Luca helps me into the car that will take us to the airport, where his jet is waiting to fly us to Prague.
I resist the urge to turn around and take one last look at the villa. Will I see it again? Will I return here as Luca’s wife?
I’m not feeling confident I will.
The thought makes me sadder than I ever thought possible.
Chapter 23: Luca
The jet is cruising at thirty-five thousand feet, and I'm watching my wife stare out the window with an expression I can't read.
She's been quiet since we left Rome, answering my questions with polite responses that reveal nothing. The excitement she showed when I suggested this trip is now gone.
"Beautiful view," I say, settling into the seat across from her.
"It is."
I’m beginning to wonder if she’s hiding an illness from me. Or if the depression from her earlier years has returned.
"Excited about landing in Prague?"
"Of course." She finally turns to look at me. "What's our plan when we get there?"
"Hotel first, then whatever you'd like to see. I thought we could take it easy the first day, let you adjust to the trip."
"Sounds perfect."
Paolo appears from the cockpit area. "Boss, we'll be landing in forty minutes. Ground transportation is arranged, and the hotel is expecting us."
"Any problems with the advance security?"
"None. Clean background checks on all staff, no red flags at any of the locations Mrs. Romano wanted to visit." He glances at Sofia. "Everything looks straightforward."
"Good. Thank you."
After Paolo returns to his seat, Sofia goes back to staring out the window. But there’s tension in her shoulders, and in the way she's gripping her hands together. She looks like someone preparing for battle, not a newlywed excited about her honeymoon.
Whatever secrets she's carrying, whatever she's really looking for in Prague, I'm going to find out during this trip. But I also need to be very careful about how I handle whatever I discover.
"Almost there," I tell her as the plane begins its final descent.
"Yes," she says, and there's something in her voice that sounds like a prayer. "We’re almost there."
Chapter 24: Gabriella
The moment I step off the plane in Prague, my mood lifts. Not because I'm happy to be here. God knows this city holds too many complicated memories for simple happiness. But because for the first time since I put on Sofia's wedding dress, I'm somewhere that's mine. Somewhere I belong, even if I can't let anyone know it.
"First time in Prague?" the customs officer asks in heavily accented English, glancing between my passport and my face.
"Yes," I lie smoothly, while every instinct screams at me to respond in the basic Czech I learned during my time here. "Very excited to see the city."
"Beautiful city. You will love."
I smile and nod like the eager tourist I'm supposed to be, but inside I'm calculating. The hostel where I told Sofia to go if she got scared is maybe twenty minutes from here by tram. Where Sofia might be hiding, if she needed a safe place to hold up.
"Everything all right?" Luca asks, taking my arm as we navigate through the terminal. "You look a little pale. Are you feeling okay?"
"Just tired from the flight."
