ENZO’S POV TWO MONTHS LATER White light seared through the darkness first. It wasn’t gentle, it wasn’t peaceful, it was just a blinding and merciless white light that made my skull feel cracked open. I floated in it, my lungs felt heavy, my body felt weightless and wrong. I didn’t feel pain yet, only a vast, echoing nothing. Then voices. A woman praying in Italian, low and frantic, rosary beads clicking like tiny desperate heartbeats. “Signore… per favore… aiutaci… proteggi la nostra famiglia… proteggi Lorenzo…” “Lord... please... help us... protect our family... protect Lorenzo…”Mamma Rosa. Her voice trembled on every word, and cracked on my name. I wanted to answer. I wanted to tell her that I was here. I wanted to tell her to stop crying. My tongue felt thick and dead. My throat closed around ash. More voices layered in. Calling me, soft at first, then louder and panicked. “Lorenzo… Lorenzo, tesoro, apri gli occhi…” “Lorenzo... Lorenzo, honey, open your eyes…” I remembe
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