What I Became In Italy

She lost everything in one night.
And the only place she had left... was the place she once called home.

Elena Rossi wasn't supposed to come back to Italy.

Not like this.

Not broken. Not grieving. Not alone.

But after a tragic accident takes both of her parents, the life she built in America disappears overnight, leaving her with nothing but a suitcase, a grief she can't escape, and a one way return to her Nonna's home in a small Italian town she hasn't lived in since she was fourteen.

She thought coming back would feel like healing.

It didn't.

It felt like drowning in memories she didn't ask for.

And in a town where everyone remembers who she used to be...
Elena is forced to learn who she is without them.

Then there are the Ferrante brothers.

Lorenzo Ferrante.

Quiet. Guarded. Unforgiving in the way he looks at her like she doesn't belong, but somehow always ends up being the one who stays when she falls apart.

Luca Ferrante.

Golden. Loud. Effortless. The one who makes her laugh when she forgets how, who pulls her back into life when grief tries to swallow her whole.

One makes her feel safe.

The other makes her feel alive.

And Elena Rossi is stuck somewhere in between, trying to rebuild a life while her heart slowly forgets how to choose.

Because in Italy... nothing stays buried forever.

Not grief.
Not secrets.
And definitely not love.