After Joshua confessed his feelings to Emanuele, the girl simply found herself smiling. As quickly as it appeared, however, the smile faded. Thabata looked like she was about to commit mass murder. Alexandra was so surprised, so genuinely in shock, that she couldn't even move.Joshua stood looking at the former bride, as if he knew exactly the weight of his own words and did not fear them. In fact, it was more as if he purposely wanted that weight, that impact to come through.Then Thabata ran off like a madwoman, without saying anything about where she was going or who she was going to talk to. Alexandra sat down on the sofa slowly, as if trying to make sense of it all. Emanuele remained still in the same place.Joshua took a deep breath, putting his hands in his pockets."Well, I'm sure she won't disturb any of you anymore."None of the girls say anything. Alexandra seems the most perplexed by the whole thing.Emanuele looks down, embarrassed, then asks:"Why did you say that?"His
Johnny didn't believe Thabata.No, that spiteful, crazy woman, full of debauchery in her gaze and venom on her tongue was not at all credible or trustworthy.But neither was Joshua.Not that he was a bad man. Johnny knew that his apology the other day had been sincere. But he was also fully aware that the feeling for Emanuele, whatever it was, had not disappeared.That's why he ran out of Amanda and Amora's apartment. That's why he drove as fast as he could, arriving at Alexandra's apartment in mere minutes.Not because Thabata had messed with his mind, but because his girlfriend was vulnerable, having a hard time, and the only man present to calm her down at the moment was the one who had unfinished business with her.Sweaty and slightly breathless, the boy is now staring at Joshua. His sister is sitting on the couch, looking almost as incredulous as he is. And Emanuele is standing there, pale, staring at both him and her former roommate.The light-skinned, black-haired boy was obvi
Emanuele stares at Joshua's placid and slightly hopeful expression, and for a few seconds a perplexed silence envelops everyone in the house. The girl opens her mouth to answer, but fumbles and cannot utter a single sound.Joshua supplements his own question by saying softly:"We've already lived together for a while, we know each other's habits. And good, now that we'll be in my own apartment, we'll have more privacy to talk."The girl almost screams:"But talk about what? There's nothing for us to talk about, and my patience on this subject is wearing thin.""Why all this effort to deny that you have feelings for me? It's obvious to everyone, even your own boyfriend, and yet you insist that there's nothing between us."Johnny intervenes:"Emanuele has made her choice. As the honorable man you claim to be, you should just accept it and leave her alone."The sentence is short, but enough to disconcert the older man, who seems to absorb every word spoken. Then he shakes his head affirm
Immediately, Joshua stands in front of the open door and closes it. The women, most of them between forty and sixty, are furious and screaming for justice. How did the doorman allow them to enter the building?The one who seemed to be the leader of the riot, with her blonde hair and wrinkled skin, points hatefully at Alexandra's door and shouts at the huge man standing in front of them."The woman inside is a murderer! Get out of the way or face the consequences!The other women behind her shout in unison, supporting her. Joshua crosses his arms:"You need to get out of here now, before I call the police.""Police?! We are the faithful followers of the Church of Divine Light, and we are not leaving here without seeing this murderer behind bars!""I believe there is a misunderstanding going on. The girl you saw inside is not the one you are looking for."One of the followers complains:"Of course she is! We saw her!"The other repeats:"Get out of the way!"Joshua remains impassive and
The two policemen who approach the group of hysterical, bloodthirsty old ladies are tall, serious and apparently fully aware of who Emanuele is, or at least, what she is being accused of.After talking for a good fifteen minutes with the old ladies, they finally give up. Instead of taking the elevator, they all go downstairs, still to the sound of protest chants, grumbling and cursing. Joshua doesn't leave the door until he is sure that the last of the old ladies is long gone. Sighing, he sends a text message asking Alexandra to unlock the apartment door.The woman does so immediately, and almost at the same time, the policemen come to them."Where is the girl they were wanting to lynch?" The oldest of them asks.Emanuele almost cringes on the couch, but raises her hand shyly to identify herself."Do you already have a lawyer? Did the deputy let you go free?"Joshua intervenes."She already has a lawyer. And as far as I can tell, Emanuele is not a fugitive. If she's here, it's becaus
Johnny warned Joshua, more than once that afternoon, that his patience was hanging by a thread. That is, he purposely ignored the boy's warnings, whether out of ignorance or even arrogance.All he wanted to do was punch the man in the face, shout some truths in his face, hold his girlfriend's hand, and leave Alexandra's apartment.But Emanuele was too fragile, too shaken. And a fight at a moment like that could put everything at risk.Taking a deep breath, the man who had lost his best friend in the past, but was now trying to redeem himself with the chance that fate sent him, says as calmly as possible:"Joshua, I think that's crossing all boundaries."He ignores him. Johnny insists:"In this situation, with everything that is going on, do you still think that pushing Emanuele is a good idea? You're being selfish, to say the least."Perhaps there was still some remnant of conscience left in the brain taken over by Joshua's passion, as their eyes waver slightly upon hearing the boy's
