It was raining heavily that night, and the winds were whipping through the streets of Rome as if trying to uproot the past. Amidst the stormy weather, she ran aimlessly, her breath ragged, her long red dress clinging to her wet body. She was running... but from what?

As she turned into a narrow alley, she collided with a solid human wall. The force of the impact sent her reeling backward, and she would have fallen had two strong fists not held her steady. She lifted her head and looked into the grayest eyes she had ever seen, a gaze as cold as ice but one that held a mysterious spark.

"Where are you going so fast, Bella?" His voice was deep, eerily calm, as if oblivious to the chaos of the world around him.

She stuttered as she tried to break free from his grip, but his fingers felt as if they were made of steel. She looked at him carefully... He was a tall man, wearing an elegant black coat, his dark hair dripping with raindrops. He wasn't just any man; he was more like a threat incarnate.

"Please... let me go..." she whispered, but her shaky breaths betrayed her panic.

"You're shaking..." he said quietly, looking at her trembling hands. Then, as if she wasn't a stranger to him, he took off his coat and placed it over her shoulders. She didn't understand what had happened, but he leaned slightly toward her, lowering his voice as if he were whispering a dangerous secret.

"Now tell me, Cara Mia... who's following you?"

As if his words were the key, her tears silently fell, and she knew then that this night wasn't just a fleeting moment... but the beginning of a relationship that would turn her life upside down.