➼ Chap. 19

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L U C I A N O

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L U C I A N O

I pull up in front of Valentina's building, rain tapping against the windshield. I step out into the rain, my jacket barely keeping me dry. It's been two days since Paris has been staying at home, resting and recovering from her fever.

Thankfully, she's not completely shutting me out like she did last time. Even though she's still keeping her emotional and physical distance, at least she's not pretending I don't exist. She's talking, not much, but it's something.

I can live with that. For now.

I take the stairs up to Val's place, taking two steps at a time. I'd finished work early again because of Paris, just to check on her. But instead of going straight home, I ended up here. When I get to her door, I knock. And wait.

Nothing.

I frown, knocking again, this time a little harder. I didn't warn her I was coming, but it's the weekend—she should be home. Val never leaves her place on rainy days. She hates the rain, the wet streets and heavy air. I know she's in there.

"Val, come on." I mutter, tapping my fingers impatiently against the doorframe.

The silence on the other side is starting to irritate me. I knock again, this time louder.

Where the hell is she?

Just as I'm about to knock hard enough to break the damn door down, it swings open. Valentina appears,  looking annoyed as fuck and ready to yell, but her expression changes from irritation to shock and then to full-on panic when she sees me. I narrow my eyes at her, arms crossed.

"You took your sweet time."

"You didn't tell me you were coming!" She snaps, trying to recover, then quickly asks. "Why are you here?"

I start to speak, but something about her appearance stops me cold. Her hair is a mess, like she's been running her fingers through it for hours. Her clothes are disheveled, and she's struggling to stand straight, her legs trembling like they can barely hold her up.

What really catches my eye, though, is the sweat on her skin despite the cold and the red marks on her neck she's hiding with her hair. My jaw clenches, the dots connecting faster than I'd like. Without a word, I gently push past her and walk inside, furiously glancing around.

"Luciano, what the hell are you doing?" She calls after me, slamming the door shut behind us. "What are you looking for?"

I check every room, every muscle in my body tense.

"I'm looking for the fucker who had the balls to touch you." I snap, my voice cold and firm, and Valentina's face flushes a deep red.

"There's no one here." She stammers but I'm not buying it for a second.

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