Chapter: First Page

That afternoon, Olivia decided it was time to open the notebook in front of others. She didn't want to do it alone, not this time. The girls—Gloria, Merlyn, and Alejandra—were with her in the apartment, sitting between cups of tea and the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies by Luciana.

Matteo was playing quietly in the corner, building a tower of cards with incredible concentration.

"Are you sure you want to read it now?" asked Gloria, gently stroking the closed cover of the notebook.

"Yes. I think it's only fair that we share it. You were there when he left... you deserve to be here when he comes back, even if it's just in words," Olivia replied, her voice soft but firm.

She opened the notebook to the first written page. The blue ink had a warmth that seemed freshly applied.

*"Dear Liv,

Today was our anniversary. I saw you smile at the dock when I let go of the balloons and made a wish to the wind. You didn't tell me what you wished for, but I saw it in your eyes. I wished it too: to stay with you forever.

That night, I kept a dried flower between the pages of your favorite book. I don't know if you ever found it. I know sometimes you don't notice the little things, but I left them anyway.

Just in case I leave too soon, I'm leaving you this journal. I don't want my thoughts to leave with me."*

The silence became heavy. Alejandra was the first to let out a sigh.

"He always said that... 'just in case I leave too soon.' Didn't it feel strange, Olivia? Like he already knew something?"

"Yes..." Olivia said quietly. "He always said it. At first, I thought it was his romantic way of dramatizing everything. But then... he started saying it more often. Like he could feel it coming."

"Did he ever confess anything to you?" Merlyn asked, resting her elbow on the table. "Like... a reason, a real worry?"

"No," Olivia replied, lowering her gaze. "But I have a feeling this journal is going to start giving me those answers."

Matteo slowly approached with a small flower in his hand. He placed it on the table.

"Is this the flower? I found it in one of the books here."

Olivia looked at it. It was a pressed daisy, slightly faded but intact.

"Yes... it's that one." Her tears blurred her vision. "It's been here all this time."

Luciana came over and hugged Olivia around the shoulders.

"Sometimes, the answers don't come in words... but in fragments of what we leave behind."

Olivia carefully closed the journal.

"I'll read the next entry tomorrow. One a day. As if I had him back, talking to me... little by little."

And they all nodded. Because they knew that this journal wasn't just Tom's. It was the new map that would lead them all through memories, truths, and maybe... toward a different kind of peace.