Lily's POV.
I wake just before dawn, the sky outside our window still cloaked in soft shadows. Alessio lies beside me, one arm slung loosely over my waist, his brows drawn together even in his sleep. There is no peace in his expression, only the weight of everything that he carries.
I stay still, my cheek resting against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It grounds me, yet breaks me at the same time. How can a man so strong look so broken in the silence of his sleep?
My fingers brush lightly against his chest, as if they could brush away the tension etched into his skin. "I wish I could take it all away from you." I whisper softly. The pain of betrayal, the violence, the constant weight of leading an empire with shadows closing in from all sides, he carries it
