LOGINAurora POVI sit in the lecture hall with my notebook open and my pen resting uselessly between my fingers.The professor’s voice washes over me without meaning. Words drift past but my gaze keeps sliding to the window toward the outside world where everything that matters is happening without me.D
My chest tightens.“There you are,” he says as his gaze instantly finds me.“Here I am,” I smile as I cross the room to him, feeling drab in my school clothes next to him. “Where else would I be?”His hand comes to my waist like it belongs there—because it does. When he looks at me, the weight of ev
Aurora POV The hotel room smells faintly of oud and sandalwood, the most trendy and expensive perfume of the moment. This is the kind of place that knows it’s expensive and doesn’t let you forget it.I sit cross-legged on the edge of the bed in jeans and a sweatshirt, my dress hung carefully so it
Aurora POVThe coffeehouse smells like burnt espresso and pastries, like safety in the form of routine.I sit in my usual corner between classes, my back to the brick wall, the small round table pressed close enough that no one, not even my usual friends, can slide in uninvited. I am too distracted
Then she looks past Dominic and the body to the other older man standing waiting, his face full of resigned dignity so unlike what had been Francesco’s final moments.“Can Gianna’s father live?” she asks hoarsely, her soft voice barely reaching him across the empty space of the warehouse.The words
Aurora POVGianna is finally still.The pill I offered her dissolved beneath her tongue, and within minutes the sharp edges of her panic soften. Her lashes flutter as she slumps against the pillow, breath evening out, the fight draining from her limbs.I brush her hair back from her face with shakin
Alek leads us through a few of the other rooms—living space, dining area, a library with books I doubt anyone’s ever touched—before stopping outside two adjoining bedrooms.“You’ll sleep here. Gianna, this one is yours.” Gianna flinches when he gently takes her hand and presses a kiss to her knuckle
Aurora POVI wake up to the sound of heavy knocks banging against my door. It startles me into sitting up quickly and ripping the covers off of my body, my legs wobble as I stumble out of bed and over to the door.The sun blinds me, coming in from my uncovered window. Judging by how warm the rays ar
Aurora POVI pace the small bedroom like a caged animal, my thoughts race faster than my feet move, every step a stutter of panic and helplessness that I try, and fail, to swallow down before I scream in hysterics.Gianna is curled up on the edge of the twin-sized bed, mouth pressed into a thin line
I rush forward, grabbing her by the shoulders. “What happened? Are you okay?”She nods, eyes a little wide. “Yeah. He was… weirdly polite. We had a nice meal and wine while he talked about Russia like it was a damn fairytale. Said he’s going to build me some villa in the Italian countryside for when







