Cora had hardly seen Lorenzo since their last encounter. Days bled into nights, and still, his presence remained a shadow in the mansion. Whenever she passed his room, it was either locked, blacked out, or simply empty, as though he had vanished from her world completely. But the heavy weight of him lingered in her mind, refusing to let go.
Perhaps she should have felt relieved—his absence meant she could breathe, that she didn’t have to face the man who had turned her life into a nightmare. Yet, the reality was far from comforting. The questions gnawed at her like a beast— Why was she here? Why hadn’t he sent her away? Why was Lilly still missing?
The only solace she found was in Alessia.
Alessia, who had been nothing but kind. Alessia, who had watched over her, had made sure s
