Chapter 19. The Unvoiced Intentions

Leila’s POV

I lay at the foot of the bed, my fingers playing with the edges of the blanket. Last night still clung to me. I could barely believe that I was still breathing, much less that I was lying in my room at the mansion. My mind swirled with fear and confusion, and oddly enough, a lingering partiality of warmth from Mr. Anderson’s promise to protect me.

A soft knock at the door yanked me out of my thoughts. I sat up straight and could feel my heart racing.

“Come in,” I said a little too loudly, trying to pull my voice to a stable point.

The door creaked open, and Luca stepped in with a soft smile before speaking softly, “So, how are you feeling?”

I tried to grin back, but it was feeble. “I’m… all right. Just a bit shaken.”

He pulled a chair from the wall and sat facing me, his arms braced on his knees, his eyes level with mine.

“Listen,” he said in a whisper, soft but firm in its insistence. “What happened last night was inevita