Chapter 12

That day, Daniel never left the bedroom. He sat alone in the empty room, his fingers unconsciously tracing the faded scarf. Outside, the sky grew dark as the last rays of sunlight filtered through the window, casting a warm golden glow across the floor. He stared at that patch of light and suddenly saw Valentina as she was years ago. She was in a light blue dress, standing under the sycamore trees on the base grounds. She held a magazine in her hands as sunlight dappled through the leaves, the shifting shadows highlighting her porcelain skin and delicate features. That was the first time he'd ever seen her. Five years ago, Daniel had just been promoted to captain and was reporting to the base for the first time. He spotted a group of young officers across the courtyard crowding around a woman, all trying to get her attention. She stood at the center of it all with a polite smile. But her eyes seemed distant and disinterested, clearly not impressed by any of their attempts at conve