I don’t remember for how long I sat there. I can't even remember if I was thinking anything at all.

The villa was quiet. Too quiet. Not the kind of silence that comes from peace but the kind that hangs in the air like a scream someone choked down.

For a while, I just sat there. Listening. Waiting.

She always made some kind of noise, no matter how soft. The shuffle of her feet. The sound of her breathing. Sometimes she hummed without realizing it. Sometimes she talked to plants as if they ...