Chapter 30 The Layers Beneath

• Stefano and Serena.
• The morning sun had climbed higher by the time Serena and Stefano left the quaint breakfast café tucked in a quiet corner of Milan. The clink of cutlery, the scent of buttery croissants, and the way his hand brushed hers across the table lingered in her mind like a melody she didn’t want to end.
• Afterward, they wandered into a small, contemporary art gallery nestled between two centuries-old buildings. The space was quiet, awash in natural light that spilled through skylights and danced across canvases and sculptures alike. The air was tinged with the subtle sharpness of paint, aged wood, and varnish.