“My parents... Did something similar happen between you and Millie’s father?” Massimo asked, but his curiosity disappeared the moment he noticed her body tensing “Forget it. I know my father was one in a million. I how many cowardly sons of bitches there are out there, incapable of assuming their own flesh and blood.”
“I... I always thought that Millicent and I would never fit into his life. When I found out I was pregnant, I was sure my baby would be a shock and a hindrance for him.” Alice admitted, although every word was like a stab at her, with her mind begging her to stop “There was a lot at stake, especially on his side, and I knew how it feels to be an unwanted child. It seemed like the best choice was to keep his life as it was, so that's what I did. A lot of things have changed in the last almost 5 years, but...” she sniffed “I don't thin
If one day someone had told Massimo that he would be supervising a children's party with the same care he used to oversee his company's projects, he would probably have laughed for hours. Yet, there he was, standing in the middle of his farm's garden, watching as all the workers finished assembling the toys, stocking the food carts, and decorating every inch of his property for Millicent's birthday.“Is that Millie’s new daddy?” a childish and frightened voice asked, and, from the corner of his eye, Massimo noticed three children who had already arrived for the party watching him, close to their mothers, whispering to each other “Why is he sitting on a chair that has wheels? Is it because he likes riding in cars?”“Can I have a nice chair like his, mommy?” another little girl asked, grabbing her mother's skirt.
“Uh... Honey, why don't you go talk to your friends?” Alice suggested as she approached them, her smile trembling “They're right there. I'm sure they missed you.”“Yes, go, Millie.” Massimo placed her on the floor “So I can give your gifts in a few moments, before you and your friends can play and eat.”“Yey! Lily, Mark, Cassidy! Massimo will give me gifts!” Millie screamed, running towards the other children, while Alice leaned towards Massimo.“Massimo, don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful that you did this for my daughter, but…” she chewed on those full lips that had been starring in his dreams since the day they had kissed “Don’t you think that Is this all a bit... Too much? I mean, how much did that must have
“How are you, Petunia?”“No, Massimo!” Millie scolded him, causing Massimo to lower the blonde doll he was holding onto her bed, where several other toys were scattered at a tea party “Beth doesn't have such a deep voice.”“Uh... Not even if she was sick for today?” he tried to dodge “That way, after the tea party is over, we can take her to the hospital.”“Then we can have a tea party at the hospital!” she said, excitedly, but approached to hold Massimo’s arm and try to lift the doll close to his face “But you have to start by giving her a kiss and telling her that it will pass. It’s like mommy always does!”"Everything will be fine." Massimo said, touching his lips to the to
“Mommy? Can’t we go home?” Massimo murmured, trying to warm his cold little hands on the scarf full of holes that was around his neck.“You’re home now, honey.” His mother spoke with a smile on her pale and tired face “And, soon, your father will take you to see America, too. Isn’t that exciting?”“But, you’re going with me, aren’t you?” he practically begged, something bad squeezing his chest as they approached on foot that huge house, the biggest he had ever seen, just ahead.“I…” Giulia hesitated, making Massimo sure that things weren’t as right as she was saying “If I’m feeling better, then I certainly will.”“So why can’t we go to the
Even though his desire to continue standing in the middle of the darkness of his room was strong, Massimo still forced himself to go through his routine as if nothing was wrong. Bed, bathroom, wardrobe. Making the bed, cold water on his face to wake him up, and any clothes other than the boxers he'd been wearing to bed lately. Oh, and brush his teeth well, too. Millicent would always try to escape brushing her own teeth when she realized he hadn't done the same. Massimo had to be her example.Finally, with a long sigh, Massimo opened the door to his room, trying to lock inside not only that damned nightmare, but also the memories of all the disastrous birthdays he had ever had, since the day his mother had died.The ramp he had requested to be retrofitted to the main staircase was now ready, which meant he had much quicker access to the ground floor rooms than
“And then, now transformed into a real boy, Pinocchio lived happily ever after alongside his father, Geppetto, and the talking cricket.” Massimo closed the book on his lap, looking up to watch Alice pat Millie, who looked like she could barely keep her eyes open, but was still fighting sleep.“We played a lot, took a shower and listened to a story.” Alice took her hands off Millie’s back, laying her down on the bed “Now it’s time to sleep.”“But I want to talk to Massimo on the phone…” Millie yawned for a long time, raising her little hand towards the can on her bedside table, even though it was impossible for her to reach it.“We can do it tomorrow, honey.” Massimo laughed, moving closer to the two so he could cover Millie completely &ld
“Very well, Alice. You only go so far.” Massimo grumbled, just as Alice pushed his chair through the door to Dr. Lewis's office “Ask Josiah to take you somewhere. Just be here in an hour and a half.”“Are you sure you want me to stay? I can help with something...” she offered, preparing to take off his coat, but Massimo pulled at his jacket as if she were trying to undress him completely.“Having a family member around is always good, Massimo.” Dr. Lewis said, looking more relaxed than Alice had ever seen him so far “Are you sure you don't want to...?”“What happened to medical confidentiality?” Massimo growled, now sounding really angry “I want to do this alone. Which part didn’t you understand?”
After just over an hour of talking with Ruby Bennett, Alice felt more confused than ever as she walked down the clinic hallways toward Dr. Lewis's office. At the same time that this woman could sound more sincere than anyone else in the world, she also seemed to hold hundreds of secrets deep in her eyes. Well, not even Alice could deny that she was treating Lucy very well, almost to the point of being considered her friend, but...Was that in itself proof that she wasn't planning to attack Lucinda behind her back to get the position of daughter-in-law of Hugo Peterson, the oil tycoon?God, Alice needed to pause those thoughts and save them for later, before her head started to hurt. Now, she just needed to walk Massimo to his car so they could go home...“Alice.” The last voice she needed to hear called