The city looked peaceful from Renzo Valenti's penthouse. Four Years later, Elara would realize that was the last night the city ever felt safe.
Lights stretched across the horizon like scattered stars beneath a thin veil of fog.
From the balcony, the city felt quieter.
Elara leaned against the railing, her bare feet cold against the stone floor. The wind brushed loose strands of hair across her cheek. Behind her, she heard the balcony door slide open.
Bare footsteps followed.
Renzo stepped onto the balcony, closing the door behind him. The warm light from the bedroom faded, leaving them wrapped in the soft darkness of the night. Tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair still damp from the shower, Renzo Valenti moved like someone who had never doubted his place in the world.
"You're avoiding me," a familiar voice said.
Elara didn't turn around. "I'm enjoying the view."
Renzo stepped beside her, resting his forearms on the railing. "You've been 'enjoying the view' for ten minutes."
"Maybe I like the view more than your company."
He tilted his head slightly, studying her face. "You're lying."
"I am not."
"You always wrinkle your nose when you lie."
She immediately smoothed her expression. Renzo smiled. "See?"
Elara rolled her eyes, her voice softening. "You're leaving tomorrow."
Renzo didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked out across the city, the wind shifting his hair. "Just a few weeks," he said.
"You said that last time."
"And I came back."
She raised an eyebrow. "After three months."
Elara turned away from him. But he moved silently, stepping behind her. She felt his warm hands settle on her waist, pulling her gently back against his chest. His body pressed lightly against her back. Warm and solid.
"That's not helping your argument," she murmured.
"It's not meant to."
"Then what is?"
He paused, his voice lowering.
"Making sure you don't hate me before I leave."
The words settled between them, heavier than they should have been.
His chin rested lightly on her shoulder, his breath brushing the side of her neck. For a moment, neither of them moved.
Elara swallowed. Instead of arguing, she asked the question that had been sitting in her chest all evening. "Why do you have to go?"
Renzo's jaw tightened slightly. "Business."
She looked away. "I hate that word."
"I know."
She turned in his arms. He brushed her hair back, his touch gentler than his reputation allowed. "You worry too much," he told her.
"That's because you don't worry enough."
Renzo chuckled quietly. "That's not true."
"When was the last time you were afraid of anything?"
He thought. "Elevators."
She stared. "Seriously?"
"They get stuck sometimes."
"You carry a gun."
"That doesn't help with elevators."
Elara shook her head, smiling despite herself. "You're unbelievable."
"Yet you're still here."
Before she could reply, Renzo's phone buzzed on the table near the door. He glanced at the screen. Something dark flickered in his eyes, gone just as quickly, before he flipped the phone face down.Elara noticed.
"You're ignoring it?" She asked.
"It can wait."
"That's unusual."
"Tonight is unusual."
She studied him. Renzo Valenti was not a man who ignored calls, especially not after midnight. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No."
"You hesitated."
"I blinked."
"That was not a blink."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice slightly. "You're interrogating me on my own balcony."
"I'm concerned."
"You're suspicious."
"Maybe."
Renzo's gaze softened. "You shouldn't be."
"Your life is literally made of reasons to be suspicious."
"That's unfair."
"You once told me someone tried to poison your uncle."
"He deserved it."
"That doesn't help."
Renzo laughed again, the sound low and warm.
"You think too much."
"And you think too little."
"That's why we balance each other."
For a moment they simply looked at each other.
Then Renzo pulled her closer again. Elara's hands rested instinctively against his chest. His hand slid to her waist, and lower back drawing her closer until there was no space left between them.
"You'll miss me," he said quietly.
"I will not."
"You will."
"I absolutely will not."
"You checked your phone six times tonight."
"I was checking the time."
"You were checking for me."
She opened her mouth to argue, then stopped. His thumb traced slowly along the curve of her jaw. The touch was gentle, but it sent a wave of heat through her.
Renzo smirked. "Exactly."
He leaned down and kissed her before she could recover. It wasn't rushed or demanding; it was slow, warm, and familiar, The kind of kiss that dissolved
arguments. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt as the it deepened.
When they finally pulled apart, her breath had changed.
The world felt far away. Without warning, Renzo lifted her easily into his arms. She let out a soft laugh of surprise as he carried her inside, setting her down on the edge of the wide bed. The movement was effortless and confident, like everything he did.
Elara leaned back slightly on her hands, looking up at him. "You're very sure of yourself tonight."
"Always."
He stepped closer, standing between her knees. He was close enough that she had to tilt her head back to hold his gaze.
"You can still change your mind," he said quietly.
Elara didn't say a word. She looked into his eyes. Then she lifted her arms around his shouldersand pulled him down.
