CHAPTER 137
KATYA POV
A few days had passed, but the memory of that afternoon in the courtyard still clung to me like a shadow I couldn't shake off.
Not the crying. Not the shouting.
Not even Romeo dropping to his knees.
It was the way they disappeared together… and how I stayed behind. But I didn't let myself think about it too much. Not out loud anyway.
The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of Nonna's room, turning the polished floor warm and golden. I stood behind her wheelchair, adjusting the blanket over her knees.
She'd been quieter these past few days gentler, softer around the edges. Less commanding general, more tired grandmother. But she still insisted on our routine.
"Slowly, dear," she murmured as I began to push her toward the balcony. "My bones are arguing with the morning again."
Her voice was light, almost teasing, but the weariness underneath it was impossible to miss.
