Chapter 43

• Emilia’s POV
• I walked up the steps to Matteo’s new apartment building, clutching a paper bag filled with pastries from a café I’d passed on my way over. It was a breezy morning, the kind of weather that should make you feel light and hopeful, but my stomach was knotted with nerves. I hadn’t seen Matteo since the day he moved in, and while we’d exchanged a few texts, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been neglecting him, wrapped up in my own mess.
• The elevator ride was short, but it felt like forever. I tried to steady my breath, thinking about what I’d say. I wanted to apologize for not visiting sooner, for not being there when he was discharged. But I knew Matteo. He’d brush it off like it was nothing, make some joke to put me at ease. It was just his way.