Chapter 532

• Sylvana watches me over the rim of her coffee mug as I eat breakfast. Jake is due today, and I’m starting to get serious withdrawals over his absence. The only good thing about him being gone for three whole days is that I seem to have built a bond with Sylvana: a lot of time together this past couple of days while chatting about everything and nothing. I’m more comfortable in this woman’s presence than I ever was in my own mother’s. She has a gentle way about her that makes you relax and never judges you.
• “You look so much better today, Miele. So much more color in your face than the day you arrived with Jake.” She regards me with an affectionate warmth in her eye.
• “I don’t feel as bad. The nausea is improving, and I’m no longer tired and emotional. I think my body is settling with the hormones.” I drink my cup of cocoa and nestle my feet under myself on the couch beside her.