Chapter 33. Not So Lonely

Ezio showered and changed into a simple shirt and dark trousers. The house was quiet—too quiet. He sat on the edge of the bed, rolling up his sleeves, listening to the faint hum of the heater and the distant ticking of a clock.

Sleep didn’t come. His mind refused to still itself.

He thought of her laughter at dinner, the flush on her cheeks when she’d admitted she felt safer with him near.

It shouldn’t matter.

It did anyway.

A soft knock broke the silence.

“Come in,” he said, expecting Rosa—maybe Gabriella.

But it was Margherita.

She stepped inside hesitantly, wrapped in a long cardigan over a light nightdress, her hair falling loose over her shoulders. She looked unsure at first, then steadied herself, closing the door behind her.

Ezio rose slightly. “You should be asleep.”

“I couldn’t,” she said quietly.

She crossed the room, stopping a few steps from him. Her fingers brushed against his sleeve, light as breath. “I