“Andrea!” Aurora exclaims, her face lighting up with surprise and joy as she sees me stepping into her house. The warm Sicilian sun streams through the windows, casting a golden glow. Stefano and I had just arrived minutes ago. “What are you doing here?” Aurora asks, rushing over to embrace me.
“I came for your birthday, but your brother dragged me here too,” I say with a wry smile, pulling her into a tight hug.
“You did what?” Aurora turns to face Stefano, her brow furrowed in confusion. But he just walks past us, ignoring the both of us completely, his jaw clenched.
I take a deep breath and tell her everything that has happened since we first traveled to Rome. I explained how I wanted to surprise her with my visit, which is why I didn’t tell her I was in Rome weeks ago.
“He dragge
