A V E L I N AAfter that little argument, Lorenzo drove me back home. As soon as he stopped the car in front of the mansion, I was about to open the door, when his voice stopped me."Don't forget, Avelina. You belong to me." He said, before getting out of the car and walking away.I didn't follow him inside, instead, I sat there and tried to clear my mind. After a few minutes, I decided to go out for a run. I needed some time to myself.I went to my room and changed into my running shorts, a sports bra and a hoodie. I grabbed my earphones and put them in, turning on my favorite playlist. I started running.I had been running for an hour when I felt the pain in my stomach. I groaned, slowing down as the sharp pain got worse.Suddenly, my feet stumbled over the rock and I fell on the ground. I was too tired to move, so I lay there, clutching my stomach.I took out my phone and dialed his number."Avelina?" He said as he picked up the phone."Lorenzo, help. Please." I said, breathing hea
A V E L I N AThe past couple of days in this house has been miserable for me. Serafina made sure I never had a breathing space.She was so much worse than her son.Her hatred for me was immeasurable. I didn't understand why. She didn't know me, but she was dead set on hating me.And Lorenzo was no help.He was completely blind to his mother's manipulations. His mother was the perfect definition of the devil's incarnate. She was a vile, vicious woman who enjoyed others' misery.And now, she had taken an interest in me. "How can you live with these conditions? I'm appalled. Look at this kitchen! It's so tiny and dull. What do you even cook here?"I didn't bother answering her. It's not like she was listening to me anyway. She kept talking, criticizing every single thing in the kitchen."Seriously, Lorenzo. This is unacceptable. Your wife shouldn't have to live like this. We need to find her a proper place to stay.""Mother , we've discussed this. This is my house. You have no say in ho
A V E L I N A We reached the hospital in record time. Lorenzo rushed inside, and I followed. Doctor Anderson met us in the waiting area. "Where is she?" Lorenzo asked, his arm wrapped around my waist. "She's in surgery, Mr. Salvatore. We were able to get her stabilized, but there's complications. I'm sorry, but I cannot discuss her medical history with you. Only the immediate family." I looked at him, and his expression was unreadable. "Avelina is family, Doctor Anderson. I am her grandson. Now, tell me everything." "Very well. Mrs. Salvatore has been having issues with her heart for quite a while now. The heart attack was unexpected, and her heart couldn't handle the pressure. As you know, she also has cancer, which has spread through her body. I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to live longer than we expected. At this point, there's no telling how much time she has left." Lorenzo didn't say anything. He looked at the doctor, his eyes hard. "And the surgery? What's that for?" "The
A V E L I N AWe were waiting for Maggie. It had been five hours since we were here, and the surgery was supposed to have finished by now. But, no news."How much longer will it take?" Valerie asked, her face pale and her hands shaking."I don't know." Lorenzo sighed, running a hand through his hair."Did you see her? Before they took her in?" She asked me and I shook my head."She had already been rushed into the operation room before we arrived." I responded.Serafina and Leonardo had left thankfully after waiting for only two hours, they got tired and left.Vito and Alessio were sitting with Valerie, their younger sister, holding her as she cried quietly. Giovanni was sitting very far away from us, but I didn't miss the glare he gave me from time to time.While Santino and Nicholas were nowhere to be seen."Do you need anything, Avelina?" Lorenzo asked, his fingers grazing against mine."No, I'm okay. I don't have the appetite for anything. I just need to know Maggie is okay.""S
A V E L I N A"Oh, God. I'm so sorry." I said, tears falling from my eyes."I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me. I'm sorry for everything, Maggie. Please, wake up." I touched her hand, and felt her skin. It was warm, and my tears wouldn't stop."You'll be okay. You'll be okay. I know you will." I felt Lorenzo's hand on my shoulder, and looked up. He had the most tender look on his face, and he wiped away the tears that were on my face. He pulled me closer to him, and hugged me."I'm sorry.""Don't say sorry. Don't you dare say that. You did nothing wrong. This wasn't your fault.""If I had been there-""What would've changed, Ave? Would you have known she was having a heart attack? Would you have been able to get her here before it got worse?""I don't know.""That's right. You don't. And, you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. Maggie wouldn't want that. She would want you to be strong, and she would want you to not give up on the life you were given.""I know. I
A V E L I N AI fell asleep in the chair, only to be awaken by the constant ringing of my phone. Groaning, I sat up straight, and looked at the time. It was almost six. I looked over to Maggie, who was still in the same position, before answering the call."Hello.""How's Maggie?" Lorenzo asked."No change. I'll talk to the nurse and check what's happening.""Okay. Have you had breakfast yet?""No.""Take your time, Ave. Don't rush, okay? She'll be fine.""Yeah.""Call me if you need anything, I'll be there soon. Just need to get some work done." "Will do." "Alright. Bye, baby." I was caught off guard and a deep blush formed on my cheeks.Thankfully, no one could see it. My heart hammered against my chest, and the butterflies in my stomach were doing crazy flips.I hung up, and immediately ran towards the nurse's station. "Hi, good morning. Is it possible for me to clean her body since she can't physically do it herself.""Of course. We can also provide you with a robe for her. Just
