Annabelle felt the weight of the silence in the house as she stepped out of her room, her stiff muscles protesting with every step.

The air felt heavier, charged with an unease that mirrored her own.

She scanned the hallway, expecting to hear Antonia’s sharp voice or the click of her heels, but the house was eerily quiet.

When she made her way downstairs, she stopped one of the men who seemed to be in a hurry.

“Miss Virelli?” she asked, her voice more timid than she intended.

The man barely paused as he replied, “She has gone out, Miss.”

Gone out?

Annabelle felt a pang of envy.

Of course,...