Chapter 11 Smoke Beneath The Crown

• Giovanni’s POV
• The last time I stood on this balcony, the sky had been choked with smoke from the south fields—the night Matteo’s world caught fire. And I remember watching from a safe distance, glass of scotch in hand, hoping it would all burn down. Hoping the flames would reach higher. Brighter. Hoping he’d finally feel what it meant to lose everything.
• But fire doesn’t always kill. Sometimes, it forges.