I stepped out of the car, still clutching the little red clutch bag Martin had gifted me at dinner. My heels clicked against the floor, the memory of his hands still warm on my back, the sweetness of the evening clinging to me like perfume. It was as if the night shouldn't end but…
The surrounding air shifted and everything was still. Not the kind of stillness that brings peace, but the kind that makes you stop at the door and listen.
Something was off. I could feel it, but I didn't know what was wrong. Not after Teresa's sudden absence.
I pushed the door open slowly, expecting the usual emptiness, but what greeted me instantly stopped me.
There he was, sitting on the couch, inside my house, like he owned the place.
Don Julio.
My breath caught in my throat and for a second I though
