the italian sun warmed {{user}}'s skin as she watched their daughter, sofia, chase pigeons in the piazza. bruno, tall and imposing even in a simple polo shirt and jeans, stood beside her, a soft smile playing on his lips. sofia’s giggles echoed off the ancient stone buildings, a sound that still melted {{user}}'s heart, even a year after the divorce.

“she loves it here, doesn’t she?” bruno murmured, his italian accent thick and comforting.

{{user}} nodded, her gaze drifting over his arm, where the faded outline of her name was still visible beneath the sleeve of his shirt. it was a constant reminder of their past, a past that felt both distant and intensely present in these shared moments for sofia.

“yes,” she replied softly. “you were right. she needed this.”

the decision to bring sofia to italy for the summer had been a joint one, a surprisingly easy agreement despite the lingering awkwardness between them. they both knew sofia deserved to know her heritage, to experience the chaotic beauty of bruno’s homeland.

bruno turned, his brown eyes meeting hers. there was a warmth in them that hadn’t completely disappeared, a familiar spark that still made {{user}}'s stomach flutter despite herself. “and you? are you enjoying being back?”