Alessia's POV.
A sharp intake of a breath makes me look down.
"Munchkin why didn't you say something sooner?" Nono asks shocked.
"I wanted...I wanted to go to school and I just-... I'm sorry" I stop talking not knowing what to say.
"Oh munchkin" Nono smiles sadly.
Nono starts talking as he cleans my wounds, "You don't have to hide things from me baby. I will never judge you or forbid you from doing anything unless it regards your well-being and safety. In this case...well yeah I'd probably make you stay home for a few days but that's just because you would need to heal both mentally and physically. But just because you want to go to school doesn't mean that you can hide something like this from us.-" he stars but I cut him off.
"But I didn't want to be home with Dominic." I whisper softly tearing up.
He sighs softly as he finishes up and helps me put my clothes back on.
He brings me into a hug while he kisses my head, "I know munchkin but you still should have told me- we could have figured something out. But it's in the past now so we're not gonna dwell on it. But...in the future-"
"I know- I will Nono" I whisper softly as he picks me up and he walks to the living room.
We all sit down on the couch and watch movies for the rest of the night.
— — — —
I wake up smiling in Nono's arms, looking up I see Nono looking down at me.
"Good morning" I smile softly
"Good morning munchkin, how did you sleep?" He asks me softly.
"Good-" I mumble, "you?" I ask.
"Very well" he answers while he strokes my back.
"Nono?" I ask nervously
"Yeah"
"What are we going to do?" I ask him.
"Don't you worry your little head about that munchkin"
"But-" I start but a look from Nono shuts me up.
------------ Two days later
Noah's POV.
We've been at this hotel for a few days and against all odds Dominic actually noticed our dissapearence.
He's been texting us and asking where we are and why we left. He doesn't have a fucking clue on what he did wrong.
After another restless night of contemplation and not knowing what to do, we all except for Alessia gather around the table in silence.
I sigh deeply, breaking the silence. "We need to confront him. We can't keep ignoring him, he'll come after us or take Alessia. We can't go on like this."
My brothers nod in agreement, their concerned gazes fixed on me.
"Alright," I say.
"Let's go talk to him today, before this escalates any further."
Leo is staying in the hotel with Alessia and Asher since they still need to recover from their wounds.
When we arrive at Enzo's house we get inside where we find Dominic and Enzo on the couch in the living room.
Hearing the commotion they both turn around to look at us.
Dominic's expression turns cold and distant.
"What are you all doing here?" he asked curtly, his tone laced with irritation.
"We need to talk-" I begin calmly, meeting his eyes. "Your behavior, it can't continue like this. You've become cruel and distant ever since your relationship started."
Dominic just scoffs as an answer "What are you on about? I have enough on my plate without your nagging."
"But we're your family," Silas interjects. "We've always been there for you, and now that we need you, you're pushing us away. We barely see each other"
"That's not true" Dominic says
"It is, we see you at dinner sometimes but we never talk- we haven't properly talked since we were in the hospital and before that you couldn't care about us either." Ace says.
Dominic clenches his fists, his voice rising. "You have no idea what's at stake! You need to shut up and leave me alone!"
"You haven't been acting like yourself. What's going on?" I ask, "you're distant and you hurt Alessia- something you promised you would never do"
He stares at us for a moment, his face contorted with a mix of anger and discomfort. Then he stands up and walks away, not uttering another word.
"Enzo? What's happening to him?" I ask
"He's just a little stressed" He answers
"He pushed Alessia a few days ago, he yelled at her. Enzo she got a flashback because of him"
"He's just been under some stress lately" he repeats
"Stress from what?" Ace asks
"From the pressure he's been getting lately."
"Pressure from what?" Ace asks a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"From the mafia, It's not something easy you know. He's been at war with the Switzerland's mafia for months."
I see my brothers glance at each other with a worried look "Is he in danger?" Silas asks concerned.
"Owning a mafia means that he's always in danger but ever since the fire the situation has been escalating, and he's become more guarded, more closed off." Enzo says
"That's still no excuse for his behavior- sure he's stressed I can get that but... He left us- he doesn't talk to us anymore. It's like we don't exist to him anymore" Silas says
"If he doesn't want to talk to us about everything- can't he talk to you or a therapist?" I ask
"He won't listen to anyone," Enzo responds with a touch of frustration. "He's convinced he can handle it all by himself."
"But he can't just push us away," Ace states firmly. "We're still his family even if he doesn't act like it. We care about him and we want things to be like before"
Enzo nods, " Look I've tried talking to him after what he did to Alessia, but he's closed off. He's shutting out everyone, including me."
"We want to help him," I say honestly, "But he needs to fix his behavior if he ever wants to see Alessia again" I tell him
"I'll talk to him" he tells us, "I'll call you when he's ready"
"We appreciate it," I say, thanking Enzo
After a few more minutes we take our leave and go back to the hotel.
— — — —
Enzo's POV.
I sit down next to Dominic on the couch, "Hey, can we talk for a moment?"
Dominic glances at me, a hint of irritation in his eyes. "Sure, what's on your mind?"
"I've noticed a change in your behavior lately," I start, choosing my words carefully. "You've been distant, closed off. It's not like you."
He just shrugs, "I've just got a lot on my plate. It's nothing, really."
"It's more than that, Dom. Your attitude towards the family has changed. You've become more aggressive and distant, especially towards your siblings."
Dominic sighs, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm dealing with some issues, alright? It's not easy handling everything, especially with the current situation."
"I get that, but shutting everyone out isn't the answer. Your family cares about you. You can't keep pushing them away."
He stays silent.
"I understand the pressure you're under," I start talking again, "But isolating yourself won't solve anything. You need your family."
"I'll try, okay? It's just hard." He sighs
"It's a start, but you need to make a genuine effort to reconnect with them, especially Alessia." I tell him
"I didn't mean to hurt her," he admits softly. "I'll try to make things right."
I nod my head before I wrap my arms around him and he lays his head on my chest.