The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped out.
Would Ella think it's weird I came back this early?
Holding the bouquet, I slid into the car just as my phone rang. It was Christina.
"Hey, Oliver!" she sounded super pleased with herself. "Guess what just happened?"
I kept my tone calm. "Oh? Something new?"
"Ella said yes!" she practically shouted, clearly proud. "What about you?"
The car moved smoothly down the street. I glanced down at the flowers I was bringing for Ella, fingers gently adjusting them. "I'll be going to the exhibit in Italy with Ella, Christina. Better be ready for us."
But when I got home, she wasn’t there.
I placed the bouquet on the table and looked around the empty villa.
It felt like it did before Ella ever stepped into this place—dead si
