Shadows of Doubt
The next morning, sunlight spilled into the mansion, golden and warm, but Amara felt none of its comfort. She moved through her daily routine with Isabella, smiling and playing as though nothing was wrong. But her thoughts kept circling the whispers she'd overheard the night before.
Marco wanted her. Lorenzo's men thought she was dangerous.
Why?
Later that day, while Isabella napped, Amara wandered down the corridor. The mansion was massive, filled with doors she'd never opened. Something urged her to search—if there were secrets here, maybe the answers lay behind those doors.
She found herself in front of a heavy oak door at the far end of the west wing. It was locked. She pressed her ear to it, but there was only silence. Her hand trembled on the doorknob before she pulled away, guilt tugging at her. What if Lorenzo caught me snooping?
As she turned to leave, a voice startled her.
"Lost?"
Amara spun around, her heart leaping. It was Matteo—Lorenzo's right-hand man. His sharp eyes studied her like he could see right through her.
"I was just… exploring," Amara stammered.
Matteo's lips curled into a half-smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Be careful where you wander. Some doors are meant to stay closed."
The warning hung heavy in the air. Amara forced a small nod and walked quickly back toward Isabella's room, but her legs felt weak.
That night, while tucking Isabella into bed, she couldn't shake Matteo's words. She watched the child's soft breathing and whispered to herself,
"Some doors are meant to stay closed… but what if the truth is behind them?"
Meanwhile, in his office, Lorenzo sat at his desk, staring at a photograph he kept hidden in a drawer. A picture of Amara—taken long before she ever set foot in his mansion.
He muttered under his breath, his voice laced with conflict.
"You don't know who you are, Amara… and God help us all when you find out."
Amara senses danger, Matteo warns her, and Lorenzo clearly knows more than he lets on.