Our gazes lock and hold. All the chaos I felt minutes ago vanishes, replaced by a profound calm. Soothed and safe in his protective gaze, I feel enveloped by him.

Despite his efforts to maintain his composure, his eyes and drawn features betray his fatigue and despair. His hair, styled as usual, has a single rebellious strand falling on his forehead, softening his features. His unbuttoned shirt makes him even more irresistible.

After a few seconds of silently staring at each other, he breaks the silence.

"May? W-What are you doing here ?"

"Paola came to see me and explained your arrangement."

Ezio looks at Paola, bewildered.

"You seemed like you needed help. Even if your ego won't admit it, I took matters into my own hands for the good of everyone."

"Paola, I'd like to speak privately with May in my office. Can you stay here in the meantime ? Make yourself at home."

She nods, and I follow Ezio as he leads the way to his office. I enter behind him and close the door. He turns to face me.

"May, I..."

I don't let him finish. I grab his face and kiss him passionately. I feel him relax and kiss me back.

Fueled by the resentment that consumes me, I pull back and slap him. Taken by surprise, he steps back and looks at me, stunned.

"That's for lying to me and deceiving me all this time. We're supposed to trust each other, damn it, and at the first chance, you betray that ! How do you expect me to trust you again now ?"

"I'm truly sorry, I'll make it up to you. I know I made the wrong choice by hiding the engagement with the Bartoni family, but I had given my word and thought I could handle it alone without you noticing anything."

"You see, that hurts me more, that you think I'm naive enough not to notice such things or that you don't trust me enough to keep me informed. I understand your word, but telling me wouldn't have jeopardized the plan or its discretion. I would have understood and stayed out of it. It would have shown me I could trust you. Now, I doubt everything and don't know what to think. Are you really sincere with me ?"

Ezio rubs the back of his head, looking helpless and embarrassed.

"These past few days without you have been torture. Nothing mattered to me anymore; all I wanted was you, for you to come back so I could hold you again. Let me prove I'm worthy of your trust and that I can make amends. Give me this chance; I want to be better for you, and I will be."

Touched by his words, I feel my heart melting even though my reason screams not to believe such enchanting words.

"I want nothing more than to trust you again and believe you when you say you want to improve. But for me, words mean nothing compared to actions. I'll give you one chance, but don't blow it. You won't get another. As hard as the idea of separation is, I won't come back if it happens again."

Ezio steps closer and cups my face in his hands.

"I won't disappoint you again, May, I promise."

Gently, he presses his lips to mine, and we kiss tenderly. Suddenly, we hear a knock on the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I don't have much time. If you want to talk, it's now," Paola announces through the door.

We look at each other, smiling, then Ezio opens the door.

"We're ready, let's talk."

Paola enters, and Ezio closes the door behind her.

"Ezio, given the circumstances, do you agree to maintain our arrangement as initially planned ?"

He looks at me, and I nod.

"Alright, we'll continue. What do you propose ?"

"In any case, we don't have much longer. My father has made significant progress, and the infiltration is well underway. He has allies within the Guzzo family, and the D-day shouldn't be far off. We should make two or three more public appearances. So far, we've only appeared together once, which is insufficient to convince our enemies. I suggest a dinner at a restaurant, an outing to the opera, and finally, a photo of us kissing in front of your house."

At this last request, my heart skips a beat, and I clench my fists. I try my best to hide my jealousy as my jaw tightens.

"Okay for the restaurant, okay for the opera. But I'm not sure about the kiss."

"Ezio, it takes more than just holding hands or a hug to convince them. This will be the final act, then the curtain falls, and we all go back to our lives."

Ezio sighs and looks at me.

"May, are you comfortable with this ?"

"Honestly, I don't like it at all, but I have to admit Paola is right. They need more to believe it, so do what you must, and then we'll put this behind us once and for all."

Ezio clears his throat and gives Paola his approval.

"Perfect, let's plan for Friday night at the restaurant. I'll send you the address by text. I'll leave you two now. Thank you for playing along until the end, Ezio. May, I'm truly sorry for everything, but don't worry, it will all be over soon."

With those words, she leaves Ezio's office.

"Do you think she's trustworthy ? That she doesn't have any hidden agenda ?" I ask.

"I had the same impression as you, but in the end, Paola has never been anything more than a puppet. Either for her father or her surroundings. She's never acted by and for herself, so even if she contemplated something at some point, she won't act on it. The fear of the consequences will take over."

"There were no other ways to help them get rid of the Guzzo family ?"

"There probably were, but to be honest, I liked this plan."

My blood boils, and if looks could kill, Ezio would already be on the floor, bleeding out.

"Are you serious right now ?!"

He steps closer to me and takes my hands.

"Calm down. It's not in the way you think. I like this plan because it allows me to use Paola later on."

"What do you mean ?"

"You need to know something about Paola. She's a nurse."

"Yeah, okay, and what does that have to do with anything ? Got some nurse fantasy you need to fulfill or what ?"

"May, please let me finish. If you went through the file I gave you, you know Mario is very sick."

"Yes, but there's no information on where he's being treated, and if he's at home, we don't have the address."

A broad smile spreads across Ezio's face.

"That was a little trap of mine to get you to come back to me,"  he admits.

I try to suppress a smile and give him a playful slap on the shoulder.

"You're quite the schemer, Don Madini."

Ezio laughs, then becomes serious again.

"Here's where it gets more interesting. Paola is Mario's personal nurse and has access to his room in his mansion, where he's being treated. Once her father's plan succeeds, she won't be able to refuse this favor because Mario is also an enemy of her family. However, Paola has too kind a heart and doesn't want to kill her patient. Her profession is to heal and save lives, not the opposite. Mario being terminal, she doesn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for herself either."

"But then what can we do ?"

"We'll convince her to help you infiltrate the mansion and then Mario's room."

"And then I can finally get my revenge."

Ezio and I smile at each other, the thought of this plan and my revenge gradually taking shape.