The Room Beyond the Door
We sat in the dining hall, feeling like strangers.
"Nice place you've got here," he said.
"Yeah."
"I checked out the latest show at your gallery. It was a hit."
"Thanks."
Our talk was stiff, nothing like the easy way we used to chat.
He blurted out, "Elena, if... if we could do it all over again..."
"We can't turn back time, Matthew."
"I know." He gave a sad smile. "But I keep thinking, what if… What if I hadn't let Sofia into the secret room? What if I had listened to you? What if I had realized sooner how important you were? So many what-ifs…"