From Crime To Court

Chapter 17

▪️S E R E N A▪️

Tonight had not gone as I had originally planned.

The moon hung high in the night sky, casting shadows that concealed both secrets and objectives. I had intended to reveal my truth to Alessio, to lay bare the guise of Sereno and let him see the woman behind the squire. But fate, unfortunately, had a different plan. 

Alessio's piercing gaze bore into me, his eyes flickering with a mélange of emotions I struggled to decipher. His scrutiny held a question, an unspoken inquiry that ventured beyond the revelation itself—how had I, the steadfast Sereno, concealed the essence of womanhood beneath the guise of a loyal squire?

In that moment, the Marquis' eyes were not merely seeking the truth; they were attempting to understand the intricacies of the clandestine dance I had choreographed to keep my identity hidden over these last few months.

Confusion etched lines on his handsome features, and the usual warmth that accompanied his gaze had chilled into a distant, questioning stare. The revelation of my true identity was now out in the open, and I felt the weight of his unspoken questions pressing against my confession.

"My name is not Sereno, but Serena," I said, the words heavy with a long-concealed truth.

As the words hung in the air, I saw the realization dawn in his eyes, a painful recognition that cut through the facade I had carefully maintained. The warmth that had grown between us, nurtured in the camaraderie of our shared adventures, seemed to wither under the revelation.

It would seem that I had taken too long to unveil the truth. The moments stretched between us, laden with the weight of my concealed secret, and as I stood before Alessio, his piercing gaze felt like a relentless clock, counting the beats of hesitation.

For too long, I had worn the armour of Sereno, the faithful squire who stood by his side, concealing my true self beneath layers of deception. But as the truth spilled forth, I watched the walls crumble, revealing the vulnerability that lay beneath. In his eyes, I saw the shattered fragments of a connection we had been building, now tinged with the bitterness of concealed truths.

Alessio's silence echoed louder than words, a poignant response to the unravelling of a carefully constructed illusion. The space between us hung heavy, pregnant with the unspoken, and I found myself yearning for the warmth that had once filled his gaze, now replaced by the icy tendrils of betrayal.

A heavy silence enveloped us, and I braced myself for the storm of emotions brewing in his eyes. The atmosphere felt thick with tension as he continued to stare at me, the lines on his forehead deepened with each passing moment.

"Serena?" His voice was a whisper, as though testing the word.

My heart skipped a beat at the sound of my real name on his lips. It was not the way I had imagined he would say it–filled with warmth and recognition. Instead, it hung in the air like a delicate thread, a fragile connection that felt both intimate and uncertain.

The reality of Alessio speaking my true name was different from the countless times I had envisioned it in my dreams, and a sense of vulnerability washed over me, leaving me both exposed and yearning for a response that mirrored the depths of my feelings.

"Serena?" Alessio repeated, pulling my attention back to him as he asked, "Why? Why the deception?"

I swallowed hard, grappling with the complexity of my situation. The weight of my recent confession, admitting that I was not the man he believed Sereno to be but, in fact, a woman, pressed heavily on my conscience. It felt like traversing a precarious tightrope, each step laden with the risk of exposing yet another layer of the truth.