Chapter 29

Chiara

Everything is hazy and I have no idea what is happening.

I feel like I’m hiding behind a veil, helplessly reaching out to things and people that pass by me but never making contact. The last thing I remember is being injected with some kind of liquid that instantly made me feel like I’m floating on a cloud.

At first it was good. I was actually . . . liberated in a way. I know it’s just the chemical doing something to my brain, but it felt nice to escape from reality, even if it meant being in a constant state of floating.

But then, this veil starts to lift a little, giving me glimpses of what’s happening on the other side. The only problem is, I don’t know if this is real.

Because what I see right now is a very blurred image of men pointing guns at me.

Somehow, Alessio also made his way into the hallucination.

I can recognize his icy blond hair, his dark gray suit, and his mask. I will know that image anywhere. I can also catch a faint whiff of his woodsy smell, penetrating thr