Chapter 13 - THE MAN WHO NEVER STOPPED BELIEVING IN ME
Adrian remained my friend.
He had known me since childhood.
He had never treated me as someone who needed rescuing.
After the case ended, he visited me in Venice.
We walked beside the canals.
Talked about our mothers.
Remembered childhood summers.
And laughed about the terrible haircut he had worn at sixteen.
He looked happier than he had in years.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Getting there.”
“I'm sorry about your marriage.”
He shook his head.
“You didn't end it.”
I looked at him.
“Adrian—”
“Vanessa made her choices. I made mine.”
We stopped beside a bridge.
He looked toward the water.
“I thought loving someone meant defending them.”
I remained silent.
“But sometimes it means being willing to see who they really are.”
I nodded.
He smiled.
“And you?”
“What about me?”
“Are you happy?”
I considered the question.
My father's collection was back.
My work was thriving.
My mother was healthier.
And I had begun restoring the old workshop.
“Yes,” I said.
“I think I am.”
Adrian smiled.
“Good.”
We continued walking.
And I realized that not every important relationship had to become a romance.
May you like
Some people mattered because they reminded you who you had been before the world tried to change you.
Adrian was one of those people.
