[WARNING! Don't Buy! Unedited!]
"If you ever feel unsafe here, I want you to tell me. Not just from Christian. From me, too."
Her breath caught.
"I haven't given you a reason not to trust me, but I know that's not how trauma works."
She looked up at him, throat tight.
"I'm not trying to win you," he added. "But I would like to be someone you don't have to run from."
She swallowed hard, unable to speak.
"Good night," he said gently, then walked away.
She stood there long after he was gone, heart loud in her chest.
Maybe this villa was filled with secrets.
But for the first time in a long time… she didn't feel alone inside it.
Morning light spilled through the drapes, greeting Lina as she awoke again to the still sanctuary of the villa. The kitchen tray was already set—fresh fruit, Greek yogurt with honey, and a small pot of fragrant coffee. The note, in Fredrich's precise script, read:
"You're doing more than surviving. Proud of you. —F"
