Chapter 169 - One Hundred and Sixty-Nine
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Nine
Alicia’s POV
The mornings were the worst.
I’d wake up with my stomach already churning, that familiar wave of nausea hitting me before I even opened my eyes. I’d lie there for a few minutes, breathing slowly, trying to convince my body to cooperate for just a few more hours.
It rarely listened.
I made it to the bathroom just in time. Knelt on the cold tile floor and emptied whatever was left in my stomach from the night before. Which wasn’t much. I’d been eating less. Partly because the nausea made everything unappealing. Partly because I was trying to hide the fact that anything was wrong.
When I finally stood up, my reflection in the mirror looked pale. Tired. I splashed water on my face and brushed my teeth, then stared at myself for a long moment.
You can do this. Just get through today.
I got dressed in the simple uniform Alessandro had provided. Black pants. White blouse. Nothing fancy. Nothing that would draw attention. I pulled my hair back into a tight bun and checked my appearance one more time.
Professional. Unremarkable. Exactly what I needed to be.
The walk from my room to the kitchen took about five minutes. The Moretti estate was massive, and I was still getting used to the layout. Still finding myself taking wrong turns and ending up in parts of the house I hadn’t seen before.
The kitchen was empty when I arrived. It was barely six in the morning. The family wouldn’t be up for at least another hour. That gave me time to prepare breakfast and get my bearings before anyone started asking questions.