Chapter 53

Kelly POV

The soft morning breeze wrapped around me as I stood on the balcony, staring out at the rolling hills of Tuscany. The view was breathtaking, the kind that could heal wounds and soothe worries. You needed to see the view, it was beautiful, extremly. But this morning, it wasn’t working. My thoughts were far too loud.

Francesca.

I hadn’t met her yet, but the mere idea of her had taken a place in my mind. A part of me, the irrational part, couldn’t help but wonder if she was the reason Adrian kept me at arm’s length. He spoke of her fondly, with a warmth I hadn’t heard from him before. Was she someone he had loved? Was she someone he still loved?

I shook my head, frustrated at myself. You have no right to feel this way, I reminded myself. Adrian and I weren’t anything more than two people navigating a complicated contract. And yet, the thought of him being close to someone else, someone who might have seen sides of him I hadn’t... it stung.