Tears and Revelations

The afternoon sun hung low over the western mountains, casting a golden-amber glow across the terraced gardens and ancient marble arches of Villa Bianchi on Lake Como. The air was fragrant with blooming wisteria, rosemary, and the crisp alpine breeze rolling off the water. Geneva and Matteo walked along the wide stone balustrade of the lower terrace, where ancient stone pines offered sheltered shade above the mirror-smooth lake. Geneva stopped,…