AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I smiled understandingly. “I’m not here to take anything from Aurora. She’s like his mother, and nothing in this world would ever make me separate a child from a loving mother.”
Leona nodded and finally stepped back, allowing me to enter. We had been friends for a long time, and I didn’t blame her one bit for how she’d just acted. I would have done the same, and I appreciated her even more for it.
“Is Fabiano still working?” I asked. He had been gone all day, which was probably for the best, considering his fury toward Nevio, but eventually, those two would have to settle their disagreement.
She let out a sigh. “He’s not ready to come home, knowing that Nevio is here. He’s holding a grudge.”
We both knew that was the understatement of the year. Fabiano was furious, and if Nevio wasn’t Remo’s son, I was sure he would have tried to kill him. Aurora hadn’t given us any details, but we all realized that something had happened between Nevio and her, and it was pretty clear that Nevio had broken her heart. Again, I couldn’t blame Fabiano for feeling murderous. If someone had broken Greta’s heart… I would have become a fire-spitting dragon.
And I liked Aurora. Scratch that, I adored her. She was kind and tough, and responsible despite her young age. She was someone I wished at Nevio’s side. I wasn’t sure I wished it on her to be with him, though. I loved my son, but I wasn’t blind. Aurora deserved better. Had Nevio changed enough to be deserving of her? Today, he’d tried to bond with Battista, giving Aurora the space she needed. But I wasn’t stupid. What happened when those two were alone would determine their chances.
I eventually found Aurora in the gym. She had headphones on, but I could still hear the fast beat of the music as she raced on the treadmill at what must have been full speed. She wasn’t working out for the sake of it.
She spotted me, surprise then worry flitting across her red and sweaty face. I waved and smiled, hoping to reassure her I came in peace.
She slowed the treadmill to a stand, then wiped her face and took the headphones off before she stepped down. “Serafina,” she said hesitantly. “What’s wrong?”
“I want to talk about Battista with you.”
I could see her walls coming up, could see her body tensing, her mouth setting in a thin line. She was preparing for a confrontation, and if I’d come here to take him from her, she would have put up a fight. I stifled a smile. She’d really become a true mother to this poor child. My conversation with Kiara rang in my ears, how quickly she had felt like Alessio’s mother, and I could tell it was the same for Aurora even if their stories were vastly different. Aurora hadn’t been ready for a child. She’d been on the cusp of figuring out her own life, but she’d put it on hold and made Battista the center of her life.
“Nevio wants to be Battista’s father. He still has a long road ahead of him. Today proved that. But I want you to know that even if Nevio’s bond with his son grows, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re Battista’s mother. Nobody in my family would ever consider taking the boy from you. I want Nevio to see his son, but unless you and him move in together, I would never suggest Battista living with him. The boy should always live with you as he’s been doing since Nevio gave him to you. Remo and I agree on this, so please don’t worry that anyone’s going to doubt your right to this child.”
Aurora stared at me and swallowed hard. She gave a terse nod then walked over to a bench and sank down. She buried her face in a towel and her shoulders began to shake as she succumbed to sobs.
I rushed over to her, plopped down beside her and wrapped an arm around her. “I’m sorry that this has been weighing so heavily on you. I thought you knew that Remo would never consider taking Battista from you.”
Aurora rubbed her face with the towel then peered up at me with swollen eyes. “He’s a Falcone. On paper and by blood.”
“And by heart he’s yours,” I said softly. “I’m gladly his grandmother, even if it’s still hard to stomach that I’m old enough to be one.”
Especially since I was trying to carry a child for Greta soon.
Aurora laughed along with me. “You don’t look it, if that’s a consolation.”
I sighed. “I know you probably have no reason to believe it, but Nevio loves you. I see it in his eyes, and even if I probably shouldn’t talk to you about it, he admitted it to me when he first came back. I know he’s more than most can handle. I know he has many faults. I know in many people’s eyes, he’s beyond redemption, but so was his father. Still is in most people’s eyes. I hated him for a while, then hated and loved him, then wanted to hate him, and eventually I just loved him. It hasn’t always been easy, but I never regretted becoming Remo’s wife, or accepting his love, and who he was and will always be.”
“To be honest, I could never understand how you forgave him for kidnapping you.”
I laughed. “To be honest, I don’t always either, but I did, and not just because of Nevio and Greta. It’s hard to explain, but I guess love always is. I know Nevio hurt you too, even if I don’t know what exactly he did, and I’m not telling you to forgive him. I just ask you to listen to your heart. I know you’re the person Nevio needs by his side. I know having you and Battista in his life would make it easier for him to become an even better version of himself. But I want you to know that I won’t blame you if you won’t or can’t give him another chance.”
I got up and squeezed Aurora’s shoulder. “Sleep well.” I turned and left. I’d said what I wanted to say, and now things were out of my hand. I wasn’t sure if Aurora would give Nevio another chance.
Remo was in bed when I came into the bedroom. His expression tightened with concern upon seeing me. “I hope Nevio didn’t do anything to cause this look.”
He was angry. He’d never understood why Nevio had left. For him, Nevio should have fought harder to maintain control and taken responsibility. Seeing how wary Battista was of Nevio had awakened his anger again.
“I talked to Aurora.”
“I hope you didn’t try to talk her into forgiving our son. Because I’m not sure he won’t fuck up again.”
I gave him a stern look as I changed into my nightgown. “He won’t, Remo. I talked to him. He’s determined to win her back, to be a father for Battista, to take over more responsibilities in the Camorra.”
“Just took him a year. A year he won’t get back with his son. I always regretted not getting to experience many first with the twins, and he just threw the chance away.”
“He did, but I think he did it out of responsibility. He knew he was on the verge of something bad and didn’t want Battista and Aurora to be affected by it.”
“He and I, all of us Falcone men are always potentially on the verge of something bad. It’s in our blood, in our nature. He can’t always run. He’ll have to face his demons and shackle them.”
