Chapter 43

• Alessia’s POV
• Moving into Marco’s house felt like stepping into a gilded cage. Elena was worried but I promised her I would be back in one year. Everything was polished, extravagant, dripping in wealth, but beneath the luxury, there was something else. The house radiated silence instead of warmth, but that was least of my problems.
• Marco’s men, his people, had a way of watching without looking. A quiet acceptance of my presence, but not a warm one. It didn’t bother me. I hadn’t moved in to make friends.