~ Niamh ~
Massimo stood perfectly still, but the air around him seemed to hum with a deadly, static energy.
"Andrej and Shauna," He repeated their names in a low and rhythmic voice, as if he were trying to taste the combination, testing how the two names sat together in his mouth.
The way his lips curled made it clear the words left a bitter, foul taste behind.
"What do you mean, Andrej and Shauna?" he looked at me, his voice deceptively quiet, like the calm before a storm that levels cities.
I closed my eyes for a second, taking in a deep, shaky breath that smelled of rust and stale grass, trying to steady the frantic beating of my heart.
I knew there was no going back now.
"They're lovers, Massimo," I said, the word ringing out in the cramped shed.
There was a long, suffocating pause.
I watched Massimo's brows furrow, his dark eyes clouded as he stared at me, waiting for the information to actually sink into his brain.
Then, his face transformed.
