Anna woke up slowly, her eyes opening to the familiar ceiling above her bed. For a moment, the room was silent, wrapped in stillness.
She turned toward the window and saw the darkness outside. Night had already fallen.
Her eyes drifted down to her arms, and a knot tightened in her stomach. An IV line pierced one arm, a blood bag strapped to the other. Panic surged through her chest, and her breath hitched as confusion settled in.
Slowly, she turned her head to the other side of the room and froze.
Vincenzo sat in the chair beside the bed, his posture calm, but his eyes were cold with fury, fixed on her as if they could pierce straight through her soul.
The air between them felt heavy and suffocating. Anna’s lips parted, yet no sound came out. Every muscle in her body locked, numb with
