Chapter 14

Moonlight like frost bathed the villa he and Angelina had shared for ten years. The wrought-iron gate stood closed; everything seemed frozen in time. An impulse he didn't recognize drove him. Since becoming involved with Samantha, he'd rarely returned. Even when Angelina begged him countless times to come back, he never set foot here. A soft click, the door opened. The entryway sensor light flickered on. In the harsh white light, Leo's expression froze. Empty. Deathly empty. The familiar scent of Angelina's carefully tended flowers was gone. Replaced by the thick, bone-chilling odor of dust in the hollow rooms. The walls – photos chronicling their decade, her prestigious design awards, the first painting he gave her... All lay in a large metal drum, burned to ashes, only fragments left, seemingly placed for him to recognize. Leo couldn't believe it. These treasures she once cherished were now discarded like trash, reduced to ashes. He refused to believe it, sear