[Salvo's Pov]
As soon as I reached the place where his mother lives, I had one single, violent purpose. Drag him out. Throw him into the fucking car. I didn't care how much his mother screamed, begged, or cried—I was going to take him back.
Because pets don't forget their master's name. Toys don't get to play on their own. And boys like him… they don't get to act like they're anything more than what I made them.
Mine.
I was already halfway up the worn concrete steps when the door creaked open.
And then I saw him.
Smiling.
Alfio, with his hair tousled and eyes bright, like he hadn't been touched by the world. For a second, the sun hit just right, and it lit his skin in a way I'd never seen before.
And something—Thudded.
My chest. My fucking heart.
Why?
Why is it beating like that?
He looked so… bright. Untouched. Human.
And then it vanished.