A V E L I N AThe next six months passed by in a blur. Maggie was discharged after two weeks of waking up from coma and had gone home. She had a lot of trouble breathing, but she was so much better now.She was still the same, sassy and bossy woman who wouldn't take no for an answer. But, I had gotten used to her quirks.Lorenzo and I have been married for eight months, and in four months, we would be filing for a divorce.Lorenzo had started getting busy with work and I've spent most of my days at home or with his grandmother. I was trying to avoid my in-laws, especially Giovanni and his mother. They were toxic, and they didn't care much about anyone but themselves.The rest of the family seemed to like me more than they did in the beginning, and I was glad. I liked spending time with his siblings. They were kind and welcoming.Giovanni hasn't stopped acting like an asshole, it was as if his grudge with me grew as the months passed. Lorenzo was trying to control himself from beating
A V E L I N AToday was Valentine's Day. Lorenzo was planning a surprise date for us, but he wouldn't tell me anything.Lorenzo left early in the morning, and had asked me to be ready by 5pm. I had spent the entire day at Maggie's, and we were having fun.I had a lot of fun with Maggie and she was teaching me a lot of recipes. Cooking was something I loved doing, and I had a really good time. While we were in the kitchen, Maggie had said something that caught me off guard. "Avelina, dear. Are you sick? I noticed you've pale and you've been adding more weight lately." Her face was filled with curiousity as she studied me."Uhh, no. I'm not sick." I said, avoiding her eyes."You know, when I was pregnant with Lorenzo's father, I had the same symptoms." She said, turning back to what she was doing.My blood grew cold at her words as I faced away from her, cutting the cabbages. "I'm not pregnant, Nonna.""Oh, please, girl. It's the first stage, it'll only get worse as the weeks go by.""
A V E L I N AONE YEAR LATER..The huge doors slid open and suddenly the bright light in the hall fell on me. The entire crowd gasped as I slowly walked the aisle.My wedding gown flowed behind me. It was made by my favorite designer of all time. She was the best designer in the whole world and it was an honor to finally wear something made by her hands. I'd always wanted a wedding gown from her right from my childhood, and this truly felt like a dream come true.The details on the dress were so exquisite, and the material was so light, but elegant.It was a long dress with a train. I'd wanted a traditional wedding, and a long dress would suit the occasion perfectly.My dress was white and it was a mermaid style. It hugged my body, and the lace covered the dress, creating a beautiful pattern. The straps were laced as well. It was a strapless dress.My hair was styled in a bun, and there were some loose strands. There were also little white flowers on my head.I wore a long veil, which
A V E L I N AA gasp slipped past my lips as I realized we had arrived at our destination.We were at the beach.The place was lit up with fairy lights, and there was a table for two in the middle, right by the shore. The view was incredible. It was a full moon and the light bounced off the sea, making it sparkle."Wow, babe. This is incredible.""I'm glad you like it." He took my hands and brought me down from the car. "I'm happy I could pull this off and get you here without ruining the surprise. It wouldn't have been the same if we weren't alone.""I'm so happy.""Happy birthday, baby. Let's go eat."He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we walked to the table. The set up was romantic, with the white and gold decorations, and the candles."Lo, this is beautiful. You didn't have to go all out.""But I wanted to. Only the best for my wife.""I'm really blessed to have you.""You're worth every little effort, and the moon and the stars. I'd give them to you if I could. You've made
A V E L I N AI burped my baby as I walked back and forth in the closet with my make up half done. She has woken up and gotten hungry while I was dressing up and I let everyone immediately to attend to her.After suckling for ten minutes, she has refused to sleep as she kept staring at my face. Her mouth formed into a toothless smile and I melted right there.Her grey eyes just like her father's own lightened up as I kissed her all over her face. I was told that her real eye color might come out but they were accentuating even more.Lorenzo's literal carbon copy.She grabbed my hair with her fist as she kicked her feet, I winced, gently pulling my hair from her strong little fist.The door opened and Carina came in. "Don't tell me you aren't ready yet." She said in horror looking at my unready state."Raine got hungry, I had to feed her. And I can't get anything done until she falls asleep.""Well, not while I'm here." She carried Raine from my hands and smiled. "My little sweetie pie,
A V E L I N A"Happy birthday Mummy!" I heard a shout followed by bodies landing on my bed. I slowly opened my eyes, to find Zion and Autumn looking down at me."Oh, thank you." I said and they wrapped their arms around me."I have a present for you, Mummy." Autumn said and gave me a paper. I smiled as I unfolded the paper, to find a picture she drew."I drew you."I pulled her into my arms. "Thank you baby. It's beautiful.""Zion, did you get anything for Mummy?"He shook his head. "Nope."I laughed and poked his cheek, "Oh come on. There's got to be something you got for me.""Nope." He said, cheekily. I knew he was definitely hiding something. "Are you sure?"Then he brought his hands from behind him and handed me a little box. Curious to know what was inside, I opened it and gasped.It was a beautiful alphabetical beaded bracelet. And it had the words 'Best Mom' in the middle."Where did you get this, Zion? It's so beautiful.""I made it for you, Mommy. Our teacher told us to mak
L O R E N Z OI arrived at the court house just in time with my lawyer and Nicholas. The first person my eyes met were Natalia's and she didn't look a tad bit remorseful.Her clothes were tattered and dirty and she looked thinner but held so much rage and enmity in her eyes. Seeing her rose lots of pent up anger in me."Order. Order. Will the jury please rise." The judge said and they all stood up."Today is the final court hearing. Has the jury come to a conclusion?""Yes, we have.""Read it out."The lady nodded her head and started to speak. "In the case of the people versus Natalia Serrano, we find her guilty. Evidences and footages have proven that she had conspired with a man to kill her boyfriend, and frame Lorenzo Salvatore for the crime."Natalia's face dropped, and the rage in her eyes burned harder than ever. The glare she gave me was something that could have killed me instantly if it had the ability."Is this true, Miss. Serrano?""No. They're lying. I didn't do anything.
