Silent Scars

CHAPTER 47

The clock read 2:00 AM, but sleep was the last thing on Leonardo’s mind.

He sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the floor. His hands were clasped together, his fingers digging into his palms. His chest was tight, his mind restless.

Ariana.

He seen her struggling to breathe in her sleep. It wasn’t just a nightmare, it was as if she were drowning in something he couldn’t pull her out of. He had stood there, watching, feeling something he hadn’t felt in years.

Helpless.

He hated the feeling.

He exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his hair. His mind whispered questions he couldn’t answer.

Am I doing the right thing? Am I protecting her the way I should?

His family had already been through so much.

Why did his siblings have to bear the weight of things they never asked for?

Leonardo couldn’t sit still any longer. His body moved before his mind could stop him, leading him to the one person who had always been his anchor.

Marcus.

Marcus's door was never locked.

Not because he was careless, but because he was always ready.

Always waiting.

It had been that way for years.

When Leonardo came back late at night, exhausted and carrying burdens too heavy to speak of, Marcus was there.

When Domain had come home bloodied and broken, Marcus had been the first to patch him up.

When Luca doubted himself, when Kendric needed reassurance, Marcus had been there.

No one ever had to knock.

Because Marcus didn’t believe in shutting people out.

MARCUS HASTINGS

Leonardo stepped inside, his presence enough to stir his brother from sleep.

At the first call of his name, Marcus's eyes snapped open.

His gaze met Leonardo’s. He didn’t question why his eldest brother was in his room at two in the morning. He simply sat up, his sharp instincts already awake, and waited.

Because if Leonardo was here, it meant something was wrong.

Leonardo was sitting on the chair near the window, his posture tense, his hands clenched together. He wasn’t the type to show weakness, but Marcus saw it, the exhaustion in his eyes, the weight on his shoulders.

Marcus didn’t push. He just waited.

The silence stretched before Leonardo finally spoke.

"I don’t know what to do, Marc."

His voice cracked just slightly. But it was enough.

Marcus sat up straighter. He had seen his brother in many states, angry, calculating, even grieving.

But uncertainty?

It was rare.

He didn’t speak. He waited for Leonardo to continue.

"I saw her struggling to breathe."

Marcus frowned.

"She was fighting something in her sleep. She...she couldn’t breathe when I saw her."