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He seemed to pick up on what I was saying.
"I'm safe with Casey, Mrs. Margaret and Grant, Ryan, and Becky... I'm safe with all of you. But it doesn't mean I'm safe here. In this place."
He lowered his eyes and held my shoulder, before pulling me into a bear hug.
"I'm going back with a different mindset now. On my own terms. I won't isolate myself from you or any of my friends ever again," I said with teary eyes.
"If you start crying, I'm going to throw you out of this room," he joked, and I laughed in his arms. Truly, I felt the safest I had ever been in a long time. This was not a feeling that I wanted to take for granted considering how little love I got from people around me growing up. I was going to give love and friendship a chance. A lasting one at that.
The next day, after I had agreed to come, Mrs. Ricci sent Paul to come and pick me up. I dreaded having to face him again and when I saw his face, I couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed for my actions.
"Hey, Paul," I chuckled nervously. "About last time..."
"I don't want to talk about it ma'am," he said and walked briskly to the car with my luggage I knew was unnecessary since I already had some clothes there.
"Ah. Still angry huh. I get it," I said meekly hoping to find another cue to apologize.
"No, ma'am. Not angry," he turned to me. "Traumatized."
"Ohh."
He kept on moving but I held him back. "What did he do to you?"
"Like I said, ma'am I don't want to talk about it. I'm here now; that’s all that matters," he gave me a small smile and continued into the car.
I looked down to the little girl by my side. "Are you ready Artemis?"
"Ready for what?" She asked, confused.
"Ready to go meet grandma."
"Grandma? Again?" Her eyes widened in a big smile.
"Again, sweetheart." I lifted her up and put her in the car as she squealed in delight.
"Am I going to see daddy too?" she asked expectantly. I wonder who taught her that Alessandro was her father, but I didn't care. I was going to do it too, sooner or later.
"Yes, you're going to see daddy too," I smiled at her and watched her jump around the seat of the car in excitement.
Stepping out of the car when we got to the estate sent a wave of deja vu over me. There, right in front of me, was Alessandro, in almost the same place he was the first time I stepped foot in this estate. He wore dark shades today and I really wondered what that was about. As soon as my legs hit the cobblestone ground, he was eating the distance between us meters at a time. I didn'tknow what to expect, but I braced myself for an embrace only to have Artemis snatched out of my hand.
I opened my eyes. I didn't know I had closed to see him cooing at the young child like she was crying in my arms.
Ouch.
I stayed and waited for him to finish his romance with his child, finding it kind of cute how they bonded so quickly...but then again, Artemis wasn't a picky person.
"Good evening, to you too, Alessandro," I greeted with a little sarcasm though I largely meant it. He ignored me.
The bastard ignored me.
Okay, maybe he didn't hear you. Allow him to come off his joy. I watched him continue to pacify himself with his daughter's presence. When it seemed like he was over it and he finally looked at me, he just observed me wordlessly and nodded at me.
"How have you been holding up?" I gave him a soft empathetic smile, but like the shades were limiting his vision, he simply turned and began walking into the house.
"Um..." I started to say, but he cut me off.
"There is nothing that needs to be said, woman. I accept your apology. Just go to your room and we'll look for other ways to make you useful by the morning."
