Synopsis

The world tilted on its axis for Elias, a sudden, agonizing shift from vibrant life to encroaching darkness. He lay on the cold stone floor of the Venetian palazzo, the ornate patterns above seeming to mock his stillness. A bitter taste filled his mouth, and a searing pain clenched his muscles. Strychnine. The realization was a chilling whisper in the fading light. His mind raced, a frantic reel of choices and omissions. Why had he lingered in Venice? The promise of a discreet rendezvous, a c