The drive to Chinon was long.
Nostalgic.
Painfully so.
The vineyards rolled past like slow memories, familiar but quieter now. The roads were the same, the skies just as clear, the air thick with late summer—but everything else had changed.
This time, she wasn't in Nicky's car. And it felt strange—stranger than she expected. The seat felt colder, the air more open, her heart sitting heavier in her chest. Last time, they'd shared music, laughter, stolen glances. Now, everything was distant. She felt like a stranger in her own memory, watching it all from the outside.
Nicky and Luis were in a separate one, somewhere behind or ahead. She didn't know, didn't ask. Maybe it was better this way. Less pressure, less room for whatever was still breaking between them.
She sat in the back seat between Elias and Renee. Valeria was sleeping in the front passenger seat, sunglasses on, head tilted back in perfect peace. Luca was in another car, arriving later.
