Bound To My Mafia Stepuncles novel Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Aria’s POV

I thought today would be quiet.

After last night, I needed a quiet day. The kind where the only things that mattered were warm skin, soft kisses, and the way my heart kept fluttering every time one of them looked at me like I was the center of their world.

But peace, I was learning, didn’t last long in this house.

The boys were downstairs handling a call–something intense and hushed. Matteo kissed my forehead before leaving, told me to “stay in bed, bella.” Dante tucked the covers around me like I was fragile. Enzo winked and said, “Don’t miss us too much.”

I stayed wrapped up in the blanket for a while, staring at the ceiling, replaying their touches and whispers. My body still felt warm, my chest too full with everything I didn’t know how to say out loud.

Then came the knock.

Soft. Careful.

I sat up slowly and padded to the door, tugging on one of Dante’s sweatshirts that hung loose on my frame. When I opened the door, Chiara stood there.

Her expression wasn’t angry. Just… serious.

“Can we talk?” she asked, her voice quiet.

Something about the way she looked at me made my stomach twist.

“Yeah. Of course,” I said.

We sat in the sunroom, the one with all the tall windows and soft light pouring in. I hugged my knees to my chest, waiting for her to say something. Anything.

But she didn’t.

She just stared at me, and I stared back, not knowing what to make of her silence.

“Is everything okay?” I asked after a while.

Chiara grabbed a soda from the fridge and popped it open like she owned the place–which, in a way, she probably did. She leaned against the counter, one brow raised, watching me like she was trying to figure me out. “So… what do you even do all day in this big house?” she asked, taking a sip. I shrugged, folding my arms. “I don’t know. Read. Nap. Get stalked by your brothers.” She snorted. “Yeah, they’re intense. Matteo especially. He acts like someone’s going to snatch you at any second.” I didn’t reply. She tapped her nails on the counter. “You ever leave? Like, go anywhere without one of them breathing down your neck?” I shook my head. “Not really. They’re kind of clingy.” She gave me a pointed look. “You don’t say.” The mood was light, but there was something sharp under her tone–like she was testing me for a reaction. Chiara’s eyes flicked to me, then away just as fast. “You ever think it’s weird?” she asked. “Living here. With them.” I raised an eyebrow. “Weird how?” She shrugged, but her lips twitched like she knew something I didn’t. “Never mind. Just curious.”

I didn’t give her one. Instead, I grabbed a banana from the counter, peeled it slowly, and took a bite, staring right back. “Something you’re dying to ask?” I said casually.

1/3

Chapter 129

She leaned back in the chair, her arms crossed. “You tell me.”

1 frowned. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Her eyes dropped to the side of my neck. I didn’t have to look to know what she saw–faint bruises, love bites, whatever you wanted to call them. Matteo’s mark. Enzo’s touch. Dante’s kiss.

I shifted uncomfortably and tugged the sweatshirt collar higher.

“You don’t have to hide them from me,” she said calmly. “I’m not going to freak out.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I stayed quiet.

“Aria,” she said, more gently this time. “Do you love them?”

My breath caught in my throat.

Love was a big word. A heavy one.

But whatever this was–this warmth, this ache in my chest whenever they weren’t near–it felt close to love. Closer than anything I’d felt

before.

“I don’t know if it’s love,” I whispered. “But I’ve never felt this way. Not with anyone. They make me feel like… I matter. Like I belong somewhere. Like I’m not just surviving anymore.”

Chiara looked at me with something unreadable in her eyes. She didn’t speak for a long moment.

“And what if it’s not right?” she asked finally.

I know it’s not normal–whatever this is between me and them. I know people would stare, whisper, maybe even hate us if they knew. But when I’m with them, none of that seems to matter. It’s like the air changes. Like everything ugly in me goes quiet. Matteo looks at me like I’m made of light and chaos, like he wants to burn the world for me. Enzo touches me like I’m a dream he can’t believe is real. And Dante… Dante sees right through me, straight to the parts I try to hide, and instead of turning away, he stays. I’ve never had that before. Never felt safe and wanted at the same time. They make me feel like I’m allowed to exist, to take up space, to be soft and messy and not have all the answers. And maybe that’s why I keep falling harder every day–because with them, for the first time in my life, I don’t feel like a burden. I feel… chosen.

My brows drew together. “Not right?”

“I mean…” She trailed off, then bit her lip. “What if being with them… isn’t just complicated, Aria? What if it’s wrong in a way that can’t be fixed?”

I blinked. “Chiara, what are you talking about?”

She stood then, walking to the window, arms still crossed tightly like she was holding herself together. Her voice was quiet when she spoke again.

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