**Lucia’s POV**

I shut the door to Elena’s room and leaned my back against the cold wood. My heart was thumping with nervous energy I couldn't shake.

I hated her. I hated the way she looked in that red silk dress I had forced her to wear. She looked like a tragic, beautiful saint, and it made my skin crawl. But more than her, I hated the way Raffaele had looked at her. I saw the hunger in his eyes. It wasn’t just the hunger to break her spirit or use her as a tool. It was a dark, ...