AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I laugh, wishing she was here so badly it hurts. That’s the exact reason shecan’tbe here. Looking up, I imagine this suburban living room filled with photos and memories and the happy footsteps of children. In the basement, we’ll have a weight room, or maybe a studio for my woman to work on her music, not a man tied to a chair, his face a bloody pulp, several bandages covering his arms to hide the places we’ve cut.
You are,I tell her.You’re all I can think about, but that’s nothing new. You were all I could think about the first moment I saw you.
Well, to be fair, it’s not like that was a long time ago.
I don’t care if it was a day, a minute, or a second. When you know, you know.I don’t send the message right away. I’m wondering if I should type the next bit. There’s still a twisting agony in my gut when I think about it.How’s Mom? How’s Dad?
I clicksendquickly, feeling like a teenager at forty-two, as if I’m getting nervous texting the prom queen.
I was hoping you’d ask that,she replies.But I didn’t want to bring it up. I spoke to your mom this morning. She explained a little about the cheating. I asked her if I should talk to you about it if you brought it up.
Did she try to justify it?I text.
No. She hates herself for it. She said your dad was working a lot, and the man she had an affair with filled her mind with a bunch of romantic stuff. She regrets doing it. Your dad knew, and he forgave her.
Dad KNEW?!
According to Alessia, yes.
I sit back, tapping my foot, trying to process this. If Dad knew, it’s a wonder he’s still with her.That’s pretty damn shocking. Dad only spoke about cheating a few times that I can remember, but it was always in the harshest possible way. The way he spoke, I thought he’d die before he stayed with a woman who cheated on him.
Maybe he loved her too much.
Still, I couldn’t do that. If you cheated on me, it would break me, and then I’d break the goddamn world. I’d find the bastard and tear him to pieces. I’m surprised Dad didn’t do the same to the man Mom was with.
He asked her not to tell him,she replies.She told me after I sang for them earlier. He purposefully didn’t want to know. He was rising within the ranks. He was making a name for himself. The last thing he needed was a murder charge.
It makes sense. Dad and I have always been similar in that way—coldly calculating what’s best for the business and the Family.
It’s still unbelievable,text.At least, it is to me. Maybe Dad’s a better man than I am.
I couldn’t stay with you, either, if you cheated on me. We haven’t done you-know-what yet, but I still feel that part of our relationship is mine.
EVERY part is yours,I tell her.Every piece of me belongs to you as much as every piece of you belongs to me.
I can’t even think about you flirting with another woman. Does that make me needy and possessive?
You’re damn right it does, but it’s a good thing. I’m needy and possessive, too. I’m obsessed with you. Anything romantic—flirting, kissing, sex, all of it—we only do with each other.
Agreed,she replies.There’s something else, too. I sang for your dad again. He didn’t cry this time, but he made a noise.
What sort of noise?I text, my heart thudding, wondering if it’s really possible.
A singing angel came into our lives, saving both Dadandme.
Sort of like a cheer? It was hard to tell, but I swear, Elio. It makes him seem way more awake. More alert. Do you know what I mean?
I think so, but I need to see it. It’s been months since the stroke. Honestly, I stopped believing we’d ever get the old Dad back.
Maybe you won’t,she replies.
I swallow, knowing this is another aspect of my and Scarlet’s relationship I’ll always value. Other women intent on slithering into the Family might tell me whatever they thought I wanted to hear. They’d tell me Dad’sdefinitelygoing to transform. However, my Scarlet gives me what I want and need most: honesty and loyalty.
What do you mean?I ask.
Your dad, as you remember him, might not ever come back. That doesn’t mean some version of him won’t. I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but I think you should temper your expectations. That’s all.
Thank you for saying that,I tell her.You’re right. Still, some version is better than nothing.
