Marco

My consciousness slowly seeps back into my senses and the room starts to swims into focus. My head throbs, each pulse sending jolts of pain through my skull. The voices around me, initially distant and indistinct, gradually sharpen into clarity.

“I think he is awake,” Sophia’s familiar voice says, cutting through the haze.

“He had better be,” another voice responds, sharp and authoritative.

“Mrs. Matteo, please, let’s maintain some composure. Marco has been through a traumatic experience,” a third voice interjects, clearly belonging to Becca.

“Who are you again? Becca, my grandchild was kidnapped right in front of your son’s apartment and you ask me to be calm? He is my very first suspect and both of you better pray that she is found unharmed.”

“Nonna please, my baby will be found. Let's give them a bit of space while we go and get the detective and the doctor.”

The names Mrs. Matteo, register dimly in my foggy mind, stirring memories of Valentina’s family. But why am I here, and what