Chapter 79. The Line Is Drawn

The door clicked shut behind him, Rosa’s footsteps fading down the hallway as she returned to the girls.

Ezio stayed still for a moment, his hand on the cool metal of the exit door, head bowed just enough for the shadows to hide the look on his face.

He forced himself to breathe.

It’s for her safety.

She’ll be alright.

Rosa won’t let anything touch her.

But none of it made the pressure in his chest ease.

He walked toward the car, each step heavier than the last. By the time he reached the underground garage, the silence was sharp. Almost accusing.

He drove in silence, jaw locked, hands tight on the wheel, stopping only when he reached his own apartment—the one he’d brought her to last night.

He stepped inside.

The apartment was quiet. Still. Unchanged.

Except that everything in his periphery felt like it had her shape pressed into it.

The faint scent of her shampoo lingered in the air, cling