Alessia Mancini
The world came back to me in fragments. First, the throbbing pain in my head, pulsing in time with my heartbeat. Then the cold bite of metal against my wrists, the clink of chains as I tried to move. My eyes fluttered open, struggling to focus in the dim light.
"f**k," I muttered, my voice raspy and unfamiliar to my own ears. I wiggled up the hard mattress beneath me, wincing as every movement sent shockwaves of pain through my skull.
As my vision cleared, I took in my surroundings. The room was small, windowless, with bare concrete walls. A single bare bulb hung from the ceiling, casting harsh shadows. The air was stale, tinged with the musty scent of disuse and something metallic - blood? My stomach churned.
‘Think, Alessia. What would Giovanni do?’ I forced myself t
