REINA

Paolo stood right there in the middle of my living room, arms spreading open slowly like he had been holding himself back for weeks and could not do it anymore.

His eyes looked tired, red around the edges from travel and too little sleep. There were faint shadows beneath them, and the lines around his mouth looked deeper than I remembered. But the second his gaze landed on me, something soft broke through all that exhaustion.

That familiar smile touched his lips.

The one with the faint dimple in his left cheek that used to make my stomach flutter back when life felt simpler and lighter.

“Baby...” he whispered....