*ADELINE*
As I blinked away the remnants of sleep, the cabin lights glimmered with a soft glow, but they did little to illuminate the gnawing feeling in my stomach. We had just spent two glorious days on that yacht—my own ephemeral paradise characterized by sea breezes, sun-kissed skin, and Vincenzo's unquenchable passion. Those moments had felt like a dream, intoxicating and free, a world away from the shadows of that life I knew too well. And yet, here I was, feeling the creeping tendrils of reality snaking back into my consciousness.
My heart sank slightly as I shifted in my seat, noticing how Vincenzo sat a little too still, his typically animated features morphing into something uncharacteristically muted. The way his brow furrowed, the way he kept his gaze fixed just beyond the win
