The next morning, the world felt different, lighter. Sophie woke up, the soft sunlight filtering through the curtains of the guest bedroom. She hadn’t expected to fall asleep so peacefully, but after everything that had transpired between her and Luca, it was almost as though the weight of her fears had been lifted—at least for the time being.
She shifted in bed, her mind racing as she replayed the events from the night before. The kiss. His words. The way he had held her. Every part of her body seemed to hum with the memory of his touch, the heat of his presence still lingering in the air.
Sophie wasn’t naive enough to think that things would be easy now. They had both let their guards down, but there was still so much between them. She still had so many doubts. And even if Luca
