Mag-log inAurora 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
“You two should come to dinner with us,” she said warmly, placing a hand gently on Aurora’s arm. “There’s a restaurant across the street with this amazing private room. They have a great wine list too. If you’re up for it. I’ve had a blast chatting with you.”Aurora looked up at Dominic, her express
Aurora POVEver since meeting that couple at the spa—and especially after talking with Elise over dinner—I can’t stop thinking about the future.My future.It’s ridiculous how one conversation with a stranger can worm its way so deep into my head. But I keep hearing her voice echo as she told me to
“She told you to go home,” he repeated flatly.Well, he supposed that was better than hitting her again.Her shoulders hunched as if she was bracing for a lecture.He didn’t give her one.Not yet, at least.Dominic didn’t respond right away. Instead, his hands curled tight around the steering wheel,
Aurora POVI know it’s a bad idea the second I the words coming tumbling out of my mouth, but by the time I think to suck them back in, they’re already reaching Dominic’s ears.“I need to see her. Face to face. She still isn’t answering my calls. I just want to make sure she’s alright. Can I—?”I do







