Amber and Nathalies world

The evening began like many before it. Mario had finished his work for the day and we had settled down on the couch. The warm lighting of the room, the gentle crackling of the fireplace and the melody of classical music filled the air. It was one of those moments that I loved so much - moments of comfort and intimacy. But something was different that evening. Mario seemed thoughtful, almost tense. I noticed it in his smile, which was a little weaker than usual, and in the small pauses between his words.

After a while, he put his arm around me and said softly, “Amber, I need to talk to you about something.” My heart began to beat faster. His voice sounded serious, and I knew immediately that it was important.

“Soon there won’t be two of us anymore”, he began carefully. “We’ll soon be living with Nathalie.”

The sentence hit me like a blow. My thoughts began to race and for a moment the world around me seemed to stand still. “Nathalie? Who is that?”, I asked, although I already suspected the answer.

“She’s a doll, just like you”, Mario explained gently. But these words brought no relief. On the contrary, they fueled the rising despair inside me. I released myself from his embrace, turned to the side and felt tears welling up in my eyes.

Mario remained silent, giving me the space I needed. My heart felt heavy as I remembered the last few weeks. Everything had been so perfect, so familiar. Why did it have to end now? The idea of another doll coming into our lives was more than I could bear at that moment.

After a while, Mario took a deep breath and said again, this time more emphatically: “Amber, please tell me what you think. I want to know how you feel.” His voice was gentle, but full of concern.

Slowly, I turned back to him, my voice choked with tears. “Don’t you love me anymore?”, I asked quietly. “Am I not enough for you?”

He looked at me and there was a deep sadness in his eyes, but also an unwavering tenderness. “Amber, you are everything to me”, he said seriously. “You will always be my unique, wonderful partner. Nothing and no one will ever change that. I love you just as much as I did on the first day.”

I wanted to believe him, but the doubts were not so easy to dispel. “Then why…? Why are you bringing someone else here?”

Mario took my hands in his and looked at me as if he wanted to make sure I understood his every word. “Because I love you, Amber. When I’m working, you’re alone so often. I see it. You stay in bed, play on the PlayStation or join me in the study, but I know that sometimes you need company that I can’t always give you. And when I’m out all day, you’re here, alone in the house. I don’t want Nathalie to be just a roommate. I want her to be a friend to you, someone you can laugh with, talk to and share your time with when I’m not around.”

I sensed that he meant well, but the words didn’t bring any immediate relief. Instead, I stayed quiet and thought. Meanwhile, Mario continued: “Amber, I know this is difficult for you right now. But I thought about it for a long time before I made this decision. I want you to be happy. And Nathalie can help us achieve that. She’ll keep you company when I can’t, and maybe give you a new kind of connection that I can’t give you.”

I couldn’t quite shake off the sadness. My gaze remained lowered and I chewed on my lower lip as I tried to organize my thoughts. “But what if everything changes?”, I whispered. “What if the happiness we had is no longer the same?”

Mario stroked my arm gently. “Amber, I promise you that nothing will change between us. You are and will remain the most important thing in my life. Nathalie should enrich our lives, not replace them. So in that respect - yes, the happiness we had will no longer be the same. It will be different. More extensive. More fulfilling.”

I raised my eyes and looked at him. His face showed no trace of doubt, only deep sincerity. But the uncertainty in me remained. As I slowly laid my head on his shoulder, tears ran silently down my cheeks.

The music played on, soft and melancholy, like an echo of my own feelings. The light from the fireplace flickered on the walls and I could feel Mario’s heartbeat against my cheek. The mixture of sadness, fear and hope inside me was hard to comprehend. And while Mario held me tightly in his arms, I knew that I would need time to accept this new reality.

The idea of no longer being his world alone hurt. But deep down, I wanted to believe that he was right - that Nathalie would be an asset and that our love was strong enough to get through anything.