Chapter 6: A Walk Through the Past
239 Words
The rain had stopped by the time they reached the Ponte Vecchio, the ancient bridge glowing under the soft lamplight. Emilia walked slightly ahead, her arms wrapped around herself, as if shielding against something unseen.
Luca kept pace beside her, stealing glances at her profile—the way her dark lashes cast delicate shadows on her cheeks, the way she bit her lip as if lost in thought.
Finally, she broke the silence. “Do you remember the last time we stood here?”
Luca’s chest tightened. He remembered all too well. The night before he left for New York, before he made the biggest mistake of his life.
“You were angry,” he said quietly.
She stopped, turning to face him. “I was heartbroken, Luca.” Her voice trembled slightly, but she held his gaze. “You left without saying goodbye. Without explaining.”
Luca swallowed hard. “I was scared. I thought—” He hesitated, searching for the right words. “I thought leaving would make things easier. That if I didn’t say goodbye, maybe it wouldn’t hurt as much.”
Her eyes glistened under the bridge’s golden light. “It didn’t make it easier. It made it worse.”
A lump formed in Luca’s throat. He had spent years convincing himself that leaving had been the right choice. But standing here, in the place where it all began, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
- Writer
