The soft rustle of leaves was the only sound accompanying me as I sat on the garden chair, legs crossed, hands resting limply on my lap. The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow across the villa grounds, but none of it could touch the numbness settling deep within me. My eyes were fixed on the pond ahead, watching the koi swim in lazy circles, but truthfully, I wasn't seeing anything at all.
I didn't know how long I had been sitting there.
There was a man sitting next to me.
Hugo.
But for some reason, my heart couldn't react. It felt strange, so strange to think about how close we were physically, yet how distant everything still felt.
He hadn't said anything since we came out here. His presence loomed, tall and silent, like an unspoken question I didn't want to answer. I could feel his gaze occasionally flickering toward me, as if he was waiting for me to say something first. But I didn't. I couldn't.
What could I say?
