Chapter 77
Emily
Her words stunned me, and everyone around us as we fell into complete silence. I felt a tight feeling in my chest, seeing the depth of Naty’s attachment to Alessio, and it scared me.
She was just a kid. She didn’t know what she was saying. Even though I had asked him to be that figure in her life, and Domenico referred to her as Alessio’s daughter, I had never expected she would actually call him by that name.
My eyes turned to Alessio as I thought of the right and careful way to tell my daughter to call him by his name. His face had turned serious, as he, without a doubt, was taken aback.
“Naty, he’s not-“I began, wanting to correct her gently, to spare us both from any awkwardness or misunderstanding.
Alessio stopped me with a simple shake of his head, telling me with his eyes not to make it a big deal. Then, he turned to Naty with a big smile and gave her a fist bump. “I’ll make time for you this week, and we’ll finish that puzzle–I promise.”
Naty cheered, jumping up and down. “Hey,” Alessio grabbed her shoulders to stop her. “And in the meantime, you’ll have to be nice and apologize to Mommy for calling her stupid.”
He spun her around, and Naty stared at me with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry for calling you stupid, Mommy,” she said. “I didn’t mean it.”
“It’s okay, baby.”
Alessio shot me a quick wink before praising her for being kind. Naty listened to him, she had grown closer to him and never had to beg for his attention or love. It was freely given, unconditional.
And yet, I began worrying about their close bond. If she saw him as her Daddy, that meant our relationship just couldn’t afford to fail. That fight we had? Something like that just couldn’t happen again. It wasn’t just about us anymore. It was about her–and that put me under a lot of pressure.
On top of that, our relationship was being challenged with him taking on more responsibilities. I took a deep breath once it really kicked in that I would be feeling lonely again, just as in the beginning
As two weeks had passed, lonely didn’t even come close to describing how I felt during those long days and nights when Alessio was gone. I supposed he was busy planning the Fanuccis‘ supposed revenge, but I could only assume.
I usually spent my days taking care of the girls and their routine. Occasionally, I would hang out with Alessio’s fEmilyale cousins, but more than that–I found myself on the phone with Pilar, pouring my heart out.
Now that more was out in the open, I had shared everything with her. From Jason, to my time as a maid, to the fake relationship, to our blossomed relationship, and at the moment, I ranted about Gian
“No, I already noticed that one time at the club, that Gian guy needs some serious fucking help,” Pilar said.
I laughed into the phone, imagining Pilar’s pissed expression on the other side. She sounded as if she was ready to jump on a plane to give him a piece of her mind.
“That’s what I’m telling you!” I agreed, happy to have her at my side. This was the kind of topic I couldn’t discuss with Alessio’s cousins or any other Fanucci.
I needed to vent to someone, and I could come to Pilar with anything.
“Do you want me to send someone over to finish the job? Because I can do that for you,” Pilar cackled, but the threat was very serious.
“I’m good, but thanks,” I managed to say between chuckles. Alessio had already done more than enough damage to his eye.
“No, but seriously, it sucks that you’re stuck with him, though,” Pilar said.
Gian had been home all day, sometimes undergoing physical therapy sessions to regain strength in his legs. The mansion was so big, yet we always happened to cross paths, and whenever that happened, it was always awkward. Neither of us said a word, pretending like the other didn’t exist.
Chapter 77
“Yeah, it does suck,” I agreed, feeling the weight of the situation. We were really going somewhere, and then all of this happened.
“How are you and Alessio doing?” Pilar changed the subject. I released a soft sigh.
“Good,” I started, unsure whether I was speaking the truth or not. “He’s either in the office or goes out all day, then when he gets to bed, he unloads himself, literally, we go to sleep–and repeat the same as if we’re living in a damn loop.”
“Unloads himself?” Pilar laughed hysterically. The sound was too contagious for me not to join her.
“Yeah, but I’m not complaining!” I added. “He did finish a puzzle with Naty because he promised her. That was cute,” I shared, a small smile tugging at my lips at the mEmilyory.
Even though he couldn’t spend much time with me, he had kept his promise to Naty because he didn’t want to disappoint her. He had only stayed for an hour, but it meant more to us than he could ever know.
“Awh, that’s cute,” Pilar cooed over the phone.
“Well, the talks for revenge did take place today, so he will be busier, and after everything dies down, I’m sure he’ll make some time for you”
“How do you know?” I asked, not having expected her to have such inside information.
“My dad was there, of course,” Pilar responded casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “How do you not know?” she asked. “Oh my god, don’t tell me you’re turning into one of those mob wives who doesn’t know what their man is doing?”
“What?”
“Baby, those women get cheated on with hookers!”
“Wait, pause–what?”
“Subject for the next time,” Pilar spoke. “Dad asked Alessio if he could help, to show his respects to the Fanucci, and Alessio said, be my guest.”
I failed to listen to Pilar’s words as I was too busy thinking about my own problEmilys.
Would he really cheat on me with a hooker?
Was I really turning into one of those mob wives who didn’t know what their man was up to?
Maybe.
My new life consisted of looking pretty and deciding what handbag matched my new dress. I didn’t have to go to a work, worry about money or any bills. It was the life I had definitely dreamed of when I was younger, but not knowing what Alessio was doing at all wasn’t part of that.
Since the subject of Jason was something sensitive we both tried to avoid–a part of me didn’t know whether I wanted to be in the loop or ignorant about the truth.
Then there was the fear that Alessio might see me as just another pretty face to keep on the sidelines, possibly due to some deeply rooted misogyny he might have grown up around.
“You still with me?” Pilar’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“Yes, I’m listening,” I replied, trying to shake off my negative thoughts. Maybe he didn’t say anything because I never asked.
“Anyway–what shoot did you have tomorrow again?” I asked, eager to shift the conversation to something else.
By the time Pilar and I had finished talking, it was already past midnight. The mansion was quiet, and Alessio still hadn’t come home yet. A situation I had gotten used to by now.
I drank some water in the kitchen. Despite the late hours, I found it impossible to sleep before seeing Alessio safe at home. I worried for his safety all day, and I often decided against texting him because I didn’t want to be annoying.
After I finished my drink, I made my way back upstairs, through the quiet halls. That’s when I noticed Gian, struggling to get his wheelchair out of the elevator as boxes blocked his path.
Chapter 77
With a frustrated grund, he attEmilypted to kick thEmily out of the way with his feet.
What kind of idiot would do something like that? Maybe someone else he had referred to as a dumb brainless bitch?
“Shit,” he cursed out loud.
My legs wanted to keep walking, but I couldn’t. He had become disabled, and there was nothing more inhuman than watching someone like that struggle.
I rushed over and bent down to move the boxes, putting aside our issues. I was actually aware of his gaze on me, but I refused to meet his eyes and focused on clearing his path.
“Thanks,” I heard him mutter in a soft tone,
“Sure, no problEmily,” I said, getting up to leave. With my eyes fixated on the floor, I began walking.
“Gigi, wait.” Gian sighed, making me stop in my tracks,
“Yes?” I frowned. Then I walked back to face him, and this time I did look him in the eye. I had kept my mouth shut at the hospital because I was too stunned to speak, but if he really thought he was going to bully me again–he had another thing coming for him.
I was ready for war, but his eyes looked exhausted and quite the opposite of someone who wanted to start a fight.
This time I softened my own gaze as well, bracing myself for whatever he was about to say.
Chapter 78
