Chapter 52

Adrian POV

Italy had a way of pulling me back into time, no matter how many years passed. The air was warm and fragrant, carrying a faint scent of rosemary, lavender, and the kind of peace I hadn’t felt in a long time. It wasn’t just the landscape, it was the memories.

As the villa grew quiet, with Harper fast asleep in her room and Kelly wandering the halls, likely admiring the elegant charm of the place, I sat on the patio with a glass of wine in hand. The view stretched far into the Tuscan hills, the moonlight setting the landscape in silvery hues.

“Adrian,” Kelly’s voice broke through the stillness, soft but questioning. She stepped out onto the patio, a shawl crossed around her shoulders. “You okay out here?”

I nodded, gesturing to the chair beside me.

“Couldn’t sleep. Too much on my mind.”

She sat, her expression curious but guarded.

“Care to share?”

I hesitated. There was too much I couldn’t say, too much I shouldn’t say.