Chapter 93

• The dinner unfolded in a heavy silence, as if words had evaporated along with the steam from the dishes. Sitting at the table with Michele, I forced a smile as I pushed the food around on my plate, my mind submerged in an ocean of thoughts.
• Finally, after the last bite of food, I decided it was time to end the discomfort and leave. I looked at Michele, whose gaze was fixed at some distant point, lost in his own thoughts.
• “I'm done,” I declared, my voice sounding colder than I intended. “I'll excuse myself.”