All Chapters of The Florence Promise: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

We walked side by side along a narrow path between the vines.Without rushing.For the first time in years.No clients.No deadlines.No ringing phones.Just us.And that was when I realized how desperately I had missed moments like this."It's strange being away."I said."From work?"I nodded."A little."Matteo smiled."For the first two hours I was convinced something had gone terribly wrong.""Only the first two?""Fine."He laughed."The first six."I couldn't help laughing.Because that was exactly who we were.People who didn't know how to rest...even while resting.We walked in silence for a while.Then I noticed something unusual.Matteo was nervous.At first I thought I was imagining it.But then he rubbed his hands together.Checked his phone.Slipped it back into his pocket.A minute later, he took it out again."Is something wrong?"I asked."No."The answer came far too quickly.I stopped walking."Matteo.""Nothing's wrong.""You're lying."He sighed."You're incredib

I had to laugh.Because that was exactly what everyone thought about me.That if I wasn't at work, something had to be wrong.Maybe they were right.That evening, I went home.The apartment was quiet.Too quiet.Matteo still wasn't there.I stepped out onto the balcony and looked across the rooftops of Florence, glowing beneath the fading evening sky.When was the last time we had spent an entire day together?Not as colleagues.Not as business partners.Not as two people chasing deadlines.Just as a man and a woman.I couldn't remember.And maybe that was worse than the answer itself.Because when you can't remember, it means it happened far too long ago.Matteo came home just before midnight.He looked exhausted.His tie was loosened, his sleeves rolled up, and I could tell from the moment he walked through the door that he'd already rehearsed his apology."I'm sorry.""It's okay."The words escaped before I even thought about them.It's okay.I had been saying those words for years

After Rafael left, I remained sitting there for several seconds.Staring at the closed door.Unable to concentrate.That never happened to me.For the past ten years, I had been able to push almost anything aside.Exhaustion.Sadness.Doubt.Work had always been stronger.But this time, it didn’t work.The drawings lay open on the desk in front of me.An important project.A deadline in three days.And I had been reading the same sentence for ten minutes.Over and over again.Without understanding a single word.Rafael is back.The thought kept returning.Again.And again.Not because I was in love with him.Not because of that.At least, that was what I believed then.It was because his presence had opened something that had been closed for a very long time.Memories.Of university.Of the years when life hadn’t yet been planned decades in advance.When we had no idea what would happen next.And somehow, we had still been happy.My phone vibrated.Matteo.How did the presentation go?

Years.After all those years.“And what about the project in Siena?”“That was Matteo's idea,” Violet answered automatically.Matteo immediately shook his head.“No.”Both of us looked at him.“That was her idea.”He nodded toward Violet.For a moment, I felt relieved.Then something strange happened.Violet looked surprised.As if she wasn't used to hearing words like that.And that unsettled me more than anything else.After lunch, we walked back toward the office.Matteo's phone rang.A client.Of course.After a few minutes, he slipped the phone back into his pocket with an apologetic smile.“I have to go back upstairs.”“The world of architecture will probably collapse without me.”“That's highly likely,” I agreed.Matteo laughed.Then he turned toward Violet.“I'll see you in a little while.”He leaned down and kissed her briefly before disappearing into the building.Violet and I remained outside.Neither of us spoke.Not for several seconds.I lifted my eyes toward the glass f

When someone asked me when I had last spent an evening entirely to myself, I couldn't have answered.Not a day.Not a weekend.Just an ordinary evening.Without work.Without deadlines.Without Matteo.Without the constant feeling that I should be somewhere else.But after my conversation with Rafael, something shifted.Maybe only a little.Maybe only inside me.But it changed.On Wednesday afternoon, my phone rang.Rafael.I stared at his name on the screen for a moment before answering."Hi.""Hi."There was something unusually light in his voice.As if he were already smiling."Are you working?"I looked around my office.At my desk.At the open laptop.At the to-do list that was somehow longer than yesterday's."Of course.""Then stop."I blinked."Excuse me?""Stop working."I laughed softly."That's not exactly a realistic plan.""It's five o'clock.""So?""Normal people sometimes go home.""I'm not a normal person.""I've noticed."A smile slipped onto my face.I hadn't meant f