Chapter 87: Unexpected Revelations

The weeks dragged by, slow and oppressive, with no word from Alessandro. Each day that passed without a call or a message deepened the void in my chest, a chasm where worry and impatience intertwined. The silence was crueler than any truth, for it carried within it a thousand scenarios, each darker than the last.

The first few nights, I had hoped to hear the familiar rumble of his car beneath the villa's arcades. I had strained my ears, listening for any sound in the darkness. But only the cicadas, indifferent, filled the warm summer air with their hum. Each morning, I woke with the desperate hope of seeing his name on my phone screen. Each morning, the blank screen mirrored my emptiness.

This waiting was wearing me down, gnawing at me. I had to do something.