Lina’s POV Pain shot up from my knees to my thighs. I sucked in a sharp breath and forced myself upright. Two pairs of eyes were still on me before I even dared to look up. Damien's face was disbelief incarnate. Carlino’s, on the other hand, was unreadable—calm, controlled, like he’d seen this before. “What are you doing here?” His voice was even, but it cut through me sharper than any scream. I swallowed. Words tangled in my throat. “I… I got lost.” The lie felt flimsy, and I knew it. “You got lost?” He stepped closer, with each footfall feeling deliberate, echoing through the room. My stomach sank. Nothing about his gaze was harmless. I braced myself instinctively, every nerve alert. “Yes. I—I couldn’t find my way back,” I replied, forcing my voice steadier than it felt. He didn’t answer right away. Just studied me—slowly, precisely. Like he was weighing something invisible against me. I clenched my fists, refusing to look smaller than I felt. “I wasn’t trying to intrude,”
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