Semua Bab Bound by love and betrayal : Bab 11 - Bab 14

Evelyn I sat on the edge of my bed, the photograph Sofia had given me clutched tightly in my hands. My father’s face stared back at me, his smile frozen in time. Beside him stood Victor Romano, Alessio’s uncle, his expression unreadable. What had happened between them? And why had it led to Victor’s death? I tucked the photo under my mattress and stood, my mind racing. Sofia’s warning echoed in my head: “If Alessio thinks you know something, he’ll stop at nothing to get it out of you.” But I couldn’t just sit here and wait for answers. I had to find them myself. The estate was eerily quiet as I slipped out of my room and into the hallway. The guards were stationed at the main entrances, but the interior of the house was deserted at this hour. I made my way to Alessio’s study, my heart pounding with every step. The study was exactly as I’d left it—neat, orderly, and filled with the faint scent of whiskey and leather. I walked over to the desk and ran my fingers along the edge,

Evelyn Sofia grabbed my arm, her grip tight. “We need to go. Now.” I didn’t argue. We slipped out of the hidden room, leaving the journal and photos scattered on the desk. Alessio’s footsteps echoed faintly down the hall, growing quieter as we hurried in the opposite direction. The estate felt like a maze in the dark, every shadow threatening to reveal a guard or a trap. Sofia led me through a servants’ stairwell and into the empty kitchen, her movements silent and precise. We didn’t speak until we reached my bedroom, the door locked securely behind us. Sofia collapsed into the armchair by the window, her breath uneven. I leaned against the door, my hands trembling as I pulled the folded pages I’d stolen from the journal out of my pocket. “What is that?” Sofia asked, her eyes narrowing. “A map,” I said, smoothing the paper on the bed. It was hand-drawn, with cryptic symbols marking a location near the docks. “Victor hid it in the journal. Do you recognize it?” Sofia studi