Carlino’s POV
I woke up like I was summoned. I didn’t open my eyes immediately. I just listened, listened to the sounds that were circulating.
The house breathes the way it always does at this hour—generators humming low beneath the marble, the subtle shift of boots somewhere in the corridors, metal brushing against metal as a guard adjusts his rifle. Routine. Controlled. Mine.
It was all mine. But something felt wrong. It felt cold. Empty.
The air feels… lighter. Cooler on my skin. My arm is stretched across sheets, I touched it, tapping on the bed, but I met with the empty sheets on the other side.
My eyes flew open.
Lina’s side of the bed is cold. I didn't move at first. I let my mind run through possibilities with surgical precision. Bathroom. Balcony. Insomnia.
Then I notice th
