Chapter 12 – The Prize And The Punishment

• The morning after the strange discovery in the locked drawer haunted Alina like a ghost that refused to retreat to the shadows. She hadn’t slept, not really. Her mother’s handwriting—her name scrawled across the bottom of that faded drawing—played on an endless loop in her mind. The feel of Luciano’s bed, his scent engulfing the room, only heightened the sense that she’d walked into a life she didn’t understand.
• Now, dressed in a soft cashmere sweater and leggings Teresa had laid out, Alina paced along the marble hallway that led to the eastern courtyard. She wasn’t expecting to see anyone, least of all him.
• But there he stood—Luciano Moretti, in a dark turtleneck and black slacks, the morning sun casting sharp angles over his face. He didn’t smile. He never did.