Chapter 89: The Line Crossed 

The silence crackles between us. A faint buzz, almost imperceptible. 

Then his voice returns. 

"I knew you'd call." 

My throat tightens. My fingers clench the phone. 

"Don't play games, Lorenzo." 

A soft laugh escapes the receiver. Warm. Reassuring. Yet beneath that velvet warmth, there's something else. Something cold. 

"You asked me to talk. So I'm obeying." 

I inhale deeply. My heart hammers in my temples. 

"Why is Alessandro with her?" 

The words leave my lips like a leap into the void. 

A pause, just long enough to shake my resolve. 

"Because he's no longer the same man, Arianna." 

"Stop the games." 

"This isn't a game. It's the truth. Alessandro has changed. And Giulia…" He hesitates, then continues, lower: "Giulia knew exactly where to strike." 

My blood runs cold. 

"Strike… where?" 

"At you." 

The word hits like a slap. My hand trembles.