Chapter 2

After swallowing one last bite of toast, Thomas got up without another word. He adjusted the sleeves of his shirt, mechanically grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, and then approached Léa.

He placed a quick kiss on her forehead, almost automatically. A gesture that had become routine, emptied of its meaning.

— See you tonight, he murmured.

Léa did not respond. She closed her eyes for a moment, involuntarily savoring the fleeting warmth of that contact, wondering how long it had been since that kiss meant anything to her.

The front door closed with a quiet click, and silence fell once more.

She remained there, alone at the table, her hands around her now lukewarm cup. The smell of coffee still lingered in the air, but it felt foreign to her.

Everything in this apartment seemed tidy, clean, organized… except for her heart.

Léa got ready for the day. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, scrutinizing the reflection that faced her. Her face retained a familiar softness, but her eyes bore traces of fatigue that she could no longer hide. She tried to cover the dark circles with a light layer of makeup, arranged her hair, and then slipped on a simple, flowing, elegant dress that she usually wore to the office. For a moment, she wondered if Thomas would notice her like this. But she quickly dismissed the thought. He was already off in his day, his mind elsewhere, swept away by the urgencies of a world that had little room left for her.

When she closed the apartment door, a shiver of anxiety ran down her spine. The click of the lock resonated like a padlock closing. In the elevator, she observed her reflection once more. She saw herself as a specter of her former self, a faded version of the lively and passionate woman she had once been.

The journey to her architecture office, located downtown, was silent. Every red light felt like an eternity. In her car, the background music couldn't drown out the turmoil of her thoughts.

Once she arrived, she was welcomed by the reassuring smell of paper, wood, ink, and already cold coffee on the desks. The usual hustle and bustle of the office contrasted with her mood. Architects and designers were bustling around her, focused on plans, sketches, and models. Léa briefly greeted her colleagues and made her way to her desk. It was decorated with a few travel souvenirs: photos of Italian staircases, Parisian facades, sun-drenched Andalusian alleys. Images that reminded her of another time.

She settled down in front of her screen, a urban planning project to finalize, but nothing worked: her mind remained bogged down in what she dared not name as a vague, creeping sadness.

It was already past ten when Emma, her colleague and friend, approached her desk. Energetic and sparkling, Emma had this rare gift of bringing a bit of light wherever she went.

— Hey, Léa! Everything okay? We’ve barely seen you lately.

Léa forced a smile.

— Yes, everything’s fine. Just a lot of work.

Emma slightly furrowed her brows, skeptical.

— You know, I heard you talking on the phone with Thomas the other day. I wondered if… everything was okay between you two?

The question caught her off guard. Léa averted her gaze, lowering her voice a bit.

— It’s just… routine, I suppose. I sometimes feel… lost. As if something is missing, you know?

Emma nodded, understanding.

— I get it. Sometimes you need to take a step back. Why not go away for the weekend? Alone or with him? You used to travel, right? Maybe it would rekindle something…

The idea struck Léa like a breath of fresh air… and then extinguished itself immediately.

— Maybe, yes… she murmured, not really believing it.

Emma patted her shoulder and walked away, leaving Léa facing her screen. Léa remained there, frozen, her fingers still on the keyboard. The lines of her plans no longer spoke to her.

At noon, she decided to go out for some fresh air. She walked for a while through the streets, distancing herself from the office, her sandwich in hand. She wasn’t hungry, but she hoped the change of scenery would quiet her thoughts.

A bench, in the shade of a flowering tree, caught her attention. She sat down. Around her, life went on. Children laughed, people passed by, couples held hands. Léa felt like a spectator. Invisible.

She took out her phone and opened her photo gallery. She scrolled through memories, travels, parties, tender moments. And then she came across a photo of herself, taken in Lisbon. She was laughing out loud, arms outstretched, hair in the wind. Thomas looked at her from behind the lens with a gaze she hadn’t seen in a long time. A look of love.

Her heart tightened.

What if that look had disappeared forever?

What if it was over?

What if, in reality, it wasn’t just Thomas she had lost… but also herself?

She closed the app and stood up, the sandwich barely touched. She had no answers, but she knew that something had to change.

She could no longer continue like this.

Not a day longer.