39. traces and memories

As the sun's rays tortured me into opening my eyes, I managed to barely part my eyelids. We had fallen asleep toward dawn on the bed that Leonardo had prepared in his restaurant's office. We made love passionately all night to make up for lost time. And that was all over the restaurant. When my eyes found the office windows, I took a deep breath. Facing the city view, I reached a magnificent climax as Leonardo moved within me. I sat up in the bed and looked around. The only sound in the room was my breathing.

I slipped on the dress that was on the chair and tied up my hair. Even though I had only slept for a few hours, I felt very rested. Leonardo had become a turning point in my life.

He was a fantastic partner in bed and was rapidly becoming irreplaceable in my life. I wasn't like I was with Mattio. I was at peace and didn't want that peace to be broken.

Unlike Mattio, Leonardo wasn't trying to control me. Or was he? While I felt trapped in a deep well beside Mattio, with Leonardo I felt like I was soaring in the sky.

Two men were waiting outside. when I opened the door to leave the office.

"Miss Isabella, we are here to escort you home, ma'am," said the guard I knew as Roberto. I frowned. A bad feeling arose within me.

To my home? I had been staying at Leonardo's place for a month, and I had almost settled in. When Sofia had to move in with Marco, living alone didn't appeal to me.

"Where's Leonardo?" I asked suddenly in a tense voice.

"We don't know, ma'am."

"What do you mean you don't know?" I asked. "He was with me a few hours ago; he should still be at the restaurant. Why aren't you looking for him?"

Roberto averted his eyes. "I truly don't know where he is, ma'am. We only received a message that we needed to take you home, and so we came here. Please, if you're ready, the car is waiting."

"Are you joking with me?" I took a few steps towards Roberto. "Do I look like a prostitute who spent the night with your boss from there? Are you going to pay me too?"

"Miss Isabella—"

I raised my hand to stop him from speaking. My heart was beating uneasily. "Call him."

"We can't reach him. His phone is off."

"I didn't ask you a question, Roberto. I told you to call him right now." He took out his phone from the inner pocket of his jacket, dialed Leonardo, and showed me the screen.

The call eventually went to voicemail.

"Please allow me to take you home."

"I'm going to Leo's house," I said, passing by him. He followed immediately. As I walked through the restaurant, I frowned.

All the employees were working vigorously.

“What's going on here?”

“There's a dinner party being organized for tonight. All the preparations are for that,” he replied. I walked past, not caring. The only thing on my mind was where Leo was.

“What was the last thing you spoke about with him?”

“Nothing, ma'am. I only received his message this morning. When I called him back, his phone was switched off.”

When I arrived home, the only greeting was silence. Everything was as I left it last night. The TV blanket on the couch was still there. I entered the bedroom, and my heart started racing like mad.

I held my chest with my right hand. Why did I feel this way? Why did everything feel like it was slipping through my fingers? When I walked into the dressing room, I saw all our clothes still hanging. Leo hadn’t taken a single item. Everything was in place.

So where was Leonardo?

“Miss Isabella, would you like me to take you home?” I jumped in fear when Roberto suddenly appeared behind me.

“Why? Did Leonardo tell you to?”

“No, ma'am. I’m just not certain when he will return.”

“I'm not going anywhere. I will wait here. Roberto, do you know something? I am his girlfriend, and I want to know where he is,” I said.

“I know who you are, ma'am. I also understand your importance to Mr. Leonardo. I'm just saying you might be waiting in vain.”

“What does that mean? Where's Leonardo? Why would I be waiting in vain? Roberto, give me an explanation,” I demanded, my voice rising in anger. The fear and uncertainty consumed me while Roberto remained silent.

Waiting in vain? As that phrase echoed in my mind, I grabbed a watch box from Leonardo's collection and threw it at the wall.

“I want an answer. Where is Leonardo?”

“I don't know! I not only don’t know where he is but also when he will return. I'm sorry, I have nothing else to say about this matter.”

As he left me alone in the room, I sank to the floor of the dressing room. What was happening? Where was Leonardo?

How did the man who had made love to me so passionately just a few hours ago suddenly disappear? While his scent still lingered on my skin, why did it feel like I was dreaming? Were all these things just figments of my imagination?

But it couldn’t be just a dream, could it? I was in his house. I was in his dressing room. All his belongings seemed to be looking at me as if proving their existence. I could still smell the perfume he wore last night. We got ready in this room. I had buttoned up his shirt one by one in front of that mirror. Every morning, I chose his suit from that closet. All these things weren't just a dream.

So where was he? I got up from the floor and took off the dress I was wearing. As I passed by the mirror, I looked at my bare skin. The reckless marks from last night were still on my breasts and legs. The redness was beginning to bruise.

None of this was a dream.

I took a cold shower with icy water, put on my bathrobe, and moved to the living room. Hours had passed, and it was already evening. I was still in my bathrobe, my hair was wet, and I was just waiting for my phone to ring. I was waiting for Leonardo to call.

I went to the kitchen and made myself a strong coffee. A few more hours passed. The hands of the clock chased each other, and it was already midnight. A whole day had gone by.