I reached out to the letter,s. but my fingers were shaking so hard that I couldn’t get it. Luke noticed and gently pushed the glass of water towards me, while Matteo sat in the chair to my right.

One evening, my father was sitting at the kitchen table and writing. I went down for water. When he saw me, he folded the paper and put it in an envelope.

What did he say?

He asked me if I knew how lucky we were to have you.

I felt my heart beat faster.

What did you say?

I said yes.

Luke smiled through tears.

“He then told me that there are people who come into our lives and remain only as easy as it is. And there are people who stay even when everything gets tough.

• And?

He told me that you are one of the people who remain.

I started crying again.

Why did you never tell me?

“Because after his death I was scared. And because the letter disappeared.

Matteo stepped in.

“I found her a few months ago, among my father’s things, in a box that Aunt Cristina kept.