The first sound Alessia heard was not birds or the wind but a whisper.
Soft, lovely and familiar.
It echoed faintly in her head, curling through her thoughts like smoke.
You are the lock… but every lock needs a key.
Her eyes fluttered open. The Morano mansion's ceiling glimmered above her, its ornate gold vines bathed in the pale light of dawn.
The world felt hazy—both distant and painfully sharp. She turned, her breath hitching when she saw Luca sleeping beside her.
His arm rested protectively across her waist, his breathing steady, his features softened by exhaustion.
Luca had left the tourist city with Alessia leaving Enzo's request unanswered.
For a moment, peace threatened to lull her back into denial. But then came the pulse—a faint tremor beneath her skin, like a heartbeat that didn't belong to her.
The cursed heartbeat.
