Chapter 10 - The Horizon Above the Clouds
One year after the flight from Ohio.
The private Gulfstream jet cruised smoothly at 41,000 feet, gliding through a sea of golden clouds above the Mediterranean.
In the forward cabin suite, Maya was sitting at the wide leather table, concentrating furiously as she drew a crayon picture of a large stone castle surrounded by four smiling stick figures and two peacocks.
Beside her, fifteen-month-old Leo was taking his first wobbly, triumphant steps across the plush carpet, giggling with boundless energy as he launched himself into my outstretched arms.
“Got you, my little prince,” I laughed, lifting him high and planting kisses all over his chubby cheeks before settling him on my lap.
The privacy door slid open.
Matteo walked into the suite, carrying two glasses of freshly squeezed blood orange juice. He had shed his jacket, wearing a soft cashmere sweater, his wedding band gleaming in the sunlight streaming through the cabin windows.
He set the glasses down, sat beside me, and wrapped one arm around my shoulders, pulling Leo and me close against his side. Maya immediately climbed onto the bench on his other side, leaning against his chest.
Matteo looked down at our children, then out the window at the endless expanse of blue sky.
“Do you remember this sound?” Matteo asked, a soft, teasing smile playing on his lips.
“The jet engine?” I asked, tilting my head.
“The silence,” Matteo corrected gently, leaning down to press a tender kiss against my temple. “Eighty-seven minutes of screaming, only for a stubborn, beautiful woman to march out of economy and silence my entire world with a whisper.”
I smiled, resting my head against his broad shoulder, feeling the steady, unbroken beat of his heart beneath my palm.
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“I didn't come to silence your world, Matteo,” I whispered, watching our children laugh together in the golden light. “I came to give you a reason to live in it.”
Matteo tightened his embrace, holding his family safe and secure above the clouds, flying toward a lifetime of unbroken peace, light, and boundless love.
