Chapter 154
KATYA POV
It was almost midnight when I finally stepped out of Nonna’s room. The door clicked shut softly behind , the sound too loud in the quiet corridor.
The house felt different at this hour. Emptier, like it was holding its breath after everything that had happened.
The chandeliers along the hallway had been dimd, their glow low and tired, casting long shadows that stretched across the carpet.
I stood there for a second, hand still hovering near the door, listening.
Nothing. No voices. No laughter. No music drifting up from the ballroom anymore. Just silence and the distant sound of the house settling into itself.
Nonna hadn’t said much after that. She’d let help her change, let tuck the shawl around her shoulders, let sit beside her while she stared out the window like she was searching for sothing that wasn’t there.
When I finally asked if she wanted to sleep, she nodded heavily. "You should rest too," she’d told .
Not dismissed. Not waved away. Just... told. I started down the hallway, my steps slow, careful, like I didn’t want to wake the walls.
My reflection followed in the frad mirrors lining the corridor—sunflower dress now wrinkled at the hem, hair no longer perfect, eyes tired in a way sleep wouldn’t fix.
Three hours. That word kept echoing in my head as I walked. Three hours of waiting. Three hours of a party built around a man who never showed.
Co to think of it I didn’t see Mr Antonio too. Where has they gone to? I reached the staircase and paused, fingers curling lightly around the banister.
Below, the lower floors were dark, the grand house stripped of its performance. Sowhere down there, staff would still be cleaning.
Erasing evidence. Making sure tomorrow looked normal. Or would they still want to go it tomorrow?
The elevator doors sat at the far end of the hall, dark tal reflecting the dim lights. I stared at it for a minute.
Sothing about stepping into that enclosed space tonight felt... wrong. "Stairs," I muttered under my breath.
"Let’s take the stairs." Maybe if I exhausted myself enough, my body would win the argunt my mind clearly wasn’t ready to end.
Maybe I’d fall into bed and sleep before my thoughts could spiral into places I didn’t want to go.
I turned away from the elevator and started up the staircase, one hand trailing along the banister.
The steps were wide and polished smooth by generations of people who belonged here far more than I ever would.
My sundress whispered softly with each step. The sound felt too loud in the silence.
Up one floor then another. My legs already ached faintly from standing all evening, from being on alert for hours, from pretending I wasn’t watching everything.
Good. Let it hurt. Pain was easier than thinking. My mind, unfortunately, didn’t agree. Because it drafted back to wat nonna had admitted.
Roo doesn’t like Marina or I’m just trying to make it make sense for him not to show his half covered face.
The thought surfaced again, uninvited.
By the ti I reached the next landing, my breathing had deepened, my chest rising and falling more noticeably. I welcod it. Focused on the rhythm. Step. Step. Step.
I took the final steps slower, fatigue finally catching up to , and turned toward the corridor that led to my room.
I stopped dead in my tracks. At first, I thought my exhaustion was playing tricks on . My mind stitching shadows into shapes that didn’t exist.
But then that shadow stepped fully into the light and it was Marina. She moved down the hallway with confidence, her heels still present, hitting the floor with deliberate step against the carpet.
She wasn’t dressed for sleep the way normal people were. She was dressed for intent.
A sheer nightdress clung to her fra, pale fabric catching the dim hallway light just enough to reveal more than it hid.
Lace traced her shoulders, her arms, her thighs. Beneath it, darker silk lingered like a secret she wanted discovered.
She was literally naked. My breath caught so hard it felt like my lungs forgot what they were ant to do.
What the— My mouth actually fell open.
She looked nothing like the glowing fiancée from earlier. No diamonds. No crowd. No practiced smiles.
This Marina was quieter. Sharper. More dangerous sohow. Her hair was loose now, cascading down her back in soft waves.
Her makeup was minimal, but her lips still carried that faint gloss, catching the light when she tilted her head slightly as if listening.
As if she already knew exactly where she was going. My eyes followed her before my brain could catch up.
Toward the far end of the hall. Towards Roo’s room.My heart slamd violently against my ribs.
The realization hit like ice down my spine.
Before I could think—before logic or pride or dignity could intervene—my body reacted on pure instinct.
I ducked fast, beside the plant vase, pressing myself against the wall, slipping into the shallow recess beside a tall decorative column just as Marina passed my position.
What is it with hiding around people. I barely breathed out as she passed. A nice, expensive sll flowing from her.
She didn’t look my way, didn’t even hesitate or slow down. She walked past with quiet certainty, her sheer dress whispering softly with each step, moving like soone who fully expected the door at the end of the hall to open for her.
I stayed frozen long as she reached the door, watching her smooth her hair once more.
What was she doing?
Is Roo even around? Was he back from whatever he’ll he went to but after everything tonight—after the humiliation, the whispers, the unanswered questions—why would she go to him like that?
Unless...the thought made my stomach twist unpleasantly. I might be young but I knew things.I swallowed hard, pressing my forehead briefly against the cool wall.
This house didn’t sleep. At all.
††
What do you think will happen next?
User Comments
0 comments from readers