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“Jess, I need to ask you a huge favor,” I say.
“Well, first, what happened? Did you tell your father yet?” she asks.
“That’s why I’m phoning,” I say, trying to sound as brave as possible. “He’s kicked me out and cut me off, I have nowhere to go.”
The silence on the other end of the call is almost deafening. Within the walls of my own mind, I can hear the sound of Jessica’s heart breaking. I know that she’s just as shocked as I am.
“You can stay here,” she eventually says. “What do you need from me?”
“I have until the end of the day to leave, could you come and get me in about an hour?”
“I’ll be there whenever you need me to.”
I release a short sigh of relief knowing that I, at least, have somewhere to sleep for the night. I also only have an hour, so I cannot lie and wallow any longer. I spend the next hour packing as many clothing items as I can before I say goodbye to the one house I’ve always called home.
Jess has done her best to make me as comfortable as possible in her home. But I feel like a burden. Already, she’s had to pay for our dinner. I have no money of my own whatsoever, and no work experience.
As it turns out, my father’s attempts to protect me have instead become a way to hinder me in life. I don’t know what I am supposed to do, and it has been hours since I’ve even said a single word out loud. Jess keeps bringing me cups of tea, and snacks and she’s being very patient with me. But I feel more lost than I have ever been.
But the rest of me feels undeserving of any kind of gesture.
“You’re going to figure it out,” Jess says, desperately trying to break the silence.
“I hope so,” I say quietly. “I’m just having a hard time thinking about anything at all at the moment.”
“Aria,” she laughs. “You’re stressed and pregnant. Your brain and your body are both going through some intense things right now.”
I can’t help but laugh as well. I hadn’t looked at it that way yet.
“Take all the time you need to come up with a plan,” she says. “And in the meantime, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. And know that I am here for you.”
“Thank you,” I say weakly.
“Now, have you told Edoardo about what has happened?” she asks.
I wish she wouldn’t ask me such difficult questions. I’d rather just not think about it at all and sleep. Maybe I get lucky and don’t wake up at all.
“He’s sent me a few messages, but I haven’t responded yet,” I say. “He’s a stranger, what would I even say to him?”
“He’s still the father of your child, he deserves an update.”
“He’s a dangerous criminal,” I say. “I had no idea who he was when I met him. I wish I had never met him.”
“He’s a dangerous criminal?” she laughs. “Like your father isn’t? The only difference between the two of them is that he got caught. You can’t be the Don of a mafia family without being involved in some sort of criminal activity.”
“I suppose you’re right,” I say, pulling my knees to my chest. “You know, it’s ridiculous,” I continue. “For my entire life, I’ve dreamed of a day when I wouldn’t be confined to the walls of that house. Now, that day is here, and I feel so afraid that I can’t even think straight.”
“Look, Aria, these things happen,” she says. “Lots of people get kicked out of their homes for things like this, or even less. You cannot expect yourself to have all the answers right away. That would be absurd. Give yourself some time to figure it out, and cut yourself some slack.”
“What do you think I should do?” I ask, nibbling on a cracker from the snack plate she carried over earlier.
“I think you should tell Edoardo what’s happened,” she says. “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but I really think you should.”
“How do we know he’ll even care?” I ask. “I’m the daughter of his biggest enemy. There’s no way he’s going to help me. So, just forget about that idea entirely.”
“Okay,” she says, getting up from her seat. “Well, I need to get some sleep. Unfortunately, I’ll have to keep going to work if I need to support the two of us, which means an early start for me tomorrow morning.”
“I think I should probably get some rest too,” I say softly.
