ETHAN'S POV
SUNDAY - JULY 7, 6:04AM - MILANO MALPENSA → VILLA ROMANO
7 hours later I landed.
Luca picked me up. No talking. Just coffee and driving.
"Mom and Dad left last night," he said. "It’s just Nonna, Zia Rosa, Zio Lorenzo, and the cousins now."
"And Aurora."
Great. No parents. No buffer. Just Zia Rosa.
We pulled up to Villa Romano at 1:23PM. Smelled like Sunday lunch.
I walked in and 8 heads turned.
Nonna. Zia Rosa. Zio Lorenzo. Bianca. Chiara. Marco.
And Aurora. White sundress. Hair down. She saw me and froze. I did it right this time. No rushing.
Hugged Nonna first. "Mi è mancata la sua pasta." [I missed your pasta.]
Then Zia Rosa. "Buongiorno, Zia." [Good morning, Aunt.]
Then Zio Lorenzo. Handshake.
Aurora was last.
"Hey, Milla."
"Hey," she whispered back.
Nox me
