Even now, as I look back, I realize how naive I had been. I had no idea that Paolo Santoro—or whoever he truly was—would be the beginning of a chain of events that would thrust me into a world of chaos, betrayal, and blood. My small, sheltered existence was gone forever. What remained was a woman desperate to survive, desperate to reclaim everything stolen from her.
But the universe doesn’t grant rebirth without a price. I was about to step into a world I knew nothing about, where loyalty was as fragile as glass, and danger waited in every shadow. The choices ahead would demand everything I had left to give—and then some. Revenge would drive me forward, but at what cost?
It was a breezy afternoon when Jenny arrived, her face pale and her eyes darting nervously. She clutched a rolled-up newspaper in one hand as if it carried a weight too heavy for her to bear. I should have known then that her visit would change everything.
“Alicia,” she said, her voice trembling. “You need to see this.”