That night, I fell into a sleep interrupted by nightmare after nightmare. I dreamed of Astor, of Allegra, of our parents. Past intertwined with the present in my dreams, and I woke up panting in a cold sweat.

The hotel was even dingier in the morning light, but I figured I wouldn't be spending much time there anyway. 

I briefly wondered whether there was any point in finding Astor, as it seemed like she was just biding her time before she made an appearance. But I needed to find her, perhaps to prove to myself that I could still control her.

There was no doubt that my testimony had changed her life forever. She was in the Hollyhock Asylum because of me. She was a prisoner because of me. But did I regret it?

The answer was no.

The events of the past week had only managed to convince me that she really was dangerous, and I needed to watch out for her. She wanted to hurt me, and possibly others too. She had a dangerous mind.

I grabbed a chocolate pastry on my way from the hotel, and walked into the center of the city even though it was quite far away. It was a pleasant fall day, if a little chilly. I wrapped my coat tightly around my body and kept an eye on my surroundings. 

I was convinced Astor was watching me, probably laughing at me from somewhere I wouldn't notice her.

Soon I would have to decide what I was going to do once I found her. As far as I was concerned, she was a danger to society. I had no doubt that she'd caused the fire at the asylum just like she had at our home. She couldn't be left to wander the world by herself; she would only end up hurting more people.

A danger to herself and others. That was the phrase the policemen kept repeating eight years ago. She needed to be behind bars. Only after hours of my pleading did they agree a mental institution might be a better fit. I was grateful for that small mercy, but the guilt didn't stop for a second.

I tucked into my pastry as I reached the Piazza San Marco. It was beautiful, so picturesque that I pulled out my phone and took a couple of shots of the gorgeous area. I was looking at the pictures, zooming in on something, when I noticed a store sign. 

I looked up, locating the sign on the street.

Tarot readings.

It was almost impossible to resist the pull, my feet carrying me there almost by themselves.

The shop was small, in the ground floor of a gorgeous townhouse, with nothing in the front except the handwritten sign. I used the knocker shaped like a lion with its mouth open, showing his teeth.

A moment later, the door opened, but there was nobody behind it. The whole thing sent a chill down my spine, but a voice in my head encouraged me to enter.

Somehow, this seemed like another one of Astor's twisted games, but I was playing along.

A part of me was desperate to see my sister again. I missed her. I felt alone in the world so often, every time I fell asleep without anyone out there who cared about me.

Misery clouded me that I'd betrayed her. Yes, she was responsible for the tragic fire in Hollyhock, but she was still my sister. I'd never talked to her about what had happened. I'd just pushed it to the back of my mind, refusing to acknowledge that she may have had her reasons, or perhaps an explanation for what happened. I never asked.

"Hello?" I called out into the townhouse. "Anybody home?"

I followed the hallway through a curtain of tiny beaded skulls and found a small room with a round table and two chairs. A dark purple tablecloth lay over the table, and a woman appeared from the back room.

She was about my age, stunningly beautiful with black veils on her body, gloves covering her hands. Her eyes were emerald green, her hair a dark brown, and she was petite and curvy, the kind of beauty you struggled to look away from. She took over the room.

"Hello," I said awkwardly. "I saw the sign upfront... you do tarot readings?"

"Si. Americana?"

"Yes." I nodded, remembering the few lines I'd memorized from my travel guide. "Parli inglese?"

"A little," she replied, her accent barely noticeable. "Not as well as you, I'm sure."

She motioned for me to sit down and join her at the table.

"Who are you looking for?" she asked, and I gave her a sideways glance.

Was she that good, or was I that obvious?

"My sister," I said softly. "I think… I think she lives her now."

"Yes." She nodded, a slight hint of annoyance in her voice. "But there is somebody else. A man?"

I gave her a blank stare before the puzzle pieces came together in my head.

"Oh," I whispered. "That."

"He is your lover?"

I laughed nervously. "Hardly. There was something between us, but… that was a long time ago."

"He still thinks of you, you know," she told me, picking up a tarot deck. "Just like you do of him."

I stared at her, unwilling to respond.

"Do you have a question for the cards?" she asked.

"I… how much are the readings?"

I didn't want to be rude, but my wallet wasn't exactly bursting at the seams.

"Already been paid for." She waved her hand dismissively.

"By who?" I raised my brows, and the woman chuckled.

"You really have to ask?"

I didn't.

Somehow Astor was behind this too.

How did she know every step I would take before I even got there? It was like she had eyes everywhere.

This was dangerous. Well, it could be.

My eyes drank in the woman before me.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

Her bright green eyes turned to mine, and she glared.

