My breath catches. “What did it say?”
“‘The unholy alliance will end in blood.’” He runs a hand through his hair. “They know we’re working together. But the wording… it felt personal.”
“Are we being watched?” I ask, the question encompassing so much more than surveillance.
“Probably.” His eyes hold mine. “But that’s not why I asked you here.”
The air between us feels charged, dangerous. I take a step back.
“We can’t do this, Matteo. What happened in thelibrary—”
“Was real,” he interrupts. “The only real thing I’ve felt since taking office.”
“It was a mistake,” I insist, even as my body betrays me, wanting to move toward him instead of away. “I took vows. Sacred vows before God.”
“And I took an oath to serve my country,” he counters. “We both have responsibilities bigger than ourselves.”
“Then you understand why this can’t continue.”
He moves closer, close enough that I can smell his cologne, see the stubble darkening his jaw. “What I understand is that we’re both fighting the same enemy. And that enemy will use any weakness against us.”
“Is that what this is? A weakness?”
“No.” He reaches out, his fingers brushing mine before I can pull away. “But they’ll make it one. They’ll use it to destroy everything we’re trying to accomplish.”
I withdraw my hand, feeling the loss of contact like physical pain. “The investigation must come first. The truth about Monsignor Adessi’s death, the corruption in the Vatican Bank, your anti-corruption legislation—these things matter more than…”
“Than us,” he finishes when I can’t. “I know.”
We stand in silence, the weight of impossibility settling between us.
“I’ve spent my life hiding,” I finally say. “Hiding from others, hiding from myself. When I became Pope, I thought God was giving me a chance to create change from within. To make the Church more compassionate, more inclusive.”
“You still can.”
I shake my head. “Not if I’m compromised. Not if I’m living a lie while preaching truth.”
“So what do we do?” he asks, and for the first time I hear uncertainty in his voice.
“We keep our distance. We communicate only through official channels, with staff present. We focus on the investigation.”
The burning pain in his eyes mirrors my own, but he nods. “For now. Until this is over.”
“Until it’s over,” I agree, though neither of us acknowledges the impossibility of that statement. Some things, once begun, never truly end.
My phone rings, shattering the moment. Sister Lucia’s name flashes on the screen.
“Your Holiness,” her voice is tight with urgency. “You need to return immediately. The medical examiner’s report on Monsignor Adessi has been released.”
“What does it say?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
“It wasn’t suicide. The examiner found evidence of multiple injection marks from a hypodermic needle on the back of Adessi’s neck, and traces of the poison they found in the vial on the injection site as well. He couldn’t have injected himself from that angle, it’s impossible. And Cardinal Antonelli is calling an emergency meeting of the Curia in the morning to discuss ‘grave concerns about papal leadership during this crisis.’”
I look at Matteo, seeing my own realization reflected in his eyes. Our enemies are making their move.
“I’m on my way,” I tell Sister Lucia, then end the call.
“This changes everything,” Matteo says quietly.
