CHAPTER 30

The tension between Thiago and me hung in the air like a storm about to break. After his confession, everything felt different, darker, as if the walls of our world were closing in. I couldn’t shake the fear that now gnawed at me, not only for myself but for the man I had committed to stand beside.

The next few days were strained. Thiago was often absent, sometimes leaving in the middle of the night, always returning with the same grim look on his face, as if he had been fighting shadows I couldn’t see.

I busied myself with work, diving into projects with a ferocity that surprised even Lucia and Marcus, but no amount of distractions could keep me from wondering what Thiago was up to—or what dangers were closing in.

It wasn’t until one night, after another long, tense day, that things came to a head.

I was sitting at the dinner table, pushing food around my plate when Thiago walked in, his face drawn, eyes dark with whatever burdens he had been carrying. He sat down across from me, n