g to get used to the quiet. It was a strange, unsettling feeling, but it also offered her a break she never thought she needed. Yet there was always

t him seemed marked by a shadow, a part of his history that he jealously kept buried. At first, she thought he was just an enigmatic man, a loner by ch

t a need to understand a little more. She got up and headed towards Odile's library, a dusty but welcoming place, full of old books. She browsed t

h evoked her life in the village, her early years here, her youthful experiences. But what caugh

..." Louisa read

he turned the pages carefully, discovering anecdotes from his past. Raphaël Belmont had been a renowned businessman, a successful entrepreneur, but who, at a certain point, seemed to have left every

this retreat. And as she read, bits of information were added to her mental picture. She discovered details that seemed to describe a man who had been deeply affected by tragedy, something that went beyond a si

f. She imagined Raphael, lost in thought, haunted by what he had had to endure. But why did he retreat here, to this isolated house, far fro

that there were pieces of the puzzle that she had not yet found. Bits of truth that she could not put together. And the more she learned about Raphaël, the

ame tranquility. Louisa sat at the table, watching her aunt with a thoughtful look. She had no intention of asking her dir

" Odile said, placing a plate on th

It's just... I wanted to know a little more about R

sat down across from her. There was something in the air, a subtle change in her demea

. He had a very difficult life, and one day, he made the decision to leave everything behind, to retreat to this remote corner, far from eve

rt race. "Why? Why

. "He lost a lot of things, Louisa. Things that no one should have to lose. He le

d. She knew she wouldn't get any more answers that night. But there was one thing she understood: Raphaël Belmont

g had shaped this man, transforming him into the man he was today? And beyond all that, Louisa realized that she was increa

nt's past was a labyrinth, and Louis