"Valentina."

Somehow, I believed her.

"A question for the cards?" she reminded me.

I nodded. “I have something.”

She started laying the cards on the table, her eyes widening when she saw the reading.

“Here's the moon,” she said. “You’re unsure of something. You don’t want to listen to your voice of reason, but soon enough you’ll have to.”

Another card.

“The devil,” she went on. “A sexual reawakening will happen. Very soon. Perhaps sooner than you think.”

I laughed at the thought. I hadn’t been with anyone since Ryker, and I sincerely doubted that would change in Venice of all places.

“And finally, the star,” she said. “Resolution.”

“So I’ll meet a tall, dark stranger and live happily ever after, all my problems solved?” I asked, barely able to hide the note of sarcasm in my voice.

“Not quite.” She smiled politely. “He might not be dark, but he will be tall and handsome. Perhaps someone from your past.”

I ignored what she’d said, though my feelings were battling inside my head. Ryker had black hair.

"Did somebody pay you?" I asked her, and she turned her striking eyes to mine.

"What do you mean?"

"For this reading," I managed to get out. "Did someone tell you what to say?"

"Are you doubting me? Or are you doubting your own story?"

I remained stubbornly quiet, glaring at Valentina.

"I don't know your secrets." She shook her head dismissively. "The cards told them to me. You came in here by yourself. You wanted to know. Don't fight it, Ginger."

"Ginger?" I repeated, my heart pounding a million times a minute. "I never told you my name. Don't tell me the cards told you that too."

"No," she replied slyly. "That was your sister. She paid for your reading."

I pushed the chair back from the table, my eyes frantically searching the dark interior of the room.

"Where is she?" I cried out. "You don't understand. She could be dangerous. She could hurt you."

"She's not here." She shrugged, placing the tarot deck in her pocket after tying it up with a ribbon. "It was my day off, but she came here this morning and asked me to put a sign out. Said someone would stop by."

"How did she know I'd come here?" I asked shakily.

"It's the Piazza San Marco." She shrugged again. "Everyone comes here. And I assume you enjoy tarot?"

"We used to play with the cards," I admitted. "When we were little girls.”

“Tarot?” she asked, and I nodded. “You and your sister?”

“Both of them.” My voice was rough. “They were twins. Astor and Allegra.”

“What happened to the other sister?”

I closed my eyes tightly at the memories.

I didn’t need to answer her questions, yet the need to confide in her was strong. I wanted someone else to help me with my burden, to help me decide what in the ever-loving hell I was supposed to do about Astor.

“I need to go,” I muttered, pushing my chair back from the table. “I’m sorry. It’s just… it’s just too much.”

“I understand. Go, Ginger. You need to find your own destiny. I can only hint at it.”

I managed a weak smile before stumbling out of the dark room.

In the piazza, the sun hit me like a thousand bricks and I stumbled back to the hotel. The walk was long, and I got lost more than once on my way back, but I couldn’t bear the thought of being outside much longer.

Once again, I had failed. I was so useless. I’d never find Astor this way.

“Your room has been cleared,” the concierge informed me.

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to stop my voice from trembling. “I paid for a three-night stay already.”

“The money has been refunded to your card. Someone booked another hotel for you. They also left something for you.”

He handed me one of the cream boxes I’d come to know so well, and I opened it hastily. I wasn’t surprised at the things inside, but still, seeing the cards from just an hour ago was a shock.

They were the same three the woman in the plaza had drawn, accompanied by Astor’s signature note, written with the creepy hearts above the i’s.

Coming closer and closer. Thought we should meet in style. Can’t wait to discover all your secrets again, Ginger.

My blood ran cold.

“Where am I supposed to stay now?” I asked the concierge.

“The Palazzo. A car is waiting for you. Your luggage was sent ahead.”

“Who packed it?”

“The… person who paid,” he replied, his eyes apologetic.

I stormed out of there.

She was meddling in my life when she had no business doing so, and it was making me fucking angry.

But like the concierge had said, a car was waiting for me. I climbed into the vehicle without a single word, and we drove straight into the city center in front of the most amazing building.

It was right on the canal, surrounded by water except from the side where the driver let me out. Bellboys rushed to help me, even though there was nothing for them to do.

I was shown to a glorious room, the likes of which I hadn’t seen since Kain’s house where he lived with Ophelia.

It was opulent, dripping with luxury. Everything that could be gold was, and I was enchanted by the beauty of the place.

Still, nothing made sense to me.

As far as I knew, Astor hated me.

So why the hell was she paying for me to stay at this place?