ARYA’S POV
I managed to slip past Matteo's watchful eye with a carefully crafted lie about an all-women's painting class I had seen advertised online.
He was skeptical at first, but I played up the need for normalcy, and eventually he agreed…. on the condition that he waited outside.
It was enough.
Marco was already waiting at the café when I arrived, sitting at a corner table with two espressos. The moment I saw him, relief flooded through me.
"Marco!" I slid into the seat across from him, and he stood to hug me properly.
"It's good to see you," he said, and there was genuine warmth in his voice.
I smiled in response. "How's everyone?" The question burst out of me before I could stop it. "My family… are they okay?"
"They're fine. Worried about you, but fine." He pulled out his p