A V E L I N AMy eyes slowly opened to a very blinding white ceiling and a nauseating hospital smell. I tried to adjust to the brightness and then tried to remember what had happened.Where am I?What happened?How did I get here?What was I doing before I got here?Then it hit me, I had a baby. Lorenzo was arrested. Anthonio is dead.I forced my eyes open again and this time, they didn't hurt. I turned and saw Lorenzo asleep in a chair, and the twins were on the bed, sleeping.I tried to call out his name, but I couldn't, I felt weak, my throat was dry, and I could barely move.Lorenzo started moving around and slowly woke up. He looked around the room and then his eyes met mine."Avelina, thank God you're awake." He said, rushing to my side and placing a kiss on my lips. "Oh my God, thank God. I thought I lost you, baby. Please don't ever do that to me again. I thought you died.""Water..." I said in a hoarse voice.He nodded his head and hurriedly got me a glass of water. "You hav
L O R E N Z OAs expected, the courts decided to throw me in jail until they proved me guilty or innocent. The evidence was too strong and the Mancini's were pushing it.It was finally the day of the trial, and I had been locked up for two days, and the worst thing was, I didn't get to hear from Avelina, I didn't know how she was doing. I was desperate and wanted to hear her voice, but no one was willing to listen to me. My lawyer finally arrived and we were to go to the court, and that's where I would get a verdict.I looked at Dorian and he gave me a reassuring nod. I decided to trust him. The court was packed with people and everyone was looking at me like I was a criminal. It made me feel uneasy and angry.I was escorted inside the room and I looked at the judge. The same one who ruled over my father's case."Mr. Lorenzo Salvatore. Do you understand the charges against you?""Yes.""Do you admit to killing Mr. Anthonio Mancini?""No, your honor.""Do you know of a gun which was
L O R E N Z OHe looked like he was going to attack me and I would have punched him in the face, but Dorian stepped in front of me and held his hand out."We have no business with each other. My client has done nothing and he's innocent until proven guilty.""I'll get you. Even if I have to do it myself. Mark my words, Lorenzo Salvatore. I'm going to get you.""Is that a threat, sir? Because I'll sue you so hard, your entire family will be homeless by the end of the week. My client is innocent until proven guilty. There's no reason to threaten him.""Get him out of here. I don't want to see him or any of the Salvatores in my face. You have one day. That's the only warning I'm giving you. Stay away from me and mine.""One day, and my client will come after you." Dorian responded. "You can't touch him, and I will prove him innocent. One way or another, you will see the true colors of the Mancini family."I was escorted back into the room. "Let's go.""Wait." The investigator stopped me.
A V E L I N AA sob ripped throught my lips as they cuffed my husband's hands, and dragged him out of the room while I tried to rock our newly born baby.The doctors rushed into the room after, followed by Valerie and Lorenzo's family. My heart rate increased drastically as they began to ask me a lot of questions."You're losing a lot of blood.""We have to take the baby.""Give me something for the pain.""Mrs Salvatore, please, calm down. You have to let us do our jobs."My brain couldn't function at the moment, and I was feeling a bit lightheaded."What's going on?" I asked weakly, looking around the room as they took my daughter. My head was spinning and my eyes were heavy, but I wanted to see my baby."Mrs Salvatore, try your best to relax.""Valerie." I called her weakly, my vision blurry. "Tell me... what's going on.""Everything will be fine, Avelina. Lorenzo will be back soon enough." She tried to assure but I wasn't having it. "No." I said, tears falling down my cheeks. "Do