Page 34 of The Chameleon

Matteo never did mention where he was going or that he was leaving the country. They didn’t need to know. In fact, this place, this cabin that he owned just outside of a tiny town in Spain, was a place that no one knew about.

It was his one escape. The one place that was just his.

A hidden place that he could retreat to whenever he wanted to be alone and just be…Matteo. A quiet, simple man who nobody knew from a place that nobody knew about. The anonymity of it all was so refreshing.

So here he was. Alone with his thoughts, drinking wine and watching the fire burn in his fireplace.

A large chunk of wood crackled before exploding, breaking apart, and then continuing to burn amongst the others.

The log was like him. When his parents passed away, he felt his life be torn in two—the man that he wanted to be and the man that he had suddenly become.

The sole heir to the Sabarino fortune.

He was thirty-one when his parents died in a plane crash. He never would have imagined that he would be master of the château and sole heir to such a massive fortune at such a young age. There was still so much that he wanted to do.

But like that mighty piece of wood, he was determined to continue to burn bright, make his parents proud, and hopefully, still manage to accomplish a few of his dreams.

Wealth, power, and business, he had managed to succeed at.

Love… he had failed at miserably.

Love…

And to think, at one point, he had such high hopes.

Hypnotized by the fire, his mind began to drift.

Pebbles crunched beneath his sandals as he took in all the sights all around him. Everything was so… natural.

Loads of local vendors lined the dirt path, which acted as a road leading through the tiny village. Each vendor had set up their makeshift carts and booths, all hoping to sell their goods to anyone with cash to spare.

There were fruits, vegetables, clothing, and homemade trinkets. It was a collection of anything and everything, all available along one dirt road that most of the world seemed to have forgotten about.

Matteo loved it.

He picked up a hand-painted ceramic plate and admired the images of a mother and daughter working together to prepare a family meal.

Family.

That was what was important.

“Cuanto?” Matteo asked, already knowing he was going to pay the young woman more than what she was asking.

The woman held up her hand, signaling five euros. Matteo smiled and passed her a twenty. The woman reached into her pocket to make some change, but Matteo lifted his hand, signaling for her to stop. He slipped the plate into the leather bag he had slung across his chest and gave the woman a friendly nod.

The woman thanked him profusely as he waved and continued on his way.

Children ran between the carts, playing as their parents bartered with locals and discussed prices with visitors. It was such a humbling image to see. People, all working together to help one another and children playing freely without the burden of societal expectations bearing down on them. They did not have “obligations” or “expectations” that they needed to live up to. They were just kids being kids.

Matteo jumped as a thunderous crash tore through the sky. Above, the sky grew dark, and the air around them began to change.

Another loud bang followed by a flash of lighting.

Without warning, the sky opened up, and heavy rain began to pour down.

Everyone hurried to cover their items, trying their best to protect their goods from the assault of the rain.

All around him, people ran for shelter, doing what they could to get out of the rain. Matteo joined them, jogging down the path until he spotted a tiny awning jutting out between two booths.

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