Chapter Seven _ Morning Whispers
287 Words
The first light of dawn spilled across Venice,soft and golden, painting the canals like liquid fire. The carnival's music had faded hours ago, leaving the streets quiet except for the faint lap of water against stone.
Isabella sat by her window,her red gown folded nearly on the chair beside her.
She had not slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him _ his mask,his scar, the way his eyes burned into hers as though he could read every secret she tried to hide.
"Isabella ?"
Her father's gentle knock came at the door.she quickly pulled a shawl around her shoulders and tried to steady her voice."yes,papa?"
He opened the door and smiled wearily.His hair was touched with silver,his hands stained with paint from the shop.
" you were at the carnival late.Did you enjoy yourself?"
"yes", she whispered, though the word felt heavy with lies.
Her father studied her,his eyes soft but worried. "Be careful, figlia mia.the carnival is not always what it seems.beneath the masks..... some men hide darkness ".
Isabella's chest tightened.Did he know?
Could he somehow sense what had happened?
"I'll be careful ", she promised quickly.
But even as she said the words,her heart betrayed her. Careful? she was anything but careful. She had stood in the shadow of danger, trembling yet drawn to it like a moth to flame.
She turned back to the window once her father left. Across the canal,she thought she saw a figure watching _a tall man in black, standing still too still, before melting into the morning haze.
Her breath caught.
Had he found her?
Or was it only her restless mind, conjuring the ghost of a man she wasn't sure she wanted to escape?
- Writer
