And then?—
A shadow appeared. And a scream trapped in my throat.
A woman stood in the doorway, her silhouette framed by moonlight.
Before I could speak, she moved.
A dagger gleamed. And in one swift motion, she plunged it deep into Tomaso’s back.
He arched. Stiffened. A strangled cry escaped his lips.
And then—nothing.
I screamed, the sound piercing, but she was already gone—vanished into the night like smoke from a dying fire.
Tomaso collapsed, his body splaying across the hay-strewn floor. His once-vibrant eyes were wide, glassy, and empty. Blood spread around him in thick, vivid crimson, soaking the golden straw until it looked like fire.
My body shook as I knelt beside him.
His lips didn’t move. His chest didn’t rise.
He was gone.
Francesco’s voice echoed in my mind, sharp as the blade that had just ended Tomaso’s life?—
Your lies will never go unpunished.
Was this the curse?
Was this retribution?
The blood on my hands… had finally found its way back to me.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t breathe.
The warmth of his blood soaked into the hay beneath my knees, mingling with the scent of earth and fear.
Around me, the barn erupted in chaos. Shouts rang out. Women screamed. Footsteps pounded against stone and straw as people flooded inside, drawn by the horror. Voices blurred together—panicked, disbelieving.
Some tried to reach for me, to offer words or comfort. I barely noticed.
I was drowning in the silence between Tomaso’s last breath and the moment my heart cracked open.
Someone—an older woman with gentle hands—wrapped a blanket around my bare body. She draped it over my shoulders and guided me outside, her arm cradling my frame like a mother sheltering a wounded child.
But no comfort could reach me.
The night air hit my skin like ice. Moonlight poured over the courtyard in silver streaks, too beautiful for a night so stained in blood.
I needed answers. I needed to understand.
Why?
Why would someone do this?
Whyhim?
