The next morning, Ara woke up alone in the room with a little note on Lucca's pillow:

"Sweetheart, I went to work. I’ll be in the office. I left you breakfast—eat it all, okay? You can go to Kate’s studio or just walk around the house. Don’t stay locked up. I’ll see you at lunch. —Lucca."

Ara smiled. She ate her breakfast, took the medicine he had left for her, and after showering, got dressed in simple clothes. A week had passed since he rescued her, and little by little, she was beginning to feel safer—though she still spent most of her day in silence.

As she walked toward the studio, in another part of the house, Kate was waking up in the arms of her beloved mafioso. She snuggled closer to him, kissing his bare chest.

—Darling… it’s already late.

—Mmm, just a little longer. We went to bed late last night…

—Wonder why —Bastien smiled.

—Because you're irresistible, Kitty. And you wore that red… sheer lingerie. What did you expect me to do?

—Ella gave it to me.

—Finally, that girl did