Chapter 52

• As soon as I returned to my chamber, my heart kept pounding, a wild beat that refused to calm. I paced the room, rubbing my chest, trying to steady myself, but my mind was a whirlwind. Stefano and Ornella lingered in my thoughts, and Emiliano's words circled back in an endless loop. What if Stefano was wrong about Ornella? What if allying with her could be even more dangerous than siding with her brother?
• A knock at the door jolted me from my daze. I sucked in a breath. "Stefano," I whispered, rushing to open it, only for my excitement to falter when I saw Maria standing outside. "Come in," I mumbled, trying to hide my disappointment.
• She brushed past me, heading straight to the wall by my bed, where an ornate cabinet stood. Before I could ask what she was doing, she pressed an engraved symbol I hadn't noticed before, and suddenly, the wall cracked open, forming a narrow door.