Chapter 7 - THE HOUSE WITHOUT A WIFE
The penthouse changed after Natalie left.
Not physically.
The furniture remained.
The paintings hung in the same places.
The silverware still gleamed.
But the rooms felt empty.
Matteo began noticing things he'd ignored for years.
The books Natalie had left beside the sofa.
The small handwritten labels in the kitchen.
The photographs she'd arranged on the shelves.
One evening, he opened a drawer in her study.
Inside were anniversary cards.
Seven years of them.
Each one written by Natalie.
The first was playful.
The second romantic.
The third hopeful.
By the fifth, the messages had become shorter.
I hope we find more time for each other this year.
The sixth read:
I miss us.
The seventh had never been given to him.
He opened it.
Inside were five words.
Please come back to me.
Matteo sat down.
May you like
He had spent years believing Natalie would always be there.
He hadn't realized she'd been asking him to return long before she ever left.
