Page 41 of All is Not Lost

"However many our hearts can handle," he replies with a wink.

The idea blooms in my mind, vibrant and enticing—a simple life filled with love, homemade pasta, and rooms echoing with the joy of guests seeking respite in Italy's rustic charm. A life where my past fades into nothing but a distant shadow, eclipsed by the brightness of a future with Giovanni.

"Can we have a garden?" I ask, the dream expanding with each word. "I want to grow basil, tomatoes, all the herbs… I could cook with them, use them for the meals we serve the guests."

"Anything you want, amore mio," he assures me, his eyes twinkling like the stars above us. "You will be the heart of our home, bringing life to every corner."

The mere thought sends a surge of warmth through my veins. In this moment, possibilities stretch out before us, endless and exhilarating. With Giovanni by my side, I feel capable of nurturing not just a garden but a new legacy—one built on the foundation of love. Who would have thought that?

Not me.

We go to the bedroom and sit on the bed. Giovanni leans in, his breath a warm whisper against my lips. I close the distance, surrendering to the magnetic pull between us. As our lips meet, there's a gentleness that belies the fierce passion beneath. His kiss is a question and an answer at the same time; the taste of him is both familiar and thrillingly new.

The world around us fades to nothingness; there is only Giovanni and the promise of every tomorrow we'll share. The heat of desire simmers between us, not just for the touch of flesh but for the intertwining of souls. We break the kiss, our foreheads resting together, sharing breaths, hearts synchronized in a rhythm as old as time itself.

"Ti amo, Sophia," he whispers, his voice a silken caress that sends shivers dancing down my spine.

"Ti amo, Giovanni," I reply, the words more than just a declaration—they're a pledge, a vow to cherish this man who has become my everything.

We lie down, bodies pressed close, cocooned in the sanctuary of our shared warmth. A sigh escapes me, contentment draping us like the softest blanket. I listen to the steady thump of his heartbeat against my ear, a testament to the life we are forging together.

In Giovanni's embrace, peace washes over me, a serene tide smoothing away the jagged edges of my past.

I gaze up at him, his eyes reflecting the same profound joy that fills my own heart. There's a sense of completeness, of having traversed vast emotional landscapes to discover that home isn't a place but a person.

"Forever," I murmur against his chest, the word a solemn oath.

"Forever," he echoes, sealing it with a kiss to the crown of my head.

The night deepens around us, but within these four walls, we are untouched, basking in the glow of our love. Drifting toward sleep, I know that when morning comes, we will wake together, ready to walk hand in hand into the future—a future bright with the colors of hope, laughter, and endless love.

As I succumb to slumber, it's with a heart so full that it feels as though it might burst. But it doesn't—it simply expands, making room for all the happiness yet to come. And in this quiet, perfect stillness, I understand that this is what happily ever after feels like.

A soft knock shatters the stillness of our cocoon, and for a moment, I'm tempted to ignore it, to stay in Giovanni's embrace forever. But the insistent rapping pulls me back to reality, and with a reluctant sigh, I unravel myself from his arms and pad across the cool floor tiles to the door.

"Who could that be at this hour?" I mutter under my breath as I peer through the peephole. My heart skips a beat when I see her—Carla, looking like a deer caught in headlights, her eyes wide with a fear that tugs at my conscience despite everything.

"Hey," I say softly as I swing the door open, bracing myself for what might come. “What are you doing here?”

"Is Daniel here?" she bursts out before I can even greet her properly, her voice quivering. "I know he came here to find you. When I got the text from you, he made me tell him where you were. We still have the locator app on; I saw it, Sophia. And it was like he couldn’t let it go. Then one morning, I woke up, and he had… then, he had just… left."

Her words tumble out in a frantic rush, and she swallows hard, her gaze darting around as if expecting him to materialize from the shadows.

“Is he… is he here… with you? Don’t take him from me. I love him. I know he was yours first, but… I love him. Is he here?”

"Daniel? No, Carla, he's not here," I say, and I can't help but laugh—a bright, clear sound that feels alien after all the bitterness I've harbored. The tension melts from Carla's frame, and I step forward to wrap her in a hug.

"You can have him all to yourself. He's all yours. You two are perfect together. And by the way, I forgive you."

"Really?" She clings to me for a moment longer than expected, relief flooding her features.

"Really," I confirm with a nod, a smile playing on my lips. "I’m actually kind of grateful in a weird way for what you did and what happened, even though it was awful while it lasted. I wouldn’t have come here and found my happiness.”

“Really?” Carla says again.

“Yes, really. Daniel is at the hotel downtown."

"Thank you, Sophia," Carla says, her voice barely above a whisper as she steps back, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. With those parting words, she turns and runs off into the night, her figure disappearing down the cobblestone street as quickly as she had arrived.

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