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“I doubt Dad is in favor of me forgiving Nevio.”
“He’s not, but even he’ll eventually come to terms with it, if Nevio proves himself worthy, which he hasn’t so far. You should make him redeem himself. He has so much to make up for once he returns.”
She nodded against my shoulder. “Thank you, Mom. It means so much to me that you allow me to make my own decisions, and I promise I won’t give Nevio another chance unless he finds a way to make it up to me and Battista, which I doubt he’s capable of.”
I hugged her tighter. I wanted to protect her from harm, but I knew giving her freedom was equally important. I wasn’t sure what to wish for. Nevio’s return? Or that he stayed in Italy. One thing was sure, I’d keep reminding Aurora of her promise to make it hard for him.
The first few weeks in Italy passed in a blur. I really threw myself into every battle and job Alvize had for me, no matter how risky. Killing became an all-consuming job, one that filled me with excitement and fulfillment, but a nagging voice remained at the back of my head. A voice that called for Aurora’s closeness, for my family, even Battista.
Did I feel ready to return? No.
I had avoided all calls from my family, even Greta in the weeks since Dad had left. I needed this time to figure things out, to see if I could be someone worthy of Aurora and Battista.
Today, I decided to answer Greta’s call. She could be stubborn if she wanted to be, and she wouldn’t give up until I finally talked to her.
“Hey, Greta,” I said.
“Nevio.” The relief in her voice was unmistakable. “I’d given up hope you’d ever answer my calls.”
I didn’t say anything because I didn’t have a reason for avoiding her except fucking cowardice. Her disappointment always hit me hard. I had a feeling she knew about Battista by now, which made me even less eager to talk to her.
“I miss talking to you,” she said softly.
“You ran away first.”
“I didn’t run away. If anything, I ran toward Amo. What did you run from?”
“Myself,” I said with a dark chuckle.
“That’s impossible.”
“Maybe. But I ran from the part of me I was supposed to be.”
“Hmm,” Greta murmured. “You should be with our family.”
“You too.”
She sighed. “I love our family, but now Amo is my family too. And you have your own small family now too.”
“Battista?” I asked warily.
“Him and Aurora if you figure out a way to make her forgive you.”
“Any tips? Not that I’m returning anytime soon. I need more time here to get my shit together.”
“I know how it feels to succumb to darkness, but I also know it feels better to choose the light.”
“Comparing us doesn’t work, Greta. But I want to run toward the light, believe me.” Aurora was my light at the end of the tunnel, the one I was trying to run toward. If I didn’t make the walls collapse around me before.
“Maybe you don’t believe it, but I know you can be a good father. What distinguishes you from men like Luca, Dad, and Nino is simply that you haven’t made the choice to be a good father yet.”
Was I crazier than any of those three? Considering what Luca had done to the bikers, how Dad had slaughtered his enemies, and what Nino had done to Kiara’s abuser, it seemed unlikely.
“Have you talked to Aurora in the last few weeks?”
“Once. She seems really close to Battista. I could hear how much she cared about him.”
That was Rory for you, being a better mom than the actual mom and taking over my job as dad too.
