CHARLOTTE

Things in L.A. had been going smoothly, but my heart was still in Milan. The case remained unresolved, making a return seem like a foolish idea, yet each passing day filled me with the temptation to board a flight and see things for myself.

The air here carried a tension of its own as the reveal Thiago and I had planned drew closer. I wanted to delay it further, but there was no point, it was better to get it over with once and for all.

School was the only thing holding together any shred of sanity I had left, and I didn’t take it for granted.

I allowed...