"Valery, please open the door and tell me you're here!" It had been around five minutes since Alessandro dropped off Georgia in front of Valery's house, five minutes in which the woman had not opened the door and did not respond to her phone.Georgia was starting to get frustrated and considering the idea of going to a motel where she could stay for the night, but without enough energy to go to the main avenue to catch a taxi, Georgia sat on the porch of her best friend's house and rested her head in her hands. She was tired, sleepy, she had to take Thomas to the camp very early that day, had a lot to do and hadn't rested, and that, added to the bustle of the night, had completely worn out her body.There, in the middle of the night and the cold that was beginning to penetrate her bones, Georgia sighed and thought about Alessandro, those women, even thought about Domenico, and all the control she had lost over her own life lately. She didn't like that at all, it wasn't pleasant to fee

"We're not gonna do anything you won't like," one of the men said grotesquely.Georgia was trembling with fear, her hands were cold with terror, and her head was pounding like a thousand demons. She didn't know how the hell she was going to get out of this situation. She just understood that she couldn't let them hurt her. The problem was that this was a puzzle she couldn't quite make sense of yet, especially with the alcohol still in her system. Going out drunk was definitely not the best idea, not in that neighborhood or any other.Just as one of the men smiled and approached her threateningly, ready to grab her, Georgia heard a car parking. But she didn't feel capable of opening her eyes. Somehow, she wanted to pretend that what was happening wasn't real."What the hell are you doing to her?!" a male voice shouted, which she couldn't fully recognize at the moment, maybe because of the fear or the alcohol.When she was brave enough to open her eyes, she was surprised to see two men

"Dad!" Thomas shouted as he saw his father.Alessandro was learning to be more affectionate and careful with his son, so he knelt to his level and hugged him tightly."How was your trip, son?" he asked.Before answering, Thomas looked around for Georgia, but there was no trace of her, which worried the little boy, who really wanted to tell Georgia everything."Where's Georgia?"Alessandro rolled his eyes, even his son was completely infatuated with her."She couldn't come to pick you up, so I came instead," he lied. The truth was that the day before, Alessandro called Georgia, telling her that she had permission to stay with her friend for a couple more days since he would be free and could take care of Thomas.That wasn't true; Alessandro's schedule was busier than ever, but he still didn't want her to come back until he had erased any trace of that night when she was drunk and confessed her love. Then he wouldn't see her again. Alessandro didn't want to behave immaturely, but he did

"What are you talking about? Who wants to harm you?" the man asked hurriedly, furrowing his brow and approaching her. One of his biggest fears was that his business would splash onto someone like Georgia. He didn't want to involve her in anything that could hurt her or cause her harm. That, although he hadn't wanted to admit it, was one of the many reasons why he didn't dare get involved with her. Georgia didn't have the cool head that was necessary to cope with a life alongside someone like him. She could never endure it."Who wants to harm you, Georgia?" he grabbed her arms in desperation and shook her to make her give him a name or at least a description that could give him some clue."I don't know! I don't know!" she frowned, still confused by everything that had been happening recently. "This morning when I left Valery's house, there was a car following me. I'm sure they were following me. I had to run away and hide in the backyard of a house until they left me alone," she sighed

"Where the hell were you, Georgia?" Alessandro yelled as soon as she walked through the front door of the house.Georgia was agitated, her breathing so labored that it made it difficult for her to speak normally, her legs ached from the physical exertion, and her heart was pounding desperately in her chest."I need to go pick up Thomas," was all she could say.Alessandro shook his head and looked at her in disbelief and disdain. "Pick up Thomas? Haven't you realized what time it is?" Alessandro raised his voice, he was extremely upset with her. "Thomas is already home! I had to postpone an important meeting to go get him because the woman I paid forgot she had work to do.""Is he okay?" she asked.For a moment, all Georgia could think about was that if she was being followed, it was very likely that other members of the families were being followed as well, especially given what Alessandro had said that afternoon when she told him about the black car. It was very likely that someone w