The message stayed on her screen longer than it should have.
“Tell me you didn’t go with them.” — Alessandro
Giulia didn’t reply.
Not because she didn’t want to.
Because she didn’t know what the right answer was anymore.
A soft knock broke the silence.
She looked up.
The man across from her had already stepped back, as if the next part of this conversation didn’t belong to him.
“Your time isn’t over,” he said. “But you’ll want to hear them.”
“Them?” Giulia repeated.
The door opened before he could answer.
And suddenly—
Everything shifted.
“Giulia?”
Her breath caught.
“Chiara?”
Her best friend stepped in first, eyes scanning her like she needed to confirm she was real. Behind her, Sofia followed, quieter but no less intense, her arms folded as she took in the room.
“What ar
