Chapter 19: The Silk Noose
The sun rose over Lake Varese not with a golden glow, but with a cold, pale light that filtered through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the estate like a clinical observation. Élise had barely slept. Every creak of the modern house, every rustle of the wind against the pines, had sounded like Pedro's footsteps or Adriano's heavy, rhythmic pacing from the room down the hall.
She had dressed in the only clothes she managed to grab a simple, high-collared cream sweater and dark slacks. She looked like a ghost in the vast, minimalist kitchen as she stared at the high-end espresso machine, her hands still trembling from the encounter at the apartment.
"The coffee is automatic. You don't have to fear it."
Élise jumped, turning to see Adriano. He was already dressed in a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking as though he hadn't spent the night in a state of silent fury. But the dark circles under his eyes told a different story.
