342Rosa’s POV I hated this.Hated that everything was starting to feel familiar again.The way Allesio looked at me like I was the only thing in the room that mattered. The way his voice softened when he spoke to me, even when I was pushing him away. The way my body still reacted when he got too close, like it hadn’t gotten the memo that he wasn’t safe anymore.It was dangerous.And yet, here I was. Unable to stop remembering things I had no business remembering. The way he used to smirk when I called him out on his arrogance. The way he used to pull me into his arms after completely pissing me off, grinning like it was all part of his master plan.But I also remembered the gut-wrenching pain of finding out what he had done. The betrayal. The humiliation.I sighed, rubbing my temples as I sat in Emilia’s living room later. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”Emilia sipped her tea, watching me with an annoyingly calm expression. “Nothing’s wrong with you.”I let out a humorless laug
341Rosa’s POV I should have canceled.The thought ran through my head for the hundredth time as I pushed open the door to La Verona, the café I’d stupidly chosen for this disaster of a meeting. The little bell above the entrance chimed, and the familiar scent of espresso and freshly baked pastries filled the air. Normally, it would have been comforting. Today, it just made my stomach turn.I spotted Allesio immediately.Of course, he was already here. Seated at a corner table, dressed in his usual black, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. The moment he saw me, he sat up a little straighter, like he’d been waiting for me to bolt.Not a bad assumption.I took a steadying breath and walked over, slipping into the seat across from him before I could talk myself out of it.“Hey,” he said carefully.I folded my hands on the table and raised an eyebrow. “You have one hour.”A flicker of amusement crossed his face, but it was gone before I could be sure. “You look good.”I rolled my ey
340Rosa’s POV I should have known better than to think I could go to the market without running into him.It had been days since I last saw Allesio, and I was finally starting to feel like I could breathe again. That was, until I spotted him standing by a fruit vendor, frowning at a crate of oranges like they’d personally offended him.I turned on my heel immediately. Nope. Not today.But before I could make my great escape, his familiar voice called out.“Rosa.”Damn it.I kept walking, pretending I hadn’t heard him.“Rosa.” Closer now.I should have just run.Then a hand closed around my wrist—firm, but not forceful—and I froze.For a second, I didn’t move. I just stood there, hating how my heart reacted to his touch. How, despite everything, my pulse still jumped the way it always did around him.I turned slowly, keeping my expression blank. “Are you stalking me now?”His lips twitched, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s a small town. We were bound to run into each ot
339Rosa’s POV The letter was sitting on my doorstep when I got home.Cream-colored envelope. My name written in his familiar scrawl. No sender address, but I didn’t need one.I knew exactly who it was from.I stared at it for a long moment, my heart hammering in my chest. My fingers twitched at my sides. The smart thing to do was to throw it away. Drop it into the nearest trash can and pretend it had never existed.But my traitorous hand moved before my brain could catch up. I snatched it up and marched inside, slamming the door shut behind me.I didn’t read it right away. I tossed it onto the kitchen counter, put on some music, and poured myself a glass of wine. I even went as far as reheating leftovers, pretending I wasn’t hyper-aware of the stupid envelope sitting there like a goddamn landmine.I lasted exactly thirteen minutes before I caved.With a frustrated sigh, I grabbed the letter and ripped it open, pulling out the neatly folded paper.His handwriting was as careful as I
