SARAHI woke up with a stiff neck and a heavy chest. The sun was already peeking through the curtains, soft and golden, but it didn’t feel like morning. It felt like the middle of something long and draining.Marco was still asleep beside me, chest rising and falling like nothing was wrong. I stared at him for a while. There was a time when his face made me feel safe. Now it made me feel small. Not because of him… but because everything around him was too loud, too powerful, too well-placed. He looked peaceful. Untouched. I didn’t want to wake him.I slipped out of bed slowly, wincing as my feet hit the cold floor. My legs felt like they’d been running all night. Every muscle in my back reminded me of the last few days. Maddalena had found a way to make me her assistant without ever raising her voice. Always smiling, always thanking me, always adding one more thing.In the bathroom mirror, I looked pale. My eyes were sunken in. My collarbones stood out more than usual. I smiled, just
SOFIAThe airport was quiet.. just past midnight, Milan time. Sofia stood by the boarding gate, her passport in one hand, the boarding pass folded cleanly in the other. She wore black, nothing flashy, just sleek. Controlled. Her suitcase sat upright beside her, its wheels locked in place like she’d anchored it to something deeper than tile.She didn’t look back. Not once.When the boarding call echoed through the gate, she moved first. No hesitation. No pause. Just long, quiet steps toward the jet bridge.Her seat was by the window. First class. Quiet. The kind of seat people didn’t talk in. She didn’t take her coat off. Just sat down, buckled in, and closed her eyes for a second.She’d said goodbye already. Her mother’s tearful hug, her father’s tired nod—it was all behind her now. Her job, her apartment, her old routine—they were folded into the past, packed in silence, like chapters she didn’t plan to reopen.The plane started to taxi. Her hand tightened slightly around the armrest
SARAHThe room was quiet, still in that soft way late nights tend to be. The AC hummed in the background, steady and low. The TV was off, Marco had turned it off a while ago without saying much. I sat cross-legged on the bed, a pillow tucked close to my chest. He was beside me, leaning back against the headboard, his phone in his hand, but I could tell he wasn’t really using it. His thumb barely moved, and every few seconds, his eyes would shift over to me, like he had something on his mind but didn’t know how to say it out loud.I glanced at him. “You’re quiet.”He didn’t look up right away. Just breathed out through his nose, then said, “Just thinking.”“About the event?”He gave a slow nod. “Yeah.”The silence that followed wasn’t heavy. It was just… unsure.He finally turned his head, looking at me properly now. “It’s just a party.”I nodded a little, but not because I agreed. He gave a small smile, tired around the edges. “Well it is just a party. Maddalena decided she wanted on
SARAHThe house had been still for two whole days. No cold glances from the maids. No sharp footsteps echoing with tension. No Maddalena, watching from corners like a queen waiting to strike. It was quiet. Not fake quiet. Real quiet. I could feel it in my bones.I woke up that morning and breathed easier. Marco’s words still sat inside me, soft but steady. “No one gets to silence you in my house again.” The way he said it. The way he looked at me after. It didn’t just sound like a promise. It felt like one.So I moved different. Slower. More sure. I made my tea with both hands, no shaking. I picked up a book and sat by the window like I used to, before things got so heavy. Even the way the light hit the room felt softer. I didn’t flinch when someone walked by the door. I didn’t look over my shoulder waiting for Maddalena to glide in like a storm.It felt like maybe, just maybe, the worst had passed.Marco found me on the couch later, tea in my hand, legs curled under a blanket. He loo
SARAH The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the air. It wasn’t heavy like it had been. It didn’t press down on my chest or sit in my throat like a lump I couldn’t swallow. It wasn’t perfect, but it was different. Lighter. Like the house had taken a breath, and now I could too. I stayed still for a moment. Listening. Feeling. Marco’s words were still in my mind—low, sure, cutting through all the noise that had lived in my head since Maddalena arrived. “No one gets to silence you in my house again.” I didn’t know if I believed him completely yet. But I wanted to. And that was more than I’d had in days. I pushed the blanket aside and stood. The floor was cold under my feet, but I didn’t mind. It grounded me. I tied my robe tighter around my waist, brushed my fingers through my hair, and walked out into the hallway. Everything felt still. But not the wrong kind. Not like the house was watching me, waiting for me to slip. No, this felt… normal. Or as close to normal as anythi
THIRD PERSONThe phone rang twice. Then a third time. Maddalena sat perfectly still in her chair, legs crossed, the stem of her gin glass resting lightly between her fingers. The candlelight danced on the dark wood desk, throwing soft shadows across her face. She looked at the phone like it owed her something. Calm, steady. Confident.By the fourth ring, the call connected.“Sofia,” she said, voice low and smooth. “Tell me what I need to hear.”There was a pause, then a soft, amused breath on the other end. A small laugh followed. The kind that said she’d been waiting for this moment.“You always start like that,” Sofia said. “Straight to the point. No greetings. No warmth.”“I don’t call to chat,” Maddalena replied. “I call for results.”“Well,” Sofia said, her voice sharper now, more grounded, “you’ll be pleased. I’m packed. Everything’s done. My apartment’s empty. I left the keys this morning.”“No loose ends?” Maddalena asked, already knowing the answer.“None. I didn’t leave a tr