CHAPTER SEVENTY FOUR

ANYA

Everything had gone relatively smoothly for the past week. I spent most of my time taking care of Alessia and Erik, as Vincenzo seemed to be occupied with some matters he referred to as "cleaning."

To be honest, I had no idea what that meant, but I trusted that he knew what he was doing.

Our nights together remained passionate and intense, but I noticed a change in his routine. He would slip away in the early morning hours, leaving me to wake up alone. I missed him terribly during those hours, but I understood that his responsibilities were vast.

Now, though, an entire day had passed without any word from him, which was unusual. Even Matteo and Carlo hadn't heard from him, which definitely set off alarm bells. Vincenzo wasn't the type to disappear without a trace, especially not for this long.

Two weeks later and my worries had grown into full-blown panic. His absence felt like a gaping hole in my life, and the uncertainty of