**Alone**

She couldn’t take it anymore.

The silence in the house was gnawing at her nerves, and the weight of her own thoughts had grown too heavy to carry. Lucas hadn't stepped out of his room once since the incident with Stefan, and with every hour that passed, Valentina’s anxiety only deepened. She had intended to explain everything today—everything about the documents, the signatures, the truth—but now, with Lucas like this, she didn’t even know if she’d get the chance ...