Chapter 22: The Betrayal
It started with silence. --- Too quiet. Too controlled. --- Elena felt it before anything even happened. That same feeling from before. The kind that settled deep in her chest— a warning. --- She stood near the edge of the estate grounds, two guards positioned nearby as instructed. Alessandro had been called away. Urgent business. He hadn’t wanted to leave her. That much had been clear. --- “Stay inside,” he had said. --- She hadn’t listened. --- Now— she was starting to wonder if she should have. --- “You shouldn’t be out here.” --- The voice came from behind her. --- Elena turned. Marco. --- Relief flickered for a split second. Familiar face. Safe. --- “I needed air,” she said. --- He studied her for a moment. Something unreadable in his expression.
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