“She poisoned him,” Luca said. “She took the pills out of the bottle and put them in his cup, or she threw them away so he couldn’t take them when he felt the attack coming.”

“We don’t know that, Luca,” Sofia said, though she looked at the empty bottle with growing dread.

“Look at her,” Luca sneered, pointing at me. “She’s quiet because she’s guilty. She’s been sneaking around this house for months.”

He turned back to the guard who had been holding me.

“Take her down to the cellar,” Luca ordered. “Tie her to the chair. I will deal with her myself once the doctor arrives.”

The guard reached for my shoulder again, his heavy hand coming down hard.

I shrunk back, my heels catching on the edge of the Persian rug.

“Wait,” Marcus said, stepping between the guard and me.

The room went quiet, save for the sound of Alexander’s shallow, raspy breathing from the bed.

Luca glared at the attorney. “Get out of the way, Marcus.”

“No,” Marcus said, his voice calm and level. “Under the current circumstances, you cannot remove her from this room.”