I took a deep breath, nodding as I discreetly wiped my tears.
“It was,” I admitted. “Júlia, I think I’m completely lost now,” I confessed, my voice almost desperate—but tender in a way I couldn’t hide.
She laughed softly, holding my shoulders and looking me straight in the eyes.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I nodded and led her to one of the nearby tables, sitting among that wonderful sea of flowers that seemed to silently witness my confession.
“Júlia, I didn’t want to admit this even to myself, but… I don’t know when or how it happened exactly—but I’m trusting him again. Enrico managed to break down every one of my defenses, slowly, without me even realizing it.”
She squeezed my hand warmly, her eyes full of empathy.
“I noticed, friend. It’s been a while, actually. You seem different. Lighter. Happier. And he’s not the man who hurt you in the past. That’s obvious to anyone.”
I nodded.
“I fought against that faith. I didn’t want to believe he had really changed. But Júlia… my heart already believes. I see it in every action, every detail. And that terrifies me. Because even seeing all that, I’m still afraid. Afraid things will go wrong again.”
Júlia smiled and leaned closer, her expression calm and understanding.
“Of course you’re afraid, Valentina. That’s normal. You went through a lot with him. But maybe it’s time to set fear aside just a little and… live this. You deserve to be happy again.”
I took a deep breath, looking around once more, still taken by the magical scene Enrico had created for me that morning.
“I think you’re right. I think it’s time to stop running from what I feel. I can’t deny it anymore. My heart decided a long time ago.”
Júlia broke into a bright, knowing smile, squeezing my hand again.
“Finally, Valentina! Honestly, I was just waiting for this moment. And look at all this—if that man doesn’t love you desperately, I don’t know what does.”
I laughed with her, my chest filling with hope and a deep warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Surrounded by flowers and my best friend’s unconditional support, I allowed myself to open the door to a truth that had been waiting for my acceptance for a while now:
I was ready.
Ready to take that final step.
Fear was still there, quietly—but it was infinitely smaller than the powerful, irresistible feeling Enrico had awakened in me again.
And maybe… maybe I really was ready to believe in happy endings once more.
***
The pleasant warmth of Enrico’s body wrapped around mine.His legs were open around me, keeping me nestled between them in a closeness that had slowly become our new nightly routine.
A worn, aged copy ofPride and Prejudicerested in my hands. I couldn’t stop smiling as I read, completely absorbed in a story I knew almost by heart—but that never lost its magic.
Beside me, Enrico held his own copy, also bought at a used bookstore—one he’d handed me the night before with a mischievous smile.
I’d always loved used books, especially those found in secondhand shops. I believed each copy carried its own history.
Marked pages, handwritten notes in the margins, stains and wear—they all told me someone had lived and felt something through that book before me.
And the fact that Enrico remembered that small obsession of mine, bringing metwoold editions of my favorite novel, warmed something deep inside me.
It was yet another subtle, delicate sign that he was paying attention to the smallest details—trying to recover every lost piece of our connection.
