Reminiscing the Past

Emilio’s POV

I wake up early, well before the first light of dawn. It’s one of those restless mornings when sleep slips away, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Quietly, I get out of bed and head to the closet. There’s a box I haven’t opened in years, filled with pieces of my past.

I sit on the floor, the box in front of me, and begin to sift through its contents. Old papers, letters, a few keepsakes. My fingers brush against something familiar, and I pull out a photograph. It’s Sofia. Her smile is as radiant in the picture as it was in life. My heart aches with the memory, and suddenly I’m transported back to Pittsburgh, six years ago.

Back then, life had been full of joy and laughter. Sofia, Valentina, and I lived in a cosy house where every morning began with the sound of our daughter’s laughter and the smell of fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen.

***Flashback

“Papa, look!” Valentina’s excited voice echoes in my mind. She runs into the room, her dark curls bouncing, holdi