I woke up with a start, the sunlight slicing through the curtains like a blade to my calm. My head throbbed, but not from a hangover. No, the reason for the dull ache between my temples was the man who wasn’t there. Dario’s absence was like a hole in the room, one I didn’t want to acknowledge, but there it was.
I glanced around the room, the walls too quiet, too still. The only noise was the faint hum of the city outside, and the distant ring of my phone.
Dario had gone. Mafia business, he’d said. But really, I couldn’t be bothered to ask for details. He never gave any anyway.
I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed, feeling the warmth of the sheets where he’d been just hours ago. That kiss. The heat of it lingered on my lips, and I tried to shake it off. The man had left without so muc
