AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I chuckled indulgently as she piled my plate high with pastries before joining me, patting my hand. The simple maternal affection soothed my disjointed spirit for a few stolen moments. I had missed this, I realized, wrapped up in dangers and intrigue.
We lingered over second cups of rich coffee until voices signaled my father and brothers descending as well, gruff greetings filling the room along with billowing cigar smoke. I kept my expression neutral under sudden scrutiny, sensing suspicion still simmering beneath the civil veneer. One wrong move could shatter this fragile respite.
After breakfast, I lingered in the kitchen sipping another espresso while Mamma tidied up happily. I could tell she was glad to have me home and wanted to prolong our time together.
"So, Leonardo," she started casually as she washed dishes, "This girl I heard you talking to last night...she must be very special, no?"
I nearly choked on my coffee. So much for being discreet.
"It's, uh, complicated," I muttered, cursing myself for not being more careful.
Mamma just gave me a knowing look. "Love often is," she said sagely.
I sighed, raking a hand through my hair. No point trying to deny it from her. "Yeah, she's...she's incredible, Ma. I've never felt this way about anyone before. Like I'd move mountains for her."
"Ah, I remember that feeling well. Your father was the same for me once," she said wistfully.
I raised an eyebrow skeptically. The old man seemed more interested in mistresses than romance lately.
Mamma laughed. "I know, he plays the tough guy now. But he swept me off my feet when we were young." Her expression turned serious then. "So what's the problem with your girl?"
I hesitated. How could I explain Natalia's family history made her forbidden to someone like me? But Mamma just waited patiently, her kind eyes melting my defenses. I found myself confessing the whole tale - the instant connection with Natalia that blazed brighter than any feud or allegiance, the crushing separations and dangers we now faced.
When I finished, Mamma shook her head sympathetically. "Oh Leonardo...why do our families cling to the hatreds of the past, when love tries to bloom new life?"
My throat tightened at her simple words cutting to the heart of it all. "I don't know, Ma. But it's not right Natalia and I should have to suffer for sins we didn't commit. "
Mamma grasped my hands firmly, her expression suddenly blazing. "Then don't give up this love, my son. If you have found something real, fight with your whole heart for it."
I stared at her, emotions welling up. All I could do was nod mutely. Mamma smiled and pulled me into a fierce hug only mothers can give.
"Go to her, Leonardo," she urged when we parted. "Don't let another minute go to waste."
Mamma's blessing sparked something bold in me. She was right - enough waiting and restraint. It was time to fight for the woman who held my heart, no matter the forces that opposed us.
I pressed a fervent kiss to my mother's cheek. "Thank you, Ma. You reminded me what really matters."
With renewed conviction, I rushed upstairs and packed a bag hastily. Each minute apart from Natalia had become agony after so long. Now I refused to deny our love's urgency for a second longer.
On the drive over, my nerves mounted thinking of Natalia's reaction when I turned up unexpectedly on her doorstep. Would she be angry at the risk? Overjoyed? The not knowing ate at me.
But as the grand estate gates came into view, determination hardened my resolve again. Whatever Natalia's initial response, we would face it together. After so much separation and trauma, seeing her beautiful face again would make any firestorm worth braving.
Heart pounding, I slipped inside the mansion through a servants' entrance, praying its hidden location meant I had arrived undetected. The last thing we needed was a blowup with her father right off the bat. I just needed to find Natalia.
Creeping stealthily upstairs toward her wing brought back vivid memories of our secret trysts here, stealing kisses in shadowy corners away from prying eyes. We had been younger then, reckless and drunk on new love. Now time and troubles had matured us, but that magnetic pull between our souls blazed as intensely as ever.
Approaching Natalia's bedroom, faint music suddenly reached my ears followed by a muffled thump and giggles. My pulse leaped realizing she wasn't alone. But the girlish laughter didn't sound like any dark clansmen. Who could Natalia risk inviting over given the unrest?
Cautiously, I peered through the cracked door into the lavish bedroom. My breath caught seeing Natalia looking radiant and carefree, just looking at her phone with a bored expression.
She was sprawled across plush rugs amidst snacks and magazines. Natalia looked so youthful smiling, I almost hated to interrupt this peaceful interlude.
But then her lively gaze met mine lingering in the doorway. Natalia froze, eyes blowing wide in disbelief. Then she was on her feet flying across the room and crashing into my waiting arms with such force it nearly knocked me backwards.
"You're here, you're really here!" Natalia exclaimed against my chest, squeezing me fiercely. "I've missed you so damn much."
I hugged her close, pressing my face to her sweet-smelling hair and breathing her in, still barely able to believe this reunion was real after so long starved of her.
