Chapter 18: A Question Without an Answer
293 Words
The morning light spilled through Emilia’s window as she sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the message on her phone.
Matteo: Can we talk?
She hesitated. She owed him nothing—no explanations, no reassurances. But a part of her knew that unfinished conversations had a way of lingering, haunting the spaces they were meant to fill.
So, a few hours later, she found herself at a quiet café near the Duomo, the scent of fresh espresso filling the air. Matteo was already there, waiting, his fingers drumming lightly against the wooden table.
When she sat across from him, he studied her carefully. “You look different.”
Emilia gave a small smile. “It’s been a long time.”
Matteo nodded, exhaling. “Seeing you last night… it made me realize something.”
Emilia’s stomach tightened. “Matteo—”
“I know we ended things,” he interrupted, his voice steady but laced with something heavier. “But I need to ask you one thing.”
She swallowed hard. “What is it?”
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze unwavering. “Did you ever love me the way you loved him?”
The question hit her like a sharp gust of wind. She wanted to spare him, to soften the truth.
But she couldn’t lie.
“I tried,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I never stopped loving him.”
Matteo’s jaw tensed, but he nodded as if he had expected it. “That’s what I thought.”
Silence stretched between them, thick and unspoken.
Finally, Matteo stood, his chair scraping against the floor. “Then I guess this is goodbye.”
And just like that, another chapter of her life closed.
- Writer
