Page 114 of The Moon & His Tides

“You could stay with me,” she offered hesitantly. “If you need to.”

Warmth licked at the edges of my cold heart. “That would be very awkward for you.”

She shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about a career change anyway.”

My laugh was a mere exhale, but I was still grateful to her. “I won’t put you in that position, but don’t forget my phone number,si? I’d like to stay friends. Have one person who knows what happened here.”

“I’m happy to be the tombstone marking that grave,” she said solemnly, with a twitch to her mouth. She shifted her arm to mywaist and wrapped me in a tight hug. “I’ll miss you around here. And not just because they’ll be unbearable without you.”

I squeezed her back, dipping to kiss the top of her red head. She reminded me a little of my sisters, and I took comfort from it. “Grazie, Chaucer. I’ll text when I’m settled.”

Moving away from her, I grabbed the folded note I’d left on the dresser and pressed it into her hand.

“Can you give that to Savannah when you get a chance?”

It wasn’t cool of me to ask her, but I had to.

Because I wasn’t willing to give up on her.

She might not have come with me that night in the thick of it, but she wasn’t the type of woman to leave her husband in the middle of a crisis.

It didn’t mean she wouldn’t leave him at all.

I knew, looking at her gorgeous, brokenhearted face, that she’dwantedto say yes.

All I could hope for was that one day she would.

The note said:Vivi la tua vita senza rimpianti, duchessa. Vi aspetto.

Live your life without regrets, Duchess. I’ll be waiting.

It was all I would do.

Both of them knew who I was and what I wanted.

A love that moved the sun and the stars.

And if they didn’t feel that way…

Well then, I wouldn’t see either of them ever again.

Tears burned the backs of my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall as I collected the last two boxes and went down the stairs where the rest of them waited by the open door. Andrea had already started to move them to his car, and he was on a return trip when my feet hit the landing.

“Sebastian,amico mio, you look like hell,” he stated plainly, fisting his hands on his hips as he studied me.

A broken laugh escaped my mouth, and I gave a little shrug. “I’ve seen better days.”

“It’s your birthday,” he reminded me, and honestly, I’d forgotten since the day had been derailed, but it made sense in a way.

Last year, I’d said goodbye to Cosima on our birthday.

This year, I said goodbye to Savannah and Adam.

I swallowed thickly and shrugged again because it was all I had to offer.

Andrea’s lips thinned. “Bene,andiamo. Get the last of the boxes, and we will leave.”

I nodded, following him mutely as we efficiently packed the rest of my things into his Lamborghini Urus SUV. When we were done, I turned back to the cottage one last time and committed it to memory. Chaucer stood in the doorway hugging herself, but she lifted a hand when I opened the passenger door, and I reciprocated before closing it on my life as I’d known it for the past year.