#Chapter 84 - Return to reality

The sun cast a golden glow over the Marcello estate as I stepped out onto the balcony. The cool morning breeze tangled a wayward strand of hair across my forehead while the morning light kissed my cheeks in warmth. Like a queen surveilling her lands, I gazed down on the sprawling grounds and gardens. Had it really only been a few short months since I’d stood in front of everyone I knew and loved to exchange vows with Aldo Marcello? Honeymooning in the rolling Tuscan countryside had certainly altered my perception of time. And now … it was back to reality, wasn’t it? I’d told myself, marrying Aldo, that I knew what my life would be like. That I was all right with it. But the bliss of peace had made me forget, had made me believe, for a fleeting moment, that life could be … different. But when Aldo had slipped from bed before the sun rose this morning, reality had wrapped its cold fingers around my throat. The sliding door opened behind me. I whirled, muscles tightening, kne