AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What trauma?”
“Marco! Dragged by her hair? Locked in the cellar? What trauma do you think?”
That pained, closed look came over his face again, a mute stiff angriness.
I said more gently, “Can’t you talk to her? Or maybe your mom can do it?”
He laughed without any mirth. “She won’t talk to us. She never used to be this way.” He looked sad. He had barely eaten the heap of breakfast meats and scrambled eggs I had put on his plate that he usually ate with gusto.
“Maybe one of her friends can—”
“One of those friends that nearly got her killed last night?” he said harshly. “I don’t think so.”
“Okay, we’ll think about it together,” I reassured him.
This did not soothe him liked I had hoped. He left the house shortly afterwards, telling me he would not return for the rest of the day.
After he was gone, I went to find Vittoria, hoping to comfort her. She was already getting ready to go out, putting on her coat. She turned her back on me, giving me a cold shoulder.
I knew she must be heading to the hospital.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked. “Can I come with you?”
“Absolutely not,” she snapped. “If you must stay here, then stay out of my way.”
I flinched. She banged the door shut behind herself.
I was so tired I could have easily taken a nap, but I was full of a nervous tension. I asked my driver to take me to see Mom in hospital, hoping to take my mind off things, but my agitation only transferred itself to her.
“Be patient,” she told me when I finally admitted to her that Marco’s sister was unwell, and that his mom was being weird with me. “When your dad’s mother was alive, she didn’t like me either. But I won her over in the end. It turned out it was just change that she didn’t like. She thought she’d lose a son, but it turned out she gained a granddaughter. Oh, how she doted on you!”
I smiled at that, though I had no memory of her. She had passed when I was very young. I saw what that love might be like now in the way that Vittoria doted on Amara.
A lump formed in my throat as I wondered if my child would ever know that sort of love. Playing with a grandmother. My own mother would never be able to do that. Would it break her heart to never be able to hold my child?
I so wished I could take her to my scan tomorrow, or at least tell her about it.
“What is it, darling?” she asked me softly.
I shook my head. “Just being silly, really. I’m tired, I guess.”
I couldn’t tell her I was pregnant. Not yet. She would be too thrilled to keep the news to herself, and utterly confused about why I had not told Marco, since she thought us so crazy in love.
Making her keep the news a secret would cause her too much stress.
When Bernie arrived at lunchtime, I made my excuses to leave.
I exited the hospital, wishing Chiara were in this one, so I could have snuck in to take a peek and see how she was doing. And if I got caught, I could always explain to Vittoria I had come here to see my mom. But Chiara’s hospital was across town.
Nicky, the driver Marco had assigned to me, took me home, where I slept away half of the rest of the day.
When I awoke in the evening, Marco had not returned. Nor was anyone else home but the staff. Amara finally came home at dinnertime with Vittoria, and from her chatter, it was obvious Vittoria had taken her to visit Chiara in the hospital.
Dinner was served to me on a tray, delivered to my room by a maid who informed me that Vittoria and Amara would be eating alone.
I stayed in my room for Vittoria’s sake, leaving my door slightly ajar so I could hear people coming and going in the hallways outside. Wanting to feel connected to the family.
Vittoria stayed with Amara all evening, putting her to bed herself, and I dared not interrupt to say goodnight to the little girl. It warmed my heart though that she must have insisted on saying goodnight because she ran into my room on her little bare feet to give me a kiss before trotting off back to her grandmother.
