Lana had spent the past few days basking in the eternal romance of Rome. Every moment felt like a dream: the lavish hotel room, the rich aroma of espresso in the mornings, the unforgettable dinners of handmade pasta paired with ruby-red wine. Roma had wrapped her in a warm embrace.

Today, perched on the back of a sleek, cherry-red moped, Lana held on tightly, the cool breeze tugging at her hair and carrying the scent of fresh bread and blooming flowers from street vendors. She wasn't driving, she left that to her guide. She marveled at the city, her phone in hand, capturing Renaissance architecture and more.

But then, in an instant, everything changed.

The moped jolted as it collided with another. The sound of tires and the metallic thud of impact pierced the air, followed by the sensation of falling. Lana fell backward, her body meeting the unforgiving cobblestone street with a harsh thud. Her vision swirled, the world around her a chaotic blur of noise and motion.

She groaned softly. Her head tilted to the side as she fought to open her eyes, blinking against the brightness of the afternoon sun. Everything felt disjointed. She became dimly aware of the helmet cradling her head—it had saved her, no doubt—but the rest of her felt like a patchwork of aches and stings.

“Oh… ow…” she murmured, her voice trembling with both pain and confusion. Slowly, she propped herself up on her elbows, the cobblestones cool and unforgiving beneath her palms. Before she could fully collect her thoughts, she heard hurried footsteps approaching.

“You okay?” Lana asked, her voice cracking slightly as she turned her gaze upward. And that’s when she saw her.

The woman standing over her looked equally disheveled, her hair wild from the wind and her cheeks flushed with worry. But it was her eyes filled with an intensity that seemed to pierce straight through Lana that held her captive. There was something unspoken in those eyes, something that made Lana’s breath catch in her throat.

Oh…

Now’s not the time to feel… this way.