The whole ride to Enzo's apartment is silent.

I can't help wondering what he's thinking. After the whole mess at Jake and Elena's place, we all agreed to call it a night and keep in touch if anything else happens. Enzo only nodded and grabbed my hand, leading me to his car in silence. He looked calm, but I knew better. He was slowly losing it.

I don't understand why I'm not freaking out. I was shocked first, but not that surprised. And now that I know a psychopath want the girl—me—I feel...nothing.

For now, all I can do is stare at Enzo from my seat beside him. His hands are clutching the steering wheel so tightly they're white, but his face is relaxed. I wonder if he realizes he's about to destroy that wheel.

Calm down. He's not Hulk.

I also can't help but think about that kiss. I really have the best priorities. Man, I hate myself.

Resisting the urge to sigh, I turn my head and notice we've arrived at his place. Before I can get out, he declares, "Stay here."

With a confused expression, I watch as he gets out of the car and looks around him. Enzo finally opens my door after two minutes of looking around his block apartment. He extends his hand, and I grab it.

I think he's gonna let go of my hand, but he doesn't. We climb the stairs that lead to his apartment, and Enzo keeps a careful hand on the weapon hidden under his shirt, his face concentrated. I look around nervously, and once we stop in front of his apartment door, he releases my hand. He pauses for a moment, and I grow more anxious with the minutes ticking by and the silence surrounding us.

He opens the door. Nobody is waiting inside for us. Good thing.

I walk in first, and Enzo closes the door behind us, locking it.

"I'll check all the rooms. Then you can take a shower and get some rest," he says calmly, turning on the lights. He turns to face me. "Do you want some tea? Anything?"

It takes me a few seconds to respond. Enzo offering me to make tea makes my heart warm. Not that he never took care of me. But the fact that he's doing this so naturally...

It's like he never left.

I clear my throat. "No, I'm fine," I mumble, turning to walk away. "You should make some for yourself, though. Maybe it could calm you down..."

"Calming down when your life is at risk?" he mutters back. I turn around to see him shake his head, disappointment and anger flickering on his face. "Maybe in a hundred years."

With that, he drops his keys on the table loudly, his fists clenched, and he walks away from me. Like I said, I really freaking hate myself.

Think about your damn life, Alex.

I lean against the wall and swallow down my frustration. I need to stop acting so stupid when this situation is serious.

Enzo comes back from the bathroom, nodding once without glancing in my direction. I open my mouth to apologize, but he's already disappearing into the living room, and I walk away, telling myself I will apologize later.

*

With courage I don't feel, I knock on Enzo's door. I took a shower, got dressed in comfortable clothes, and waited in my room for a while, thinking he'd come and see me. He didn't.

So here I am. I stand in front of his bedroom's door and wait. A few seconds pass before I hear him say, "You can come in, Alex."

I open the door and find him lying on his bed. His room looks like most of his apartment; empty of life. The walls are white, his bed is black. There's a black desk in the corner, a closet. Nothing else.

"Hi," I greet softly, playing with my wet hair. Enzo meets my eyes and stays quiet. I clear my throat. "I'm sorry for acting like a dumb bitch."

His lips form a smile. He shakes his head after a moment. "You're not a dumb bitch, Alex."

"I can be annoying and really stupid. Don't deny it," I argue, taking a few steps into the room.

He sits up and gestures for me to come closer. I take a step forward. He stares at me until I walk closer to the bed.

"Sit," he orders gently, and for some reasons I get nervous.

He just asked you to sit on his bed, not to strip off. Get a hold of yourself.

I sit next to him. Enzo watches me as I avoid his gaze and let my eyes wander around the room. There's nothing special to see, so I inhale deeply and turn my head toward him.

"What's on your mind, Princess?" he finally murmurs, lying down on the bed.

"Nothing," I reply, shrugging a shoulder.

"You sure look calm after what happened today."

I stay quiet and lie down next to him. I don't really want to think about what happened. I prefer to stay in denial, at least for a moment.

He doesn't talk and neither do I. That's why I find myself thinking about a special someone, and my eyes slowly fill with tears. I blink repeatedly to make them disappear and decide it's the right time to tell him what he wanted to know.

"I lost my mom."

He turns his head toward me, but I keep staring at the ceiling. His voice is barely a whisper when he replies. "What?"

"One year ago, she lost her fight against cancer. She was strong." I swallow down the knot in my throat, refusing to cry. "There. You wanted to know."

Enzo finds my shaky hand and interlaces his fingers with mine. I look at him, and the sadness and guilt in his eyes make me flinch.

"Alex, I'm so sorry. Your mother was an amazing woman." He squeezes my hand and looks away, his jaw clenching. "And I wasn't there..."

I release his hand. "You weren't. I was alone—felt alone."

He stares at me, but I ignore him and conclude, "Now you know. Sorry for taking so long to tell you. She loved you, after all. You deserve to know."

He takes a deep breath, and I see him covering his face with his hands. He stays still for a long minute before he drops his hands.

I shake my head. "I called you, you know? The night she passed away. You didn't pick up."

He flinches, his eyes widening. I shrug a shoulder and force a smile. Damn, it hurts to do so.

"I wasn't surprised. I listened to your voicemail saying to drop you a message, that you'd call back. I didn't. I didn't know what to say. Hi, I miss you? Hi, how are you doing? Hi, I need you?"

I close my eyes and clench my fists. "And I knew you wouldn't call back."

"Alex, I can't—" Enzo stops himself, letting out a frustrated sound. "Fuck. I'm sorry."

I stare at him with doubt. "Say what you really want to say, Enzo. You're...hiding something."

He swallows and shakes his head. "I can't."

Nodding, I look away. I'm not really surprised. I agreed to let it go, after all, didn't I? What happened is in the past. If he claims he has nothing to confess, then I can't force him.

"Where is your father?" he suddenly asks, and I scoff.

"He decided to grieve on his own by getting drunk every night. I guess I lost him, too."

I really lost most of the people who promised to never leave me when I needed them the most. Don't you dare cry. Dad isn't crying for you. Don't cry for him.

Enzo says softly, "You haven't lost me."

"Liar," I whisper, meeting his eyes. "You might be here today, but I did lose you."

He nods. "Okay. Then I promise you won't lose me again. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not making that mistake again."

I truly want to believe him. I don't know why I'm doing this to myself. Why I keep having hope when he looks me in the eyes like that, his voice sounding so sincere.

He turns his body toward mine and leans closer to press a kiss on my forehead. I squeeze my eyes shut, knowing tears will escape if I keep them open.

"What's going to happen to me, Enzo?" I demand quietly.

I don't see his face, but his voice isn't convincing when he says, "Nothing. Nothing will happen to you."

I wish he would stop lying to protect me.

*

You know something is wrong when the author doesn't take another month to update. WHO AM I?!?

I hope you enjoyed this emotional chapter. :-) *cry*

Don't forget to vote! Follow me on Instagram (mlleab_wattpad) for updates and more!

Also, something happened a few days ago and I had to find a new editor for SAMB. It's been crazy, but I'm not giving up until this book is published.

Okay. I'll see you next chapter! I love you. 💛