1st chapter (Prologue)

Caroline couldn't believe it, after years of sending applications to countless companies, of which most didn't even bother to answer her, she finally got an invitation for a job interview.

Although she wondered if she really sent an application to Italy, sure she sent multiple to countries all over Europe, but she didn't speak Italian, and for a job as a secretary you should probably speak the language spoken in the country. For the moment, her mind was hyped, she couldn't wait for her fiancé to get back home to tell him the news. He worked in an IT company, so if Caroline would really get the job, he could move to her. Workers for the IT industry are needed everywhere, so he shouldn't have a problem finding a job in Italy. On the other hand, that would also mean that both had to spent some time apart, and not just any time of the year, but Christmas and New Year alike. The woman sighed deeply, but the huge smile on her face remained. She was excited, her eyes wandered to her watch. It was barely noon; her future husband would be home in five hours at the earliest.

Oh, how she wished her parents were still alive. They would be so proud of her; a single tear made its way over her smiling face as she remembered both of them. Caroline switched her attention back to her old laptop, the letter with the invitation was still next to it. The logo of the company was in the top middle of the paper, it was a huge 'V' with countless ornaments around it. It looked royal and Caroline intuitively stroked over it in admiration.

After a while, she decided to take a closer look on the location the company was stated. It said 'Volterra', which she never heard before, but then again, she had never been to Italy. Once she found the rather small town in the Tuscany in google maps, she used the 'satellite view' to see what that town really looked like. The smile on her face grew wider, it looked absolutely adoring. Next, she searched for the company she could possibly be working for. The website of the company was simple but held a certain upper-class touch. Apparently, the company was involved in arts business, such as paintings and sculptures, they also offered guided tours through the castle.

Caroline tilted her head slightly, she was never really interested in arts or history, she still wondered why she sent an application to that company and why on earth they would invite her, especially since she came from a different country with close to no work experience. But then again, who was Caroline to judge, maybe the cool and young kids didn't want to get stuck in history and so far away from the bigger cities in Italy. The woman shrugged at the thought, she closed the laptop and shove it away from her. Her hand slightly touched the letter and she couldn't help herself but take it in her hands again. She walked over to her bed and sat cross-legged on it, the letter still firmly in her hands as her eyes read word for word. The date and time for the interview written bold in the lower half of the letter.

The following sentence had her concerned for a while, but she simply saw it as an opportunity, maybe the company really struggled to get a new secretary and there was a lot of work to do. Besides, she already spoke with her fiancé about working abroad. He wasn't overly excited but he said he would support her. He'd wait until her job there was safe, before he would follow her. So maybe she could convince him, that she would leave earlier than expected, actually, a lot earlier. Her interview was dated for the 15th December, and if both parties agreed, she could start to work immediately. They even sent her plane tickets in advance, even though they couldn't know if she would agree or not.

Since she got the letter, she thought about the interview. Usually, she could rely on her gut feeling so to say, if something was wrong, or if she just shouldn't do a certain task. She never put a name to it, but sometimes she dreamed about a certain scenario with blurred details, but something she definitely couldn't know beforehand. And all of sudden such a scenario happened, it could be hours, days or even weeks later and it surprised her every time, minor things could be different, but for the most part it was the exact same. As time passed by, she started to welcome her 'little gift' and listened to it, but she couldn't really control it, those dreams just came over her. She even warned her fiancé about something at his workplace not too long ago, but he just shrugged it off. Caroline wasn't sure what it was, but she saw a beautiful brunette woman in her early twenties that had something to do with it.

It was already 2pm when Caroline looked at her watch again. An idea popped up in her mind and she got up to change her clothes. She put on her sneakers, grabbed her phone, a large plastic bag, the keys and her handbag and left the flat. It took her around 30 minutes until she got off the bus next to a supermarket. If she had to bring up big news to her loved one, she would make him his favorite food. And lasagna was ironically the perfect meal for the occasion.

Caroline cursed quietly as she carried the groceries from the bus stop to their flat. It took her around 15 minutes to get to the front door. She carried everything up into the third floor and with a loud thud she put the bags on the table in the kitchen. She put her head back and groaned exhaustedly before she rubbed over the red marking in her palms. Oh, what would she give to have a car, but then again, she had no driving license and they had only one parking spot, which was used by her fiancé. They had only one income, they couldn't afford a second car just for her who stayed at home and had nearly no use for one. Mostly the pair would go shopping together on the weekend, if he didn't have to work that is. Recently he had so much work that he had to work longer in the evening or extra shifts on the weekend. Multiple times, Caroline asked if he couldn't get a raise for all the extra work he had, but he simple waved it off. He told her that she had no idea what it would be like to work full-time. It had nothing to do with fair, his boss wouldn't give him a raise at least for another year.

She shrugged it off, he was right. She made an apprenticeship as a secretary and office worker for three years, that was all. The company couldn't keep her and no one wanted an unexperienced worker. That left her looking for a job for three years straight. As her mobile phone quietly vibrated on the kitchen counter, she snapped out of her thoughts. She sighed at the message from her fiancé; it was yet another day he had to work longer. He'd be at home probably at 7pm.

Caroline sighed once more and looked at the ingredients she sorted for the meal. At least she had enough time to prepare. It wasn't the first time, she made home-made lasagna, but she still had some difficulty. She hated to cook, but since she was the one at home, with time to prepare food, she tried to get the hang of it, to serve a great dinner every day.

