Chapter 18
It is bitterly cold, almost to the point where Daniel doesn’t want to take Alice out, but they both need fresh air. She woke at twenty past five, so he didn’t get much sleep last night.
He pushes the stroller in front of him as he turns into the square.
There is mist in the air, but the pretty Christmas decorations are still hanging in the trees, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Thousands of tiny lights twinkle among the branches, which are covered in fluffy winter-white rime frost.
The plan is to grab a coffee at the café in the middle of the square. No one can beat them when it comes to a really good cappuccino. Daniel knows his coffee—with an Italian mother, it’s part of his DNA.
“Would you like a bun?” he asks Alice, whose face immediately lights up.
“Bun!” she repeats, beaming at him. “Bun, bun, bun!”
She loves vanilla buns; they’re the best thing in the world.
Just as they arrive, Daniel sees Gustav approaching, dressed in his full ski kit and with his skis over his shoulder.
He seems to be heading for the lift. Ida is with him, also in her skiing gear.
They have obviously planned a day on the slopes, maybe with lunch at Kastrullen or Hummelstugan, as they have a child-free weekend.
Daniel bends his head, pretending to be doing something with the stroller. He hopes they won’t notice him; he doesn’t want to speak to Ida or Gustav.
Especially Gustav.
Alice is facing the opposite direction, so she doesn’t see them.
Ida is talking, and it is clear that she is full of enthusiasm; she gesticulates with her free hand, then laughs out loud.
When she and Daniel met just over three years ago at Bygget, she laughed just like that. He still remembers how he fell for her like a ton of bricks. The attraction was immediate. He had never been so in love; he wanted to touch her all the time.
Somewhere along the way, that laugh disappeared.
Somewhere along the way, they stopped touching each other.
Alice’s birth was life’s greatest gift, but their lives quickly became an endless round of planning and logistics; it was all about Alice and how they could make their everyday existence work.
Ida became quieter, more introverted. Anxious.
She started to loathe his job; she worried constantly that he would be injured in the line of duty. She hated the fact that he was away so much during major investigations, accusing him of prioritizing his work over his family.
And then she left him.
Ida smiles at Gustav; her whole face is lit up as they continue toward the ski lift.
Daniel is glad she didn’t see him. He finds it difficult to keep the mask in place when Gustav is there. It was tricky enough when he called by the apartment yesterday. The sense of sorrow and loss tears at his heart as he picks up Alice and goes into the café.