The day after Michael freaked out over how long I was in the bathroom, I woke up wrapped in his arms. He was holding me tightly, gazing down as if he were trying to memorize every detail of my face.

“Good morning,” I murmured, still half-asleep.

“Good morning, little deer,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. “How did you sleep?”

“Really well,” I replied with a sleepy grin. “I think I might make sleeping on you a regular thing.”

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t complain about that.”

Still holding me close, he sat up, and I clung to him like a koala.

“Time to get up and freshen up,” he said, a bit more serious now. “We’re training today. Learning self-defense is non-negotiable.”

I groaned. “I’m terrible at that stuff, though. Besides, I’ve got you to protect me.” I snuggled closer to him, trying to avoid the inevitable.

Michael stroked my back soothingly. “I’ll always protect you, no doubt. But you still need to know how to defend yourself. If there’s ever a situation where I can’t get to you in time, you should be able to hold your own. Especially if you're right about this S.R. guy. If he’s really after Andrea, he’ll stop at nothing, and you’ll be his first target.”

I sighed, knowing deep down he was right. Andrea was my sister, and I knew she'd go to any length to protect me—even if it meant sacrificing herself. The thought of being helpless in that kind of situation was enough motivation to drag myself to the gym with him.

A few minutes after we arrived, Andrea and Raffaele walked in. Raffaele had his hand protectively on her back, and from the way they looked at each other, it was clear they were no longer at each other’s throats. Andrea seemed a bit surprised to see me there but also happy.

“Well, looks like we’re having a family training session today,” Michael said with a smile.

“He’s making me learn how to fight,” I whined to Andrea, hoping she’d sympathize with me. She knew how bad I was at this. “I tried telling him I’m hopeless, but he won’t listen.”

Andrea shot me a blank look before rolling her eyes dramatically. “Calling her hopeless is an insult to the word ‘hopeless.’ Trust me.” Her voice was deadpan, but the smirk on her face gave her away.

I playfully smacked her on the head, giving her an exaggerated, “How could you?” look. “I’m not that bad!” I protested, crossing my arms and standing beside Michael with a pout.

Andrea raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Oh, please. You feel guilty for hurting people who are trying to hurt you. If you even manage to land a hit, you’ll stand there apologizing instead of running away.”

Oh no. She was right, and the embarrassment must’ve been written all over my face. I could feel myself turning as red as an apple, and Michael, of course, found the whole thing amusing.

“Is there a particular incident that brought you to this conclusion?” he asked, still chuckling as he glanced between Andrea and me.

“Andrea, no!” I pleaded, knowing exactly where this was headed.

But Andrea’s grin only widened. “The first time someone tried to kidnap her, she was sixteen. She kicked the guy so hard between the legs that he dropped to the ground crying. But instead of running away, she stood there apologizing and asking if he was okay!” Andrea burst into laughter. “If it hadn’t been for Enzo showing up, she’d have been kidnapped right then and there.”

I was mortified, and my first instinct was to hide behind Michael, trying to compose myself while they all got a good laugh at my expense.

“Where were you when this happened?” Raffaele asked, his tone serious and protective.

“It was outside our school,” I said softly, still half-hiding behind Michael. “Andrea was locked in the bathroom, but she saw everything from a window. She climbed down two stories to grab Enzo and get to me.”

Both Raffaele and Michael stared at her in shock. “You climbed down two stories? How?”

Andrea shrugged casually, as if it were no big deal. “The door wouldn’t budge, and I had to get to her. It was the only option. As for how I did it, well that's a secret."

But to me, it wasn’t a secret—it was a reminder of how far she was willing to go to protect me. Having a sister like Andrea was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I knew I was the most important person to her and she’d do anything to keep me safe. But a curse because I knew she’d sacrifice herself without hesitation if it came down to it.

And that terrified me more than anything.