ARIA'S POV
It’s been fourteen days. The sky here turns gold at exactly 6:42 in the evening. I’ve memorized the timing. I’ve memorized the way the light spills across the hills, how it makes the long grass look softer than it is.
The villa sits alone in the countryside, surrounded by acres of open land and silence that feels unnatural. No neighboring houses. No visible roads from the front terrace. Just rolling green and a narrow gravel drive that disappears into trees thick enough to swallow sound. It’s beautiful.
The house itself looks like something out of a magazine — white stone walls, tall arched windows, iron balconies wrapped in ivy. The kind of place couples would rent for a summer to fall in love.
Sebastian calls it “temporary.”
I don’t ask temporary for what. He wakes up bef
