Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN LEO REFUSED TO TOUCH
Three weeks passed before I saw Leo again.
I was leaving the rehabilitation center with my father when a black car pulled up.
Leo stepped out.
He looked tired.
Older than I remembered.
“Mr. Casaro,” my father said.
Leo nodded.
“Joseph.”
They spoke quietly.
Then my father went inside to retrieve his coat.
I stood beside Leo.
The air was cold.
Snow threatened the sky.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Better.”
He smiled faintly.
“Good.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I said:
“Leo.”
He looked at me.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why did you stop coming around?”
His expression changed.
“Because you're healing.”
I frowned.
“And?”
He looked away.
“And I don't want you confusing safety with love.”
My heart tightened.
I stared.
“Is that what you think I'm doing?”
Leo turned back.
“I think you've spent eight months being manipulated by someone who used gratitude against you.”
He swallowed.
“And I refuse to become another man who benefits from your vulnerability.”
My eyes filled.
May you like
For the first time, I understood that his distance wasn't rejection.
It was restraint.