Her eyes closed as she pressed her lips gently against his.
Renzo jolted slightly in surprise... as if he hadn't expected her to be the one to close the distance
But as their lips parted, something in him shifted. He pulled her back into another kiss, harder this time. He pushed her down until she fell onto the bed. He followed her down, the weight of him a welcome pressure.
Years of knowing her, wanting her, and holding himself back all seemed to surface in a single moment. His hand tightened at her waist as if letting her go wasn't an option anymore. Keeping her anchored as his mouth moved against hers, grew hotter as he tasted her with a hunger that made her pulse race. It was intense. Deeper.
As if he had been restrained for far too long.
He pressed his body firmly against hers, leaving no space between them. She gasped softly. The sensation rushed through her, leaving her breath unsteady. A quiet moan slipped from her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer like she needed more, like she wasn't ready for this to end.
Renzo exhaled against her skin, the sound low, and rough. That small sound from her was enough to undo what little restraint he had left. His mouth shifted, trailing from her lips to the curve of her jaw, then lower, brushing against her ear. Every touch felt intentional. Measured. Like he was learning exactly how far she'd let him go. The contact sent a visible shiver through her, and her fingers tightening instinctively against his hair. Her heart raced too fast, too loud. And he could feel it.
A flicker of something dangerous crossed his expression before he leaned in again, his voice low a murmur against her skin. "Say it."
She barely managed to breathe. "Say what?"
His grip shifted, tilting her face back toward him.
"That you'll miss me."
Her pulse stuttered. The room felt smaller suddenly. There was only the heat between them, the weight of tomorrow pressing into every second they had left.
She hesitated.
He didn't move. Didn't rush her. That was the dangerous part.
Her fingers tightened at the back of his neck.
"…I will," she admitted softly.
Renzo stilled for a fraction of a second. Then his hand slid up to her jaw, tilting her face back toward him, his gaze locking onto hers, dark, certain, unrelenting.
"I know."
He kissed her again, fueled by a sudden, sharp urgency. Like something being claimed. It was electrifying, a mix of pleasure and the quiet realization that his leaving made tonight the only thing that mattered.
---
When they finally separated, Renzo rested his forehead against hers, his hand still tangled in her hair.
"You see?" he murmured.
Elara tried to steady her breathing. "See what?"
"That look you give me when you pretend not to care."
His thumb brushed lightly across her cheek.
"You always lose that argument."
She exhaled, shaking her head slightly. "You're insufferable."
"And you're still here."
"When I come back," he said softly, "we're leaving this city."
Elara blinked. "What?"
"I'm serious. We'll disappear somewhere warm. Somewhere quiet."
"That sounds like a fantasy."
"Maybe." His thumb brushed gently along her jawline. "But I'm starting to think I want a different life."
The words seemed to surprise even him. Renzo rarely talked about the future.
"What kind of life?" she asked quietly.
"The kind where people don't look at me like I'm my father."
Elara's heart tightened at the honesty in his voice. "You're not him."
"Tell that to the rest of the city."
He reached into the pocket of his jacket, which was draped over a nearby sofa. Elara noticed immediately.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"That didn't look like nothing."
"It's definitely nothing."
"Renzo."
He hesitated before pulling out a small black box. Elara stared. "You're kidding."
"Maybe."
"You're unbelievable."
"And yet you're still here."
He opened the box. A silver locket shimmered in the moonlight. "Open it," he said quietly.
Elara clicked the tiny latch. Inside were two small photos. One showed them at the pier the previous summer laughing, her hair blown across his face, their eyes crinkled in a way that looked like they had discovered a secret the rest of the world didn't know.
"We look like fools," she whispered.
"We look like people who don't know how to lose," Renzo corrected.
He took the locket and fastened the chain gently around her neck.The metal felt cool against her skin.
"Wear this, Elara" he murmured. "And I'll always find my way back to you."
A quiet promise.
He leaned in and kissed her again this time slower, deeper. As if he was trying to memorize the way she felt. The locket pressed between their chests, a tiny, cold heart beating between two people who thought they were untouchable.
The room felt warmer now. Quieter. Like the world outside had already begun to disappear.
"Renzo."
"Yes?"
"Don't disappear again."
His hand brushed through her hair.
"I won't."
"Promise?"
Renzo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked out toward the dark city skyline beyond the window.
"Promise," he said quietly.
Neither of them knew it then. But four years later, Renzo Valenti would remember this exact moment with painful clarity. The last night his world felt simple. The last night he believed the future belonged to both of them.The last night he kissed Elara Vance before everything burned. Before the video call at 2:17 AM shattered everything they thought they had.