Lorenzo’s POV
Chiara had always been a mystery to me.
But now? She was something else entirely.
Six years ago, she vanished from Florence like smoke. And when she returned, she wasn’t the same timid girl who used to lower her eyes whenever I looked at her.
She came back sharper. Stronger. Fiercer.
And it unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.
I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Everything about tonight felt wrong. Off-balance. The Chiara I remembered used to blush. Used to shrink back. Used to wait for my approval.
This Chiara?
She met my eyes without fear. Threw sharp words at me during our encounters. Held her ground like she didn’t care what I thought anymore.
And that threw me completely.
It wasn’t just her attitude. It was her presence. She walked into a room like she ow
