A few hours after Kade informed us of the bad news, a negative feeling overtook me. I had locked myself in the guest room, my head reeling, trying to anticipate what would happen next. The building conflict with the Garzone and Vivaldi was my fault. My mind spiralled into all possible outcomes, most being very dark and twisted, such as me being murdered.

My fight or flight was now activated by the self-induced anxiety and Carissa’s previous remark about how I was to blame for everything. Every bone in my body told me to run, to figure out how to get out of this town, and never look back. So with little to no options, I decided at that moment I needed to get out of there.

Not sure of the best way to proceed and my anxiety getting the best of me, I stupidly decided to book it. Unlocking the door and sprinting down the hall and stairs, I flew past Nick, who was planted at the far end of the hall. Once down the stairs, I made a break for the door. Flinging myself out the door, I collided with something hard.

Feeling two hands steady me by my hips, my eyes shot up to see I had once again crashed into Kade. He stared down at me, eyes wide, clearly confused by my sudden fleeing.

“What are you doing?” Kade inquired with an alarmed look, his firm hand still on my hips.

Realizing he was blocking the exit, I knew I wasn't going to be able to get away.

“Are you okay?” Kade continued to question as he dropped his hands.

Having no escape and scared to admit my plan to run, I decided it would be best to return to the safety of the locked guest room. At least I was semi-safe there in case things really hit the fan.

“I just needed some air,” I lied, shoving the fear back into my mind.

Kade scanned my face with a look of disbelief. Before he had a chance to call out my terrible excuse, I spun on my heels, retreating to the safety of the guest bedroom.

I spent hours in the room, mentally spiralling as I waited for what I could only assume would be my ill fate. I was useless to this family; all I had done was make problems for them. Them killing me, or worse, handing me over to Tony, was the obvious choice for them, that I'm sure of.

I was pulled out of the dark spaces in my mind by a light tapping at the door, followed by Kade's voice calling out my name. Every logical part of me agreed it was in my best interest to ignore the knocking; I was safe behind this locked door. For some reason, contradicting the nerves in my brain, I made my way to the door, opening it enough to peek my head out.

I came face to face with Kade. He looked stressed, his hair astray and his body rigid. You could tell he was under an immense amount of pressure with everything going on.

“Can I come in?” he asked, glancing around me into the room.

Without a word, I opened the door, stepping to the side to let him by. Making his way past me, he strolled over to the edge of the bed and sat down. I kept my distance and stood before him with a few feet between us. Despite sensing his eyes on me, I refused to return his gaze.

“Are you going to kill me?” I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat.

Expecting him to confirm my fate, I braced myself for emotional devastation. Instead, his response triggered shock.

“Why in the h*ll would I kill you?” he asked with a concerned look on his face.

“I just assumed because it was my fault, and you wanted to end the issues with the other family,” I nervously explained my reasons for assuming.

“It wouldn't matter,” Kade countered bluntly, shaking his head.

I wasn't sure how to take that statement, so I thought it would be best if I stayed silent and kept my mouth shut.

“If I killed you, the feud wouldn't go away. Now it's more about the disloyalty between the two families than the debate on whether or not you should live,” he explained. “Tony blames me for helping you escape.”

I nodded, now understanding what he had meant. Despite his explanation, I still had no clue what was in store for me. The two families were now in some type of war, but I wasn't a part of the Vivaldi family; I was just a stranger who caused all this.

“So, where does that leave me?” I asked, scared of the answer.

Kade's eyes studied my face for what felt like forever. It was clear it wasn't only me who was at a loss for a solution. His eyes stayed on me for a long time before he finally spoke.

“You’ll stay here,” he began. “At least until we can figure something else out."

“I can’t stay here,” I argued.

I had a life before this, it was a boring life, but it was my life. I couldn't just give up my job, friends, and family on a whim. There had to be another way around this.

Kade gave me a remorseful look, clearly understanding my upset state.

“I can’t,” I repeated a second time, in utter disbelief of this predicament I was in.

Kade let out what seemed like a melancholy sigh as he rose to his feet.

“It's your choice. If you want to leave, you can. Just remember, this isn’t a game. It's life and death, Skyler,” he expressed, making sure I understood the severity of my choice.

Even though a decision was laid out in front of me by Kade, there was no real choice. If I left, chances are I would be putting myself and everyone around me in danger. So, in all reality, there wasn't a real decision. No matter what I wanted, I needed to stay here with Kade.

“I'll stay,” I announced softly, watching Kade reach the door.

“Good,” he remarked. The corner of his mouth twitched up in what almost looked like the beginning of a smile before he turned to leave the room.

As I lay on the bed and drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but wonder what I had just gotten myself into.