under their gazes, chewing the inside of my cheek. My instinct was to say no. To hide in the house where it was safe, where I knew what to expect.

But if I stayed inside forever, would I ever really feel safe?

I swallowed hard. "Okay," I said before I could talk myself out of it. "I'll go."

Matteo blinked, surprised, but then he smiled. "Good, stellina. We'll keep it easy."

I nodded, gripping the blanket tighter as my heart pounded.