Alessandro reaches for his T-shirt discarded at the foot of the bed, and as he does so, a leather string around his wrist comes undone, slipping to the floor. I noticed that bracelet the first day I met him and found it unusual. He doesn’t wear any other jewelry.
He collects the leather string with a small teddy bear pendant hanging off it and heads to the door.
“Was that your wife’s?” I whisper.
He stops at the threshold and, for a few pregnant moments, just stands there before replying. “Yes.”
The door shuts after him with a soft click. I press my hand over my mouth, desperate to stifle a sob, but it slips out regardless of my efforts.
Alessandro
I lean my back on the side of the gazebo with a clear view of the second-floor window. It’s after midnight, but the light in Ravenna
