Stefano moved toward the couch near the fireplace, his every step deliberate. Without a word, he removed a blanket from the armrest, spread it over the cushions, and lay down, facing away from me. The sight of him settling there, so far from the bed we were meant to share, was a sharp note of the chasm between us – a chasm that had nothing to do with the distance in the room and everything to do with the bond he shared with someone else.
Left alone, I turned to the bed, but it felt cold and unfamiliar, as though it wasn’t meant for me. I sat on the edge for a long time, staring at my hands. They trembled slightly, and I clenched them to keep the betrayal of my emotions at bay.
The silence between us was deafening, but my thoughts roared like a storm. What was it like, I wondered, to be s
