The Road to the Past

Elena sat in the passenger seat of Luca's sleek black car, her fingers gripping the leather armrest as the city lights blurred past. The hum of the engine filled the silence between them, but the real noise was inside her head—a storm of memories, warnings, and fear.

She should have fought harder. Should have taken the key back. Should have done something.

But Luca was always a step ahead.

Now, she was trapped in this car, heading toward a past she had sworn never to revisit.

"Where are we going?" she finally asked, forcing her voice to stay even.

Luca didn't glance at her. "Somewhere you buried a long time ago."

Her stomach twisted.

The way he said it—the certainty in his voice—sent a shiver down her spine. He wasn't guessing. He knew.

Adrian must have told him something.

Her nails dug into her palm. Bastard.

She turned to Luca, studying the sharp edge of his jaw, the way his hands gripped the wheel with a controlled intensity.

"You don't have to do this," she tried, though she already knew the answer.

Luca smirked, but his eyes stayed on the road. "Oh, bambina, you should know by now—I always do what I want."

She hated that a part of her liked that about him.

The car slowed as they pulled onto a narrow, winding road. Trees stretched high on both sides, their shadows twisting in the headlights.

Elena's chest tightened.

No.

She recognized this road.

And she definitely recognized the iron gate they stopped in front of.

Her pulse pounded.

Luca turned off the engine and pocketed the key. Then he turned to her, his dark eyes gleaming with something she couldn't quite place.

"Shall we?"

Elena swallowed hard.

Because behind that gate, buried in a place she never wanted to return to—

Was the secret that could destroy everything.

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Next Chapter: Skeletons in the Dark—Luca and Elena step into the past. The truth is waiting, and it's darker than either of them expected.