Margherita di Corso can see what others cannot—the truth that lives beneath every smile, every promise, every lie. It's a gift that has shown her exactly what awaits in the gilded cage of her arranged marriage: a slow death of the soul, dressed in silk and respectability.

Then he arrives. A friar sent to paint sacred art in her father's chapel. And when their eyes meet, Margherita sees something impossible—a heart that refuses to hide, a soul laid bare, a man who terrifies her precisely because he sees her too.

In 1348 Siena, love like theirs is heresy.

She is promised to another. He has sworn vows to God. Between them stands her father's ambition, the Church's iron laws, and a society that will destroy anyone who dares choose truth over obedience.

But when the Black Death descends upon Italy—turning streets into graveyards and reducing the powerful to beggars—the rules that once seemed absolute begin to crumble like ash.

Now Margherita must make a choice her mother never had the courage to make. Run toward love and lose everything. Or stay safe and lose herself.

Some loves whisper. This one screams.

Perfect for readers who devoured The Nightingale, All the Light We Cannot See, and The Song of Achilles—this is historical fiction that doesn't just transport you to another time. It forces you to ask: Would you be brave enough to choose yourself, even if it meant burning your whole world down?

"A heart-wrenching masterpiece that proves love is not the opposite of fear—it's what we choose despite it."

"I couldn't put it down. I didn't want it to end. And when it did, I immediately wanted to start over."

"This book wrecked me in the best possible way."

The year is 1348. The plague is coming. And two people are about to discover that the greatest risk isn't dying—it's never having truly lived.

Are you ready to take the risk?

Turn the page. Take the leap. Choose love.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

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We first started out as ?The Paperback Exchange,? a chain of physical bookstores where we would part exchange your beloved books for new stories to transport you to faraway places. However, as shopping started to evolve to online shops and marketplaces, we bid our stores goodbye to become ?PBShop.? This transition has only allowed us to blossom as we now ship thousands of titles to book lovers across the globe. We pride ourselves in being a community of local book lovers which allows our passion and devotion to shine in everything we do. In 2020 we not only celebrated our 20th birthday but our 1st birthday as being completely employee owned after becoming an E.O.T in September 2019. We are proud to be different and embrace standing apart on a book mountain by working from a virtual inventory which allows us to provide thousands of books that may be difficult to get for your bookshelf or your studies. Working with a number of different suppliers allows us to explore other avenues such as puzzles, sheet music and even stationery so we really do have something for everyone. Life is about being versatile in all realms of existence. If this is your first visit or you are a returning customer, we would like to welcome you to the PBShop family, for there is no friend as loyal as a book. We are a company who put our customers at the centre of everything we do as we understand the importance of reading because once you learn to read, you will forever be free. There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours that we are yet to explore, which is why we will forever inspire curious minds.

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