STEFANO RUSSO’S (NERO’S) POV
The night was quiet—too quiet. The kind that made the sound of one’s own breathing feel loud. I stood in the middle of Somchai’s garden, staring up at the sky. The stars were scattered across the dark velvet like silver dust, and for a brief second, I tried counting them just to distract myself.
It didn’t work.
The cool night air brushed against my skin, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside . My chest felt tight, my mind restless. I hadn’t been able to sleep for days, and I knew exactly why.
"Still awake?"
The familiar voice behind broke through the silence. I didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Somchai. His calm presence carried through his words.
I didn’t look back when I answered, my voice low. "Couldn’t sleep."
A few seconds later, he ca to stand beside . For a while, neither of us spoke. The night stretched quietly between us, and then he said gently, "You’re still thinking about Zoe, aren’t you?"
That made finally glance his way. His expression was unreadable—eyes fixed on the distance, hands clasped behind his back. How did everyone know? Was it really that obvious that my thoughts were always tangled around her?
I sighed and turned away, my voice barely above a whisper. "It’s been... difficult to make a decision."
He nodded slowly, as if he already understood. "You’ve carried that hatred since you were young," he said softly. "Of course, it won’t be easy to let go of it now."
I looked at him again. There was sothing in his gaze—an old kind of understanding, the kind that ca from soone who’d lived through too much.
My shoulders sagged. "I’m just... confused," I admitted. The words tasted bitter. "I don’t know what to do anymore."
For a while, the only sound between us was the wind rustling through the trees. Then Somchai’s calm voice broke the silence again.
"You know," he began quietly, "I’ve been in a similar situation before. And it wasn’t easy for either."
That caught my attention. I turned to him, surprised. "You have?"
He gave a faint smile. "Yes. Why do you think I’m still single at my age?"
I frowned. "I thought you just weren’t interested in marriage." That was what I’d always believed. I’d never seen him with a woman, never heard him ntion one.
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Who wouldn’t want a family, Nero?"
His tone carried a hint of sadness that made sothing in tighten. I studied his face, curious now. "So... what happened?"
He exhaled slowly, his gaze distant as if he were staring into a mory. "I t a woman when I was in my early thirties," he said. A small smile tugged at his lips. "She was... remarkable. Beautiful, kind. We connected instantly. I laughed that day like I hadn’t laughed in years. It felt like fate brought her to ."
His smile faded. "But fate has a cruel sense of humor. The past doesn’t stay buried forever."
I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. "What do you an?"
He hesitated before answering, his voice quieter now. "I found out that... I was one of the n responsible for her father’s death."
I blinked, unable to believe what I was hearing. "You... killed her father?"
He turned away, sha flickering across his face. "It wasn’t intentional. It was a stray bullet during an operation. I didn’t even know the man we shot was her father until years later."
I felt the weight of his confession sink in. "How did you find out?"
"I was helping her uncover the truth about what happened," he said, his tone heavy. "She wanted closure. When I discovered the truth... that I was the one who caused her pain... I couldn’t bring myself to tell her. And I couldn’t keep pretending. So I did what I thought was best."
"You ended things?" I asked quietly.
He nodded. "I sent her away. Far away. Without explanation, without a trace of left behind."
My heart sank. "Just like I did with Zoe."
He gave a small, sad smile. "Exactly like you."
The silence that followed was thick. Even the wind seed to pause.
"I thought making myself suffer by missing her would be punishnt enough," he continued. "But I was wrong. It was the worst kind of punishnt—to live every day knowing I threw away sothing pure."
My chest tightened at his words. I turned my gaze back to the horizon, unsure of what to say. The pain in his voice mirrored mine.
"I really don’t know what to do, Somchai," I whispered after a long pause. "I feel like no matter what I choose, I’ll lose sothing."
He was quiet for a mont before he spoke again, his voice gentle but firm. "You already know what to do, Nero. You’re just torn between two choices."
I looked at him, frowning slightly. "Two choices?"
"Forgive," he said, "or seek revenge."
He turned to face fully, his expression calm but his eyes filled with aning. "And if you’ll allow to give you advice—as soone who made the wrong choice once—I’ll tell you this: choose forgiveness."
I stared at him, my heart pounding. "Why?"
His lips curved in a faint smile. "Because forgiveness will give you peace. Revenge will only leave you empty. You may think it’ll heal you, but it won’t. It’ll destroy everything good left in you, especially the part of you that Zoe brought back to life."
I said nothing. Because deep down, I knew he was right. Since Zoe entered my life, sothing in had changed. I wasn’t just a man chasing vengeance anymore—I was a man learning how to feel again.
Somchai’s voice softened. "Zoe is the kind of woman who makes you want to be better, Nero. Don’t lose her because of pain that belongs to the past."
He paused, then placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "You’ve carried hate long enough. It’s ti to put it down. The man who killed your mother will face his own justice. But don’t let his sins destroy your chance at happiness."
The garden fell silent again. The night air felt colder now, but not entirely unwelco.
Somchai gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Think about it," he said simply.
And then he walked away, leaving alone with my thoughts—and torn between two choices.
Forgiveness... or vengeance.
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