Chapter 27

• The Tuscan sun, warm and golden, kissed Cleo's skin as she sat on the terrace of their rented villa, a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio in her hand. The rolling hills, bathed in the soft light of the late afternoon, stretched out before her, a panorama of olive groves and cypress trees, a stark contrast to the bleak cityscape of their past. This wasn't just a change of scenery; it was a change of life. A deliberate, conscious choice to build a future far removed from the shadows of their shared trauma.
• Rowan joined her, his presence as comforting and familiar as the scent of rosemary and thyme drifting from the nearby herb garden. He settled beside her, his arm instinctively reaching for hers, their fingers intertwining. The silence between them wasn't strained; it was a comfortable silence, woven with the unspoken understanding that had grown between them, a language of shared glances and subtle touches.
• "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Cleo murmured, her gaze sweeping across the breathtaking vista.