We are not going back

Chapter twenty-nine

I was in the middle of a strategy meeting when I paused, glancing around the room. Something felt off, like a missing piece of a puzzle. It hit me- Eleonora wasn't there. Trying to maintain my composure, I leaned over and whispered to one of the staff members, "Can you check on Eleonora? Tell her I need her here."

The staff member nodded and quietly slipped out of the room. I continued the meeting, my mind only half-focused on the conversation. It wasn’t long before the staff member returned, leaning down to whisper in my ear, "Her door is locked."

My jaw tightened slightly, but I kept my expression neutral, nodding before addressing the room. "I’ll be back in a moment. Continue discussing the agenda, and I'll join you shortly."

I excused myself, walking briskly down the hall toward Eleonora’s room. As I reached the door, I knocked softly, pressing my hand against the wood.

"Eleonora?" I called out, my voice calm but with an edge of concern. "It's me." There was silence on the other side, and I waited, knocking again, this time a little firmer. "Please, let me in."

Another long pause- before I heard the faint sound of movement, followed by the click of the door unlocking. I turned the handle and gently pushed the door open.

Eleonora was sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She looked up at me, her lips trembling as if she wanted to speak but didn’t know where to start.

I closed the door behind me softly, taking a step into the room before stopping. "Are you okay?" I asked gently.

Eleonora shook her head, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "I’m sorry," she whispered. "I’m being so unprofessional. I... I couldn’t pull myself together."

I crossed the room and sat beside her on the bed, my hand resting on Eleonora’s knee. "Hey, it's okay," I said softly. "You don’t have to apologize for feeling something, especially not to me."

Eleonora sniffled, her voice breaking as she spoke. "It’s Olivia. She called, and... we talked. It’s over, Kamala. It’s really over."

My expression softened as I absorbed the weight of what Eleonora had just said. I could see the pain etched across her face, the remnants of a relationship that had once meant everything now crumbling to pieces.

"I’m sorry," I murmured, my hand squeezing Eleonora’s knee gently. "I know how much this has been weighing on you."

Eleonora looked up at me, eyes glistening with fresh tears. "I didn’t think it would hurt this much. I thought... after everything, I’d feel relief. But all I feel is... loss. Like we failed each other. I'm sorry."

I nodded, understanding the complexity of that feeling. "You didn’t fail. Sometimes... two people can love each other and still not be right for each other anymore. That doesn’t mean what you had wasn’t real. It was. But it’s okay to move on."