Trapped by Seven Mafia Wolves novel Chapter 44

**Chapter 44: Under My Skin**

**Jace’s POV**

The remnants of her voice echo in my mind, sharp and haunting, like a ghost that refuses to let me rest. I stand there, paralyzed by a whirlwind of confusion and regret, as if the very ground beneath me has turned to quicksand. Leon and Aurora have long since disappeared down the hall—how long has it been? A minute? An eternity? Time feels like a cruel joke, stretching and warping, while a relentless buzzing fills my ears, drowning out every other sound.

She has always spoken in whispers, her voice a fragile thread woven into the fabric of our family.

The sudden creak of Matteo’s door snaps me back to the present, followed by the heavy thud of his footsteps approaching. I don’t need to turn around; I can sense his presence behind me, a mixture of comfort and irritation that stirs something deep within.

“You good?” he asks, his tone casual, as if he’s discussing the weather rather than the tempest raging inside me.

“Fine,” I manage to reply, but the word feels hollow, a flimsy mask that barely conceals the turmoil roiling beneath the surface.

“She screamed at you like her lungs were being ripped out,” he states, stepping closer, shoulder to shoulder with me, as if we’re comrades in a silent battle against our own emotions.

I remain silent, the words I need to express the chaos in my heart eluding me.

Because yes, she did scream. And it was aimed squarely at me.

I never wanted it to reach that point. The anger exploded, unfiltered and raw, like a dam breaking under pressure. Our family has always struggled to navigate the treacherous waters of emotional expression. Her silence, those vacant stares that seem to pierce through me, and the way she flinches at the faintest sound—it gnaws at my insides. It’s like staring into a shattered mirror, reflecting parts of myself I’d rather leave buried.

But then Leon intervened. He took her hand, cradling it as if it were the most fragile thing in the universe, guiding her away. As if she were something precious, something worth shielding from the storm we all seem to be caught in.

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