Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100605 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100605 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Oh. You found the set. I was hoping to find the last one before I gave those to you. I’ve been collecting them.”
“What the hell for?”
I was taken aback by the anger in his voice. “My grandmother had been collecting them. She mentioned the set in one of her letters, and I thought they were pretty, so I’ve picked up a few more pieces people had been holding for her. I had no idea they were painted by Isabella until the other day. I guess…my grandmother had been collecting them for you? Maybe as a gift?”
Matteo shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“No? Why not?”
“Because Sophia wouldn’t stab me in the heart.”
“Stab you in the—What are you talking about?”
Matteo picked up one of the photos that came with each teacup and turned it over, revealing the writing on the back. “Because all these beautiful places she painted—places where she fell in love six years ago when we were still married—she didn’t visit with me.”
***
I didn’t hear from Matteo all day. Normally, he’d text when he was done working and we’d figure out our plan for the evening—who was cooking, what we’d eat, whose place we were sleeping at. But it was going on seven and still nothing. I’d been anxious all day about what happened with the tea set.
I really hoped he understood that I’d had no idea the pain it would cause him. I thought maybe he’d want something beautiful his ex-wife had made. A piece of her. Some memories from a happy chapter in their life. When I found out the story belonged to someone else, I apologized over and over. Before he left, he’d said it wasn’t my fault, but it certainly felt like it was, and I hadn’t been able to think about anything else since.
The only small mercy was that it had distracted me from the call I had in a few minutes—the video meeting with the partner at Aronson, Kepner, and Sloane. I was busy in the kitchen trying to figure out how best to angle the camera when there was a knock at my door.
I opened to find Matteo standing there in jeans and a worn navy sweater, his hands shoved into his front pockets. His eyes dropped, taking in my charcoal suit—at least the top half of it, because I had sweatpants on my bottom half.
I smiled. “I have a video call in a few minutes. I’m cheating since they won’t see my pants.”
“Ah. That explains it.”
“I had to dust it off. I’m not even sure why I brought it.”
He smiled faintly. “Another call about the case you’re working on?”
I hesitated, and a couple of seconds passed as I debated nodding and letting the little white lie pass like nothing. But I didn’t want to do that to him again.
“No,” I said quietly. “It’s with a law firm in New York. They’re interested in hiring me.”
I watched it hit him, just a flicker that passed on his face. “I didn’t know you’d decided to go back.” His voice was even.
“I haven’t.” I shook my head. “I…haven’t figured out what I’m doing yet. But they reached out, and I figured why not hear what they have to say?”
He nodded once and started to turn away. “I hope it goes well for you.”
“Matteo…”
He turned back. “It’s okay.”
But it wasn’t. He turned and walked halfway down the path before I found my voice. “Whose place tonight?”
He stopped but didn’t look back. “I think I’m going to stay by myself tonight.”
Chapter 35
Matteo
6 years ago
“DON’T GO.”
Izzy stopped packing and looked up.
I’d never said those words before. “I’m asking you not to go.”
She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “We already paid for the class.”
I shrugged. “I don’t care. We’ll lose da money if dey won’t give us a refund. I’d rather have my wife home than a couple extra euro.”
“But I want to go, Matteo. Rishikesh is where yoga has its spiritual roots. I’ll never be a true coach if I don’t learn how to meditate, not just lead a flow class.”
“Can’t you teach da stretchy classes without flying to India for six weeks to learn how to breathe?” I said. “You already know how to do dat.”
She frowned. “Is that what you think this is? Something stupid?”
“No.” I hesitated, rubbing the back of my neck. “Every time you leave, I get dis knot in my chest. Like one day you’re not going to come back.”
Her expression softened. “Matteo, I’m always going to come back to you. You’re my home. That doesn’t change because I want to understand myself better.”
I looked into her eyes for a long time before whispering, “Don’t go. Please.”
“I have to.”
“No, you don’t. You want to. There’s a difference between need and want. We need to breathe. We need to eat. You want to go to India.”