On that night in the old apartment, as the shadows of New York City danced outside, Ellis and Vittorio lay on the bed that had witnessed so many moments of passion and intensity. The silence that hung in the room was heavy, laden with unspoken emotions.

Ellis rose from the bed with graceful movements and began to dress, her actions measured and precise as if she were shielding herself from the fragility that surrounded her at that moment. Vittorio watched her with a keen gaze, his face ...