Better late than never.
***
I signed the last of the documents and slid them across the desk toward André, who sat opposite me with an expression of disbelief.
He flipped through them quickly, then exhaled and shook his head.
“Honestly, Enrico… I still can’t believe you did this,” he said, looking up. “I never thought I’d see the day you voluntarily gave up the CEO position.”
I leaned back in my chair, and for the first time in years, a strange calm settled in my chest.
“Neither did I,” I admitted quietly, staring out the window. “But it had to be done. I spent my entire life chasing everyone else’s expectations.” I exhaled. “I think I’m done.”
André studied me.
“You don’t miss it?” he asked. “The influence. The power. The control?”
I considered the answer carefully.
“Of course I do,” I said. “But I’m starting to realize what I lost chasing those things was worth more than any of it.” My gaze went distant. “Power and influence aren’t what matter to me anymore. Maybe they never were.”
André smiled, satisfied.
“It’s good to hear you say that.”
I returned a faint smile, then looked away. André seemed to understand what was happening inside me, and the strange comfort of being understood was… unsettling, but real.
“You’re doing really well with Clara,” André added. “I didn’t expect you to adjust to being a father this fast.”
“It doesn’t feel fast,” I said, and a painful ache tightened my chest. “I lost four years, André. That doesn’t go away.”
“Maybe not,” he said. “But you’re trying.”
Then his expression shifted.
“And Valentina?” he asked carefully. “How are things between you two?”
My pulse jumped at her name. Images flashed: quick looks, small moments, stolen seconds when I thought no one noticed.
“Complicated,” I said honestly. “She doesn’t trust me.” I swallowed. “And I can’t blame her. But I’m trying. Every day.”
André watched me for a second too long.
Then he asked the question I’d been avoiding in my own mind.
“And you, Enrico?” he said. “What do you feel for her now?”
I opened my mouth, ready to deny it—to dismiss it—
But the truth was too solid to ignore.
I exhaled.
“I wish I could go back,” I admitted quietly. “I wish I could recover not just the time with Clara…” My voice tightened. “But with Valentina too.” I swallowed. “I want her trust back. The affection we had before everything.” The words came out like confession. “I want what I lost with her.”
André nodded, a small smile forming.
“Then why don’t you try?”
