Darla took a deep breath before walking out to see her fans. The bookstore was filled with people waiting for her to sign their copies of her newly published novel, The Letter. Unbeknownst to her, while she was awaiting this moment in Florida, an epiphany would happen to Lucio in Rome.

Lucio returned home to Rome after his unsuccessful attempts to find “Dina” in Florida. He looked around his apartment and wanted a change. Everything in there reminded him of Dina, and he needed to try to move forward with his life. He didn’t have the budget to buy new furniture, but it didn’t cost anything to rearrange his rooms, which would at least make things look different to him.

As Lucio moved around his bedroom furniture, he noticed an envelope that must’ve fallen behind his bed. He opened it, and it was a letter addressed to him. He began to read it, and it was dated February 14th, the day before Dina went missing. Unbeknownst to Lucio, Darla was reading that same letter (but in English) at that same moment to a crowd at a bookstore in St. Petersburg, Florida as an excerpt from her new novel.

Darla looked at the faces in the crowd before she began to read. None of them could have any idea of what that letter actually meant to her. For them, it was a creative, fictitious story. For her, it was the end of a chapter in her life which led to the beginning of a wonderful new chapter. Without her experience with Lucio, she would not have been able to finish writing her novel; he was a good inspiration. Above all, she was happier now than she had been in years due to the love of her new fiancé, Peter, and her success as a writer.

Darla walked over to the podium and began reading the letter:

Dear Lucio,

I hate to end things between us in this manner, but as you know, our relationship is not what it used to be and hasn’t been for some time now. Today, I reached my limit. You know how important Valentine’s Day is to me, but you still managed to start a fight and hurt me. I’m writing this because I’m tired of fighting with you! I’m also tired of waking up every morning not knowing which version of you I will encounter; this type of suspense is not intriguing but aggravating. When I try to speak to you and explain how I feel, you speak over me and act dismissive. Well, now you are forced to listen to me through these words written here that I know you will read because it would be too hard for you to ignore them. Maybe you’ll even keep this letter as a reminder of how you destroyed the love someone had for you. You need to change if you ever want someone to love you again. You are not an easy person to love, but sadly, I still love you even as I’m writing these words. But I love myself more, and I can’t let someone take me for granted or waste my time. It is painful for me to tell you this because I know you love me in your own way, but unfortunately, your way is not good enough for me.

Goodbye, Lucio. Don’t bother trying to find me; find a better way to love those who love you.

Sincerely,

Darla (my real name — Dina was my grandmother’s name.)

While reading the excerpt, Darla was shaking but remained composed, so no one noticed. Upon conclusion of the reading, she proceeded with the book signing. As people were forming a line, she took those few moments to sort herself out, reminding herself that this was her dream, and she would not let anything distract her. She looked at the first fan, smiled at her, thanked her for attending, and signed her book.

While Darla was shaking, Lucio was weeping as he read the letter. He understood her frustration with him, but he was also going through a stressful time in his life and thought she understood that. He felt that she was hurt when she wrote the letter (like he felt after reading it) and that maybe she would be open to giving their relationship another chance in the future. Maybe she just needed some time and space, and that’s what he would give her. He was perturbed about her not telling him her real name when they met, but she really loved her grandmother, and maybe that was her way of honoring her memory. He also felt that if she really never wanted him to find her again, she would not have told him her real name. If he returned to St. Petersburg and asked for Darla, he could probably find her, given that he had figured out that Maurizio was her father. However, all of this was in the back of Lucio’s head at the moment because he was heading out that weekend to go on a trip with his friends. He set out feeling a lot better because that letter provided him with answers.

While on the train, Lucio looked out the window and saw a beautiful, large cloud in the sky. He thought of how Darla was under that same sky somewhere else in the world and smiled happily to himself, knowing she was alive. Darla was also looking up at the sky and thought, “Lucio, I wish you the best wherever you are.” In that precise moment, they both allowed themselves to make peace with their relationship and heal.