At that moment Valentina closed her eyes, her throat tightening. The silence between her and Luca weighed heavier than anything Maria could ever say. She leaned against the wall, her fingers trembling slightly as she lifted the phone back to her ear.
"Luca…" Her voice came out softer than she intended, almost a whisper. "I'm sorry."
There was a pause on the other end, the kind that makes someone realize a child was holding their breath.
"I'm really, really sorry," she said again, firmer this time. "I didn't mean to break my promise. I've just… everything has been so fast lately. Work, life, trying to catch my breath…" She trailed off, her chest aching.
She could hear the faint shift of Luca settling into the couch on his end of the call, as if still waiting to believe her.
"I've missed you," Valentina admitted. "And not a day passed that I didn't think of calling. But I told myself 'tomorrow'... and then tomorrow turned into weeks. That's on me."
