Chapter 68

• Marco’s POV
• The house was unusually quiet. The kind of silence that weighed heavy, like a low fog pressing down on every corner. My boots echoed on the marble floor as I moved cautiously, following the faintest sounds from the kitchen.
• I wasn’t expecting to find Leona there. I hadn’t seen her since late afternoon, and with the tension between us, I thought maybe she was avoiding me, like she always had lately. But there she was, framed by the soft golden light above the gas, slicing fruit with slow, deliberate movements.