Chapter 58. Glad You Came Back

Ezio carried her upstairs in silence. She didn’t resist this time, though her body was rigid, her cheek pressed against his shoulder.

When they reached his room, he set her down gently, steadying her when her knees wavered.

Her breath came in shallow bursts. The thin nightdress clung to her skin, still wrinkled from the ropes.

“Sit,” he said softly, guiding her toward the bed.

She obeyed without looking at him, her eyes dull from exhaustion.

“You should take a shower,” he added after a beat. “It’ll help.”

She hesitated, voice rough. “You shouldn’t tell me what helps.”

He nodded slightly. “Then take it as advice.”

For a moment she studied him—then stood and walked to the bathroom without another word.

The water started running. Ezio leaned against the dresser, pinching the bridge of his nose. His muscles ached from tension, but it was the silence that hurt most—the thought of her sitting motionless, fading, refusing to eat, to fig