With a happy smile, she looked into the oven. The lasagna was looking delicious, she couldn't wait to taste it, but it needed another half an hour until it would be ready. Caroline decided to set the table. She took the plates and put them on the counter, she would cut the lasagna in the kitchen and serve the filled plates, as soon as they would dine. She placed the cutlery on both places on the table, the glasses and a bottle of sparkling water followed closely after. She even put two candles on it and laid napkins under the cutlery. She looked at the table with a small but proud smile, before she went into the bedroom. The woman carried the letter carefully as if she thought it would perish in her hands, and put it on the table as well.

She glanced at her watch, another ten minutes until the lasagna would be ready and the love of her life would return home. She couldn't wash the grin off her face. In her excitement she looked back at the table and the letter on it, before she glanced at her watch again. She still had time, so she went back into the bedroom and sat cross-legged on her bed. Caroline took the laptop on her legs and started it, which took another minute until it was ready. She wished to get a new one, but that only meant more money spent. She quickly double-tapped on the mail-icon to check her mails and another 30 seconds passed for her laptop to process. Once it loaded all of her mails, she scrolled through her 'sent'-mails. She honestly couldn't remember when she sent her application to that company, which she must had done at some point. No company would invite a candidate by sending random invitations to a job interview, especially not with flight tickets.

Some more minutes passed and she was already over a half year back, without success. She frowned slightly, wondering if the email might have gotten deleted by accident. Or maybe she sent a printed application per mail. Therefore, she had to check the saved documents on her laptop. Caroline watched at the time again, two more minutes which should be enough. She opened the folder and quickly scrolled down to a potential file with the name 'Volturi' in it. Again, she found nothing. The frown on her face got deeper, but the alarm of her phone pulled her out of her thoughts. She closed the laptop and ran off into the kitchen. The woman stopped the alarm and looked into the oven and the mouthwatering smell of her dinner reached her nose. She turned off the oven and pulled out the grate, right at this moment she heard the keys in the lock at the front door, closely followed by a tired sigh and a smile appeared on her face again.

„Honey, I'm home." The voice of the man sounded exhausted, he took off his shoes and went directly into the kitchen. „Oh, that smells tasty," he stood behind the woman who just put a piece of lasagna on one of the plates. „Hey my love, perfect timing. How was your day?" Caroline turned around and hugged the man, stealing a quick kiss from him in the process. He smiled at her smaller form. „Tiring, but let's not talk about work. I'll change and be there shortly." He put a light kiss on her head and left the kitchen.

Caroline smiled and switched her attention back to the lasagna. She put another piece on the second plate, before she shut the oven door, to keep the rest warm. Slowly she balanced both plates to the table, placed one on each site and finally lit up the candles. She smiled at her own work and finally set down, one hand firmly on the letter next to her. After a few more seconds, her fiancé came back, he wore much more comfortable clothing and seated himself with another sigh. „Bon appetite," Caroline said with a smirk and both started eating.

When they finished, Caroline took the plates and placed them into the dishwasher, she quickly returned to her place, a huge smile and a little worry in her eyes. She looked at the letter for a brief moment before she looked back at the man. „I have some important news," she started nervously and his eyes widened in shock. „Don't tell me that your", but he was interrupted instantly. „Oh, John, no. I'm not pregnant." Caroline laughed lightly; she didn't think of that when she started the conversation. Even though she was 28 years old, she didn't feel ready to have children right now. His facial expression slowly relaxed and she breathed deeply. „I've got an invitation for a job interview." She spoke hastily, so it took a moment for John to understand. A smile spread slowly on his face as he reached for her hand over the table. „Hey, that's good news, darling."

She hesitated for a moment, which brought a frown to his face. „But?", he asked and tilted his head slightly. Caroline took another deep breath and shove the letter with her free hand over to him. „It's in Italy, and the interview is next week. If all goes well, well I can start immediately." She slowly looked up into his eyes, but he was occupied with the letter, he hardly understood what she said. He released her hand to sit comfortably, while his eyes darted over each written word. „They also sent flight tickets," she added unconfidently. John lifted an eyebrow; he didn't know any company that would willingly pay those expanses. „Did you check the company, are they trustworthy?"

Caroline blinked a few times. „Well, they seem so. They deal with arts and offer guided tours in a castle. It's in a small town in the Tuscany." John nodded slightly at her words, not fully convinced, but glad that she at least took a closer look on the company beforehand. It was silent for a while, before he spoke up again. „We talked about this quite a few times. I will wait here and if everything is alright with your job and it is a safe position, I'll join you." He spoke low and she nodded at his words. „So, it's okay for you if I take my chance there?" Her eyes switched from the man to the letter and back again. „It is," he answered finally with a smile on his face. Caroline smiled as well; she was glad to have such a supporting fiancé.

A few minutes later they stood up, John made his way to the couch and turned on the TV, while Caroline went into the bedroom to send an email to her potential new employer, that she would gladly accept the offer. When she pressed the 'send' button she smiled happily and with that emotion she joined John shortly after on the couch. She cuddled up to his side, while watching a game of soccer. By that time, she completely forgot the fact, that she never sent an application to that company.