Chaos

ARYA’S POV I managed to slip past Matteo's watchful eye with a carefully crafted lie about an all-women's painting class I had seen advertised online. He was skeptical at first, but I played up the need for normalcy, and eventually he agreed…. on the condition that he waited outside. It was enough. Marco was already waiting at the café when I arrived, sitting at a corner table with two espressos. The moment I saw him, relief flooded through me. "Marco!" I slid into the seat across from him, and he stood to hug me properly. "It's good to see you," he said, and there was genuine warmth in his voice. I smiled in response. "How's everyone?" The question burst out of me before I could stop it. "My family… are they okay?" "They're fine. Worried about you, but fine." He pulled out his phone, swiping through photos. "Actually, today's your parents' anniversary. Your mother had a small gathering." He turned the screen toward me, and my heart clenched. There was my mother, beautiful in a blue