They turn to face me, and I see Andy's face fall apart. Stunned, I close the door. I haven't taken ten steps before she grabs my shoulder and turns me to face her.

"May, it's not what you think !"

I look at her incredulously.

"Okay, it's exactly what you think, but let me explain."

She quickly leads me outside to the terrace.

"Wow, you know my house better than I do." I admit, glancing around.

"A good sense of."

We embrace and then return to the guests. I let Andy find Salva and keep my eyes on Andrea, wanting to spy on his every move to ensure his sincerity.

"Should I be jealous of the person you're glaring at like that ?" Ezio's voice rises, making me jump.

I turn to him and smile.

"Not at all, my love."

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him tenderly.

"Are you trying to distract me ?" he asks with a smile.

"Not at all. If you must know, I was watching Andrea."

He looks surprised.

"That doesn't reassure me."

"And why is that ?"

"He's quite a good-looking guy, and despite our love, you might feel tempted to stray."

"Don't you trust me ?"

"Of course I do, but I don't take you for granted. That's the difference."

"Let me reassure you, I don't want anyone but you. If I was watching Andrea, it's because I caught him and Andy having sex tonight, so I wanted to analyze him a bit to see what kind of man he is."

Stunned, Ezio steps back a bit, still holding me around the waist.

"I didn't see that coming."

"Believe me, neither did I. Is he trustworthy in love ?"

"Honestly, the Andrea I know is quite a playboy and loves having fun without taking things seriously with women. But maybe Andy can tame him."

"Like I tamed you ?" I laugh.

"You could say that." He laughs along.

"Maybe it's for the best then." I conclude, looking at Andy and Salva.

"Are you saying that because of what you told me last night about Salva ?"

Without diverting my gaze from the soon-to-be strangers, I nod in agreement.

"Despite his past, he's not consumed by resentment."

"And what about the Condore brothers? How were they tipped off?"

"Your notoriety, May. Whether you admit it or not, it will be both your ally and your enemy."

I furrow my brow, which encourages him to continue.

"Even if Salva hadn't told me where you were, I would have known through social media. Someone had shared a post about you, mentioning where you were. You must have been recognized."

At his revelation, the memory of that evening flashes back to me with sudden clarity. Sitting at the bar, I recall the crowd turning towards us when Andy, surprised by my words, had let out a loud exclamation. That must have been when people noticed me. I suddenly feel foolish for thinking I could still be invisible and for wrongly suspecting those around me, when I am the sole architect of my own fate.

"However, that doesn't explain the leak about the opera. I'm still on it, but I have no reliable leads," he announces, his mind visibly working through the problem.

"His closeness with Valentina keeps him at the top of my list of suspects."

"To me, you're on the wrong track. He may be many things, but he's not a conspirator."

"Maybe... Anyway, everything suggests that Valentina was indeed set up and that the mole is still at large..."

" It seems so, but we won't unearth them tonight." he smiles, pulling me closer.

I return his embrace and then we kiss.

"Now, clear your mind of these questions that are making your brain smoke, and let's enjoy our evening. " he convinces me with his most charming smile.

I smile back at him and then we rejoin the guests. The evening comes to an end, and we go to bed for the first time in our new home.

The following weeks are marked by shooting lessons, where I discover a new passion and am pleasantly surprised by my skill.

Ezio has taken over, guiding me to become more formidable. Still driven by Salvatore, our relationship is improving despite my lingering doubts. The time spent with him allows me to know him better and to appreciate him almost as much as a friend.

As she had said, she broke up with him the same night as our housewarming party. According to Andy, he had a hard time dealing with the betrayal but left her alone. With me, Salva has never let anything show and has always remained professional. As for Andy, she quickly moved on and is passionately living her romance with Andrea, whom I continue to watch from a distance, not fully trusting him since Ezio painted his portrait for me.

Since our move, we have had no problems with fanatics, either for him or for me, at least so far. As for Greta's death, it was concluded to be an overdose without omitting that she was part of a fan group of Ezio. The journalist published the article at his own risk, but as Ezio had predicted, no one pursued the lead, and her death is now a distant memory.

The house no longer holds any secrets for me; I no longer get lost in the corridors, and I know every corner by heart. We are personalizing our nest more and more, especially the baby's room. Even though we don't know the gender yet, we have decided to decorate it in neutral tones.

I finish applying the final coat of paint on one of the nursery walls and step back to admire the completed work. I then feel Ezio's arms envelop me.

"Proud of your work ?"

" Our work, you mean. Yes, it turned out just as I imagined."

"I'm glad to hear that. It's really beautiful. The baby will be wonderfully well here."

"I hope so. We're doing everything we can."

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's time to get ready. Paola will be here in half an hour so you can go to Mario's together. Do you feel ready ?"

I turn to face him.

"More than ever."