SOPHIA'S POV

The dawn over Venice arrived in soft shades of gold and bruised violet, washing across the quiet water of the Grand Canal as the city slowly began to wake.

Inside our private suite at the Belmond Hotel Cipriani, the air was warm and peaceful, and it was filled with the gentle smell of fresh coffee and blooming orange blossoms from the garden on the terrace outside.

I stood near the open French doors, wrapped in a soft white silk robe, holding a warm porcelain cup in my hands. Down below, the private water taxis were just starting to glide across the water, but the chaos of the night...