From Now On I Grow Toward Spring Chapter 18
Early the next morning, Matteo came again.
He stood outside the law firm, waiting for me with an exquisitely packaged cake.
The moment he saw me, he held out a gift bag.
“Talia, I neglected you for five years. This is the birthday gift I owe you. See if you like it.”
I didn’t take it.
The light in his eyes dimmed. He brought out a small potted plant with yellow flowers from behind his back, his voice dry.
“And the flower. I had someone overnight a new one.”
“Talia, flowers can be replanted. Can’t we start over, too?”
I looked at him and shook my head.
“No two flowers in the world are exactly the same.”
“Matteo, there’s no point.”
He stood there for a long time, silent.
Three days later, we were at the county clerk’s office.
When the clerk stamped our divorce papers, a tear slid from the corner of Matteo’s eye.
“Talia, can we start over—”
“No.”
I cut him off.
He was about to say something else when his phone rang.
The voice on the other end was urgent.
In the days he had been away, Sofia had entered the wrong contract amount, costing the company seven million dollars.
The company had already filed a lawsuit against Sofia and was holding him accountable as well, ordering his immediate return for an internal investigation.
Even the lightest consequence would be termination.