登入Lina's POV The windchime on the door tinkled when I was arranging bouquets in the shop."Welcome," I said without lifting my head.I looked up when there was no response.A man was standing at the door. He was dressed in a white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing criss-crossing scars on his forearms.His hair was cropped short, and he had shaved. He looked much more alive compared to a month ago, but his eyes were the same. They were bloodshot and sunken, like two hollow abysses.It was Dante.The bouquet fell to the floor when my fingers went slack."How did you find this place?" I demanded icily.Dante didn't answer. Instead, he just stood at the door and looked around the shop, studying the colorful flowers. He smiled and said, "You once said that you wanted to open a flower shop."I was stunned. "You remember that?""I remember everything that you've ever said."He leaned against the doorframe but didn't enter the shop.I fell silent for a mome
Lina's POVDante's hand was suspended in midair. It was as if someone had frozen him in place."Lina…" he mumbled my name repeatedly.I looked into his eyes and said, "Please never look for me ever again."I then maneuvered past him and walked away. However, I only managed to take two steps before my wrist was grabbed."Lina," Dante mumbled again in a voice that was barely above a whisper, sounding like he was talking to himself more than he was addressing me. "Mi dispiace."I halted my footsteps."You were terrified of the dark in the past," he said. "Because you were trapped in a basement when you were a child. You were shivering every time you hid in my embrace when the electricity went out. You're also scared of thunder, and you have to cover your ears every time it storms. You're also scared of—""All of that is in the past," I interjected.Silence descended upon us.The night breeze billowed into the alley, sending the hem of my skirt fluttering in the air."Let go,"
Lina's POVI removed my mask and earbuds before turning around and heading for the back door.Uncle Marco's voice echoed from the earbuds, asking, "Are you leaving, Lina?""Si.""You're not going to meet him?""No."The chilly night breeze blew into my face when I pushed open the back door. The back of the restaurant was connected to a narrow alley, and a single, dim streetlight cast shadows on the cobblestone path.I had just taken a step forward when a deafening bang resounded from behind me.Someone had kicked open the back door of the restaurant. A dark figure rushed out into the alley.I had no time to react before a pair of strong hands gripped my wrists and roughly pinned me against the wall.Black spots exploded in my vision when the back of my head collided against the wall.When I finally snapped back to my senses, I found myself staring into a pair of bloodshot eyes.They were Dante's eyes.He was right in front of me, standing so close that I could clearly see
Lina's POVOn Baccanoro, Sienna Island, Uncle Marco pushed the door open and said, "He's here."I stood up and walked over to the mirror.The woman in the mirror was wearing a black dress. Her hair was tied up, revealing a long and slender neck. She was also wearing a long glove on her left arm, covering the burn marks on her skin. The wounds on her face had healed. Only a faint, barely visible scar at the corner of her left eye remained.I picked up the black mask from the table and secured it on my face."Are you sure that you want to do this, Lina?" Uncle Marco asked with a trace of worry in his voice. "You can choose to never see him again. You can go to a place where he will never find you and start over.""Uncle Marco," I said as I turned around, looking at the old man who had saved me when I was at the lowest point in my life. "If I don't meet him now, I'll be living in his shadow for the rest of my life. I tremble whenever I hear his name. I keep thinking that he's here
Lina's POV"Your new identity is Elena Vittori," Uncle Marco explained. "You were born on Sienna Island in Trivoli. You grew up in Visano, and you work as a florist. We've prepared a legitimate passport, driving license, medical card, and bank account for you."My wife runs this sanatorium. Dante will never find you here. You have to stay here for the next three months while you heal. Once you're fully recovered, you can go wherever you want. Francora, Vinnland, Armora—you can have your pick."Tears streamed down my face as I looked at the envelope."But what if he finds me, Uncle Marco?""He won't," Uncle Marco answered, his gaze turning sharp. "My men have infiltrated the Luciano family. They'll feed Dante false information. He will believe that you're truly dead—that you were burned to a crisp to the point that any traces of your DNA were destroyed."There is another woman's corpse in the ruins—an assassin from the Genovese family. Her build is similar to yours. I've already o
Lina's POV The man was my uncle, Marco Apolloni. He was the Consigliere of Mamma's family, and she trusted him more than anyone else in the world.Uncle Marco squatted down, ignoring the filth around him. His hands were shaking when he picked me up from the mud."I'm sorry that I'm late, Lina," he said in a trembling voice as his tears splattered on my burnt face.I wanted to speak, but I could only make hoarse noises as if the fire had burned its way down my throat.… The shockwave from the explosion had damaged my vocal cords. The doctor told me that my voice would never fully recover, and that I would always sound like I had just swallowed broken shards of glass.Uncle Marco removed his coat and draped it across my shoulders. His movements were incredibly gentle as if he were handling a piece of pottery that would shatter at a moment's notice."Stay strong, Lina," he said as he placed me on a simple stretcher.A bespectacled, middle-aged woman immediately approached me an







