SIMONE'S POV
The storm came without warning.
One moment I was reading Papa's book in my room, trying to make sense of the feudal power structures he'd written notes about in the margins.
The next, lightning split the sky and thunder shook the villa's ancient walls. The lights blinked once, twice, then died completely.
I sat in the sudden darkness, listening to the wind howl against my windows.
After seven days of isolation, the storm felt like nature itself was responding to my release—wild, chaotic, unpredictable.
Emergency lighting kicked in somewhere in the distance, casting eerie shadows down the hallway. I should have stayed in my room.
That would have been the smart thing to do. But after a week of confinement, the pull of freedom was too strong.
I slipped o
