CHAPTER 18 — THE MEETING
The city at night never slept.
It watched.
From the tinted windows of the black car, Amara studied the streets as they passed — neon lights reflecting off wet asphalt, figures moving with purpose or desperation, shadows folding into one another like secrets. This part of the city didn’t belong to tourists or dreamers.
It belonged to people who knew how to survive.
Alessandro sat beside her, silent, his presence steady and unyielding. He hadn’t touched her since they left the estate, but his awareness of her was constant. Every shift in her breathing, every movement of her hands, he noticed.
This wasn’t a date.
This was a declaration.
“You can still stay behind,” he said quietly, eyes forward.
Amara didn’t look at him. “You wouldn’t have brought me if you d
