Still Unwritten: The heartwarming, escapist romance of the year by Khoury Caroline

Author:Khoury, Caroline
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2024-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

If this were a love match

It would never end right

And it pains me to tell you

I have no strength for the fight

And to tell you of my fear

My fear to give you my heart

Chapter 18

‘Why did no one wake me?’ I asked Dad as I shuffled into the kitchen, my eyes bleary, that weird feeling you get when you have slept too much fogging my head.

The clock on the wall ticked close to ten. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee on the stove and toasted brioche on the kitchen table permeated the room and I breathed in deeply. A memory stirred of Nonna and all the mornings I had woken to home-made cornetti, the crema pasticciera filling oozing out as soon as I took a bite. Nonna always scolded me for not using a plate and the trail of crumbs I would leave around the kitchen, but her scolding always came with a toothy smile not long after the ticking-off.

‘Amore mio,’ Dad said, pouring me a cup of black coffee and passing over a plate. ‘You were fast asleep. I didn’t want to wake you.’

‘Where’s Jae-seung? Still sleeping?’ I asked, slipping into one of the kitchen chairs. I thanked Dad for the coffee, peeking inside the bag from the local bakery that I knew my stepmother would have got first thing this morning.

‘No, no,’ Dad said before sipping his coffee. ‘He went out. Sightseeing.’

‘Sightseeing?’ I questioned as I pulled out a jam-filled cornetto. ‘We were meant to go together, do some more exploring.’

‘I told him I wanted to talk with you. Don’t worry, he has a map, and I gave him directions to the castello. I thought he might enjoy the cable ride.’

I bit into my pastry, the crumbs trickling down my chin. Wiping my fingers with a serviette, I savoured the jam filling. ‘What did you want to talk about, Papà?’

Marilyn weaved in and around my chair and I patted my lap. She jumped onto it, her grey fur soft against my bare thighs.

Dad was clutching the counter tightly, his knuckles whitening.

‘What’s the matter?’

He turned over his shoulder and there was a pained look on his face. ‘There is something I need to tell you, Cesca, or rather show you, and it isn’t easy for me. But last night, our conversation…’

‘I didn’t mean to upset you. Honestly.’

‘I know, amore mio, but I think it is I who should be apologising to you.’

Dad opened the drawer under the counter and pulled out something that appeared to be a stack of letters. He held them in his grasp and began turning them in his hands. Sitting down in the chair opposite mine, he lowered his head. ‘Please understand, Cesca. I believe she did this to protect you.’

I stroked Marilyn with measured movements. ‘Who?’

‘Nonna.’

Slowly, he pushed the stack towards me. Marilyn jumped off my lap as I scraped my chair closer to the table. They were not letters but postcards, bound in a red ribbon. My throat went dry when I saw the name of the city adorning the top one – Seoul.

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