PART 1: THE ROOM THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Around eleven in the morning, Clara arrived home after four months of business trip. She had kept her return secret on purpose, as she wanted to surprise her husband and son with a home-cooked meal. In her bag she carried fresh vegetables, a piece of meat and all her favorite foods, small reminders of the life she longed to return to.
As she climbed the stairs to the apartment, a disturbing silence enveloped her. There was no music, no television, not even someone’s familiar sounds moving around the rooms. He called once, and then another, with more force.
“Those two…”
When she got no answer from anyone, Clara reached the door and pushed her to open it.
The atmosphere inside felt strangely tense, erecting the hair on his arms before he could understand the motive. Their
Eyes gradually got used to the luminosity of the white room until they perched on the under mattress spread out on the floor.
The first person she recognized was her husband, Julian.
His face was serene, almost peaceful, painfully different from the storm brewing inside. But the second figure next to him made his whole world reel.
She was not another woman.
It was his son, Leo.
They lay side by side, stripped of the roles they played everywhere. There was no father, no son, no protector, no student. Under the intense white light, they looked like two people completely absorbed by a world that no longer seemed to take place for Clara.
He covered his mouth before a sob could escape.
Minutes before, he had noticed how impeccable and tidy the apartment looked. Now, that immaculate home seemed like an illusion carefullyurm
