Enrico straightened slightly beside me, and I could feel the subtle tension radiating from him.
“So you think it would be safe now… to make that change?” I asked slowly, wanting absolute clarity.
Alice smiled softly, her gaze steady and confident.
“Yes, Valentina. Again—so long as it’s done calmly, clearly, and with plenty of conversation. There is no longer an emotional or psychological necessity that requires you both to remain under the same roof for Clara’s well-being. She’s now capable of handling adjustments like that, as long as she’s properly supported and prepared.”
The weight of her words settled heavily on me. I cast a quick, discreet glance at Enrico, sensing that he too was silently absorbing the magnitude of what Alice had just said.
“I understand, Alice,” he replied calmly, though clearly impacted. “We’ll think carefully about it and talk it through thoroughly.”
Alice nodded.
“Perfect. And remember—I’m here to support you through every step of this process.”
Minutes later, as we left her office and walked toward the car, the silence between Enrico and me was dense—full of unspoken words and intense emotions that would need time and care to be processed.
SIXTY-SIX
ENRICO FERRARA
The silence followed us from the moment we left Alice’s office until we got home.
Valentina didn’t say a word the entire drive, but her restlessness was obvious in the way she stared out the window, in the way her hands clasped tightly together on her lap.
When we finally stepped into the bedroom—the one that, over the past months, had become ours—I felt the weight of that conversation with Alice press even harder against my chest. I watched Valentina drop her bag onto the chair and walk slowly to the window, staring out at the garden without really seeing it.
My throat tightened at the sight.
It felt like something could slip through my fingers if I didn’t tell the truth right then—fully, openly, without hiding behind control.
“I don’t want you to leave, Valentina.”
My voice came out lower, more vulnerable than I meant it to, filling the room with a soft sincerity that startled even me. Valentina stayed still for a few seconds without turning around, but I saw her body flinch at my words.
She inhaled slowly, still looking outside, then finally turned to face me.
Her eyes were wet, reflecting the full intensity of what we were living.
“I don’t want to leave either,” she said, her voice thick as she took a small step toward me. “I don’t want to go away from here, Enrico.”
Those simple words were enough to make my heart slam hard against my ribs. I moved closer carefully, like I was afraid any sudden motion could break the fragile, delicate truth hanging between us.
“Fuck,” I whispered, staring into her shining eyes. “Thank God.” My voice shook. “I know I don’t have the right to ask for anything after everything that happened. But the idea of not having you and Clara here… every day… it’s unbearable to me.”
Valentina lifted her hand and touched my face, her fingertips warm against my skin.
The contact hit me like peace.
“Enrico… I stayed here for Clara, yes,” she said quietly. “But it hasn’t been only for her for a long time. I stayed for me too.” Her voice trembled. “Because being close to you… it helped me. It healed me little by little, even when I was afraid to admit it to myself.”
My eyes burned with tears I tried—and failed—to hold back. There was no room for pride in that moment. I let them fall, exposed and honest, as I pressed her hand against my cheek.
“Do you have any idea what I’m feeling hearing that?” I asked, barely above a whisper. “I don’t have words for how sorry I am for what I put you through. How much I love you, Valentina. How much I want to spend every day of my life proving it—because you’re the only thing in this world that truly matters to me.”
She smiled—small, delicate, full of emotion—as her own tears finally slipped free.
“I believe you, Enrico,” she said softly. “I believe you because I’ve watched you, day after day, fighting to recover everything we lost. You proved you deserve my trust again.” She inhaled, steadying herself. “And I don’t want to fight it anymore. I don’t want to fight what I feel.”
