It was just a little over two o'clock, and Mirabella was sitting in the library, reading. She hasn't done this in a while, and now that she has she felt relaxed. She exhaled a deep and heavy sigh as her mind trailed elsewhere. She closed her eyes and the echoing scream from last night came to her hauntingly. She didn't know if it really happened or if it was her dream, but she knew one thing; it was haunting and like whoever it was they were pleading for their life to be spared.

Mirabella stood up from the sofa and made her way towards the door to leave the library, when she almost bumped into someone tall. She held her book close to her chest like a schoolgirl and looked up to see Daniel. "I was looking for you," he said.

Mirabella's eyebrows shot up. Why was he looking for her?

As if he read her mind he said, "Go get ready."

Mirabella watched him as he entered the library and placed a book on the bookshelf amongst the other books. "Why?" She asked in a bored tone.

Daniel looked away from the bookshelf and turned his attention to Mirabella. "Don't you want to see the town?" He asked her.

Of course Mirabella wanted to see Rome. She had only been to Italy once when she was a child and had only been to Sicily. Mirabella always wanted to fly out to Rome with Andrea and Vanessa. She wanted to see the world with her girls, but things were different now.

••••

The sun had already dipped behind the horizon, but the daylight still lingered in the air as though accidentally left behind.

Daniel showed Mirabella around streets of Rome which remind her so much of Oxford, their narrowness and the tallness of the stone buildings. Mirabella never dreamed that she would one day walk the streets of Rome. She could feel the history soak into her skin and the rough streets beneath her shoes. It was a place that put into perspective the span of one life, that drew out notions of families as generations.

The streets were lively and bustling with people. 'Cheers' from the coliseum could be heard in the distance. Mirabella ambled through the streets. The baker eagerly advertised his goods of sweet honey rolls and fragrant, spiced bread. Children chased each other through the streets. A triumphant blared in the distance.

The sun beamed down onto the magnificent marble city of Rome. A gentle breeze caressed Mirabella's face. Stacks of puffy clouds lazily floated across the sky.

It's been an hour or two and Mirabella had bought a few things in some shops. As they walked down the street, Mirabella watched as Daniel told her of the restaurants and shops that were on the street and she could see that just by how he spoke of the town she knew he loved Rome more than any other place in the world.

Mirabella could see his eyes light up as he spoke. She had never seen him like this before and she actually preferred him like this. For the first time she thought that they were a normal couple who had falling in love and got happily married.

All of a sudden she felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach. She felt uneasy, alert. She tried to convince herself it was the alertness of the dog barking, but she knew that wasn't it. Every instinct in her body warned her of danger, more and more. She glanced nervously around her. Her skin crawled as the fright as it began to rise. She quietly panicked while she searched for the eyes she was sure were watching her. She tried to take a few calming breaths, but the ball of fear in her throat threatened to escape her lips and scream.

Daniel stopped walking and looked down at his arm; Mirabella had both her hands clenched onto his sleeve like a lost and sacred child. He called her name twice, but she did not answer him. Her eyes were still looking around as though she was looking for someone. "Mirabella," he called her name for the third time, and she finally blinked and looked up at him. "Is everything alright?"

Mirabella hesitated. She didn't want to tell him, but the words came flying out her mouth uncontrollably and she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

"What?" Daniel asked her, before he took a quick look around. "Where did you see them?"

"I didn't," Mirabella replied. "I- forget it," she said, shaking her head. "Can we go home?"

Daniel looked around once more, this time he caught sight of Diego and few of his other men. He made eye contact with Diego and with a single nod Daniel took Mirabella's hand and walked her to the car.

••••

"Che cazzo è successo?" Daniel yelled, as he entered his study.

(What the fuck happened?)

Diego and Alessio didn't as so much flinch at Daniel yelling. "Temper." Diego said, as he sat down in one of the armchairs opposition the desk. Diego knew all of Daniel's tones, every single one of them was a threat. "Alessio, do shut the door behind you. You know the hallways have ears."

Daniel slammed his hand on the desk before he pouted a finger at Diego and Alessio. "Li voglio trovati e portati da me!" He demanded.

(I want them found and brought to me)

Daniel was left alone with his thoughts. He looked out the window while he sat in his leather black chair. He could see Diego ordering men around and them nodding at everything he was telling them.

Daniel needed to keep Mirabella safe at all costs. He had enemies, and those enemies were dangerous people that could hurt Mirabella if they wanted to.

••••

Mirabella sat in her bedroom, looking outside from her window. It looked like a gathering outside, and Diego was ordering the men around. All this just because I had a feel that someone was watching me? unbelievable, she thought as she laughed to herself.

Mirabella searched for Daniel, but he was nowhere to be seen. She thought that maybe he was in his study. She did hear him yell a few time's from her bedroom when they arrived home, but then everything went quiet and she couldn't hear anything.

She wondered why he became all overprotective all of a sudden. She guessed that it probably was an act so that if someone saw them they would think he cared for her. But was it all an act or was it all real?

⚡️