When I rose to follow Vincenzo, I picked the flower and walked out.
In the car, I glanced back, checking the café door to see if the man followed. He did not. Maybe I was reading too much into it. He might have noticed me staring and decided to give me a flower. Some people were simply nice.
We drove back home after another long, unnecessary day out. At least unnecessary for me, since I still didn’t understand why Vincenzo insisted on taking me everywhere with him.
The moment I stepped inside the house, I sensed something was different. Workers moved briskly in a rhythm, some setting the dining table while others carried things back and forth. The air carried a current of preparation.
“Go get ready,” Vincenzo said once we reached the hallway. “We have visitors.” He walked off without another word.
The only person who could tell me what was happening was Giulia. My eyes swept over the sitting area, but she was nowhere in sight. I had been trying to get closer to her, hoping that one day I could borrow her phone and find a way into my email. She was cautious, always quiet, but at least we were making progress.
I went to my room, and as soon as I opened the door, a black dress lay out on the bed greeted me. I froze, hesitating to step inside. Did this mean the wedding plans were finally beginning? Vincenzo had kept everyone waiting after insisting he needed aweek or two with me first.
Moving closer, I placed the rose on my bedside table and ran my fingers over the fabric. The dress was smooth and elegant. As I lifted it, a knock broke the silence, and the door creaked open.
“May I come in?” A woman in a maid’s uniform stood at the threshold, a soft smile on her lips.
“Yes.” I set the dress down and turned toward her. She was new. I had never seen her among the other employees.
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her, and walked closer. “I’m your new maid, miss. I’m here to help you get ready.”
“Sorry?” I asked, realizing what her words implied. “Giulia? Where is she? Was she fired?”
“She was moved to the Sicily residence,” the maid replied calmly. “That’s where she will be working from now. But I am here to help you with anything you need.”
The one thread I had been clinging to had just been cut. If Giulia was gone, so was my chance at her phone. How would I ever know about Rodion? How would I learn if my parents were safe?
The maid’s smile softened into concern. “Miss, is everything all right?”
I blinked away the sting in my eyes. “Yes. I’ll take a shower.”
I slipped past her, carrying the weight of silence into the bathroom. The hot water did nothing to ease the heaviness pressing on me.
When I stepped out, she was gone. I noticed she had left a basket with brushes on the table, and beside it was a phone. My stomach tightened. Had she left this on purpose? This was bait.
My pulse hammered as I looked toward the door. I could take the risk and make a call. My fingers twitched toward it, but before I could move, the door clicked open and she stepped back inside, a hair dryer in her hands.
I grabbed the dress, pretending I hadn’t been hovering near her phone.
“You can change, and I’ll help with your hair,” she said.
I nodded. “All right. I didn’t catch your name?”
“Savina,” she replied.
“You can call me Alessia.”
She shook her head. “No. I could get in trouble.”
Her calmness unsettled me. Unlike Giulia, Savina was almost too social. Was this a setup? Had Giulia been moved because she was getting too close to me? What if Savina was here for the opposite reason?
After I slipped into the dress, Savina started styling my hair.
I tried to break the silence. “What’s the event today?”
“It’s part of the wedding traditions,” she said while retouching my makeup. “Do you like the dress?”
“It’s comfortable,” I answered.