338Rosa’s POV Emilia led me into the sitting room, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She didn’t speak right away, just gestured for me to sit while she grabbed a bottle of water from the bar cart.I sank into the couch, my body still buzzing with leftover frustration. My hands were clenched into fists, nails pressing into my palms.“Here,” Emilia said, passing me the bottle.I took it, exhaling sharply before unscrewing the cap. “Thanks.”She settled into the chair across from me, crossing one leg over the other. “So.”I sighed. “So.”She tilted her head. “Are you gonna tell me what the hell just happened out there?”I scoffed. “What do you think happened?”“I think Allesio looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks, and you look like you’re two seconds away from setting this entire house on fire.”I snorted. “That’s a generous estimate.”She smirked. “I figured.” Then, softer, “Talk to me, Rosa.”I stared down at the bottle in my hands. “It just…it still hurts, Emi.”Emilia lea
337Rosa’s POV I should have left.Should have walked right past him, pretended he didn’t exist, and kept going.But instead, I stood there, locked in a silent war with Allesio, the meaning of his words pressing down on me like a trap I hadn’t noticed until it was too late.His jaw clenched. “Rosa, I swear to you—keeping secrets from you was the worst mistake of my life.”I let out a cold laugh. “Really? That’s the worst? Not, I don’t know, using me? Lying to my face for weeks?” I tilted my head, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Not betraying me in the most humiliating way possible?”Pain flickered across his face, but I didn’t feel bad for him.I refused to.He took a slow breath, like he was forcing himself to stay calm. “I never meant to hurt you.”I scoffed. “Then what exactly did you mean to do, Allesio? Because, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure you knew what you were doing every time you touched me, every time you looked me in the eye and pretended that you—”I stop
336Rosa’s POV I continued walking but of course, I should have remembered that Allesio wouldn’t let me go that easily.“Rosa.”His voice was closer than it should have been. I barely had time to react before his hand wrapped gently—but firmly—around my wrist, stopping me in my tracks.I inhaled sharply, my pulse spiking at the contact. My body betrayed me instantly, remembering what it was like to be touched by him, to be wanted by him. To be loved by him.But my heart?My heart remembered the hurt.I yanked my arm back, but he didn’t let go. Not tightly, not enough to hurt—but enough to stop me from running.I glared at him. “Let me go.”“Not until you listen.”I huffed out a bitter laugh. “We’ve been over this. What’s left to say?”His grip loosened, but he didn’t let go. “That I never stopped loving you.”I felt those words more than I heard them.But I couldn’t afford to believe them.I gave him a flat look. “You have a real funny way of showing it.”His throat bobbed. “I was sc
335Rosa’s POV The plan was simple: go to Emilia’s, vent about the disastrous mistake of agreeing to one date with Allesio, which has now led to me agreeing to another, and drown my regret in whatever snacks she had stocked.The plan fell apart the second I knocked on her door and got no answer.Frowning, I pulled out my phone and dialed her number. She picked up on the second ring.“Rosa?”“Where are you?” I asked. “I’m at your house.”“Oh.” A pause. “I’m at the estate.”I closed my eyes, already regretting the direction this was heading.“The Castillo estate?” I repeated. “The one I’ve been actively avoiding?”She sighed. “Yes, that one.”Of course. Because fate apparently hated me.“I can come to you,” she offered, but I could hear the hesitation in her voice.I glanced at the time. “It’s fine,” I muttered before I could stop myself. “I’ll come.”“Are you sure?”No. “Yeah.”I hung up before I could talk myself out of it.***Walking into the Castillo estate felt like willingly ste
334Rosa’s POV The first rule of coming back to town? Avoid the Castillo estate at all costs.I had the plan mapped out: check into a hotel, visit Emilia, and pretend I wasn’t back in the same city as Allesio Castillo—the man who shattered my heart like cheap glass. Easy, right?Except, as always, life had other plans.I tightened my coat around me as I walked down the familiar streets, my heels clicking against the pavement. Everything looked the same—the bakery where Emilia and I used to sneak off for pastries, the bookstore where we’d spend hours gossiping instead of reading. It should’ve felt like home. Instead, it felt like a graveyard of memories.And like an idiot, I kept stepping on the ghosts.I stopped in front of Café Verona, a tiny coffee shop where Allesio and I had once shared a stolen moment. It was nothing special, just a rainy afternoon, two cups of coffee, and a conversation that made me feel like he saw me—really saw me. The memory hit me so hard I almost stepped i