Andrew rings the doorbell to the twins' apartment, and almost falls backwards when Amanda screams full of anger in her voice:"Get out of here!!!!"The boy replies:"Eita, but what is the need for this aggressiveness? Was it because of the bread pudding I ate unannounced?! I can pay for that pudding!"The sound of the bunch of keys and the lock being opened interrupts the little jokester girl's drama. Amanda frowns as she opens just a small gap in the door."Come right in."After giving his arm a tug, Andrew is finally inside. Amora is sitting in the armchair fiddling with her laptop as Amanda locks the door once again."It's serious, see, people?" He says. "I'm not only paying for the bread pudding, but also for the grapes, the bunch of bananas, the orange juice, the cake de-""Quiet, Andrew. That has nothing to do with the things you eat.""No?""No." Amora mutters as she remains focused on what she is doing. "Not least because we've known for years that it's you."His cheeks turn r
Joshua was not a bastard.Not that anyone had even come close to saying that to him, but his relentless mind all the time implied that yes, he was.Emanuele was under his hosting for some time. He almost took the girl's virginity, and he only held back because he thought of the consequences, of what it could bring both to her and to him.And now that the girl with tanned skin and sparkling eyes was in fact dating, all Joshua wanted was to make sure that her feelings still existed.Yes, it was naughty. And a big one at that. But what could he do about it?After Alexandra's brother left, or rather, literally kicked out of the apartment, intriguing dreams took over his nights. He thought about her when he woke up, when he had coffee, and even on his way to work. How many times has Joshua been called out for daydreaming when teaching his students?At first, he tried to deny what was happening. Thinking like the mature adult that everyone said he was, the man purposely turned away from Em
. . . . . . . . FIVE MONTHS LATER . . . . . .Emanuele looked at herself in the huge full-length mirror. The girl hardly knew where to look, which detail to care about first.She didn't know whether to look at the beautiful hairstyle in her now dark brown hair; her natural color.She didn't know whether to look at the impeccable makeup on her face, which made her even more beautiful and radiant than she was feeling.And I also didn't know whether to look at the beautiful white dress, simply cut, adorned with small mother-of-pearl beads. Despite the simplicity of the outfit, it was undeniable to say that the bride looked divine that day.Smiling, she turned around in front of her own reflection. Her heart was pounding with happiness, and she felt the stars in the night sky outside wishing her good luck. The curtain behind the door opened. A short, pudgy girl smiled sympathetically as she entered the room, openly admiring her."Miss Parker, you look beautiful!"Emanuele smiled."Thank
The old man falls to his knees at the same instant. Emanuele runs to him and hugs him tight, but Joseph does not respond. Instead, he seems to be doing his best not to scream as loud as he can."Dad!" The girl says."Adriele died? I had two daughters, and one of them died? Is that it?! Is that what you are telling me?!'Emanuele tries to hold back her sobs, but she can't. Instead, she says:"Yes, Dad. I'm really, really sorry. It all happened so fast! I lost my mother, my sister, and now... Now you are all I have left. You are literally all I have as family!"Joseph can't say anything for a while, only cry. The two of them are shaking very hard. Sarah, when alive, said that Morgan couldn't get the proper reaction, that he was too broken inside. But now he seemed quite emotional. I wonder what had happened.The smell of her father, enveloping Emanuele's nostrils, is soothing and familiar. In a snap, she remembers that the same scent enveloped her when she was in the arms of death, tra
Convincing Crimson to enter the police database to find her father's address was not that difficult.In fact, Emanuele was quite surprised when she had to use only one of the six rehearsed arguments. The old man shrugged and said that at that point it was no longer worth trying to pretend not to act unofficially from time to time.What really took a lot of lip from the redhead was convincing Joshua not to go with her. The girl knew that he only wanted to protect her, but Emanuele was very assertive in her arguments. She needed to do this alone, face that part of her past, and see if there was any possibility of fixing it in her future.Sarah had said that he was in a depressive spiral, and that when he saw her he could not react properly, and that it hurt her.Emanuele then prepared herself emotionally. She would not be disappointed or resentful if, by some chance, the man who at one time taught her a beautiful lullaby did not remember her... or was not touched by the moment.The youn
For a few seconds, all Emanuele can do is stare at Joshua. The two of them are still naked, and the distance between their bodies is as minimal as possible. "What?" she asks, softly. I wonder if she had heard right. Had her emotions stunned her enough for her to hear such a request?He gives a quiet laugh, then opens a confident, sentimental smile."Will you marry me?"The girl immediately sits up, leaning against the headboard of the bed. She covers her own nakedness with the blanket, still looking at the man, who also sits down."I..."Several things go through her head.The first was that no, she could not get married. Not in that life and not ever. All the misfortunes that had happened to her, all the horrible and unfortunately scarring traumas that were etched into her skin; all that made marriage itself a terrible idea.According to the books that the young woman read, especially during her teenage years, marriage was the union of two people. Total commitment to each other, com
As soon as he closes the door, Joshua gives warm, soft kisses on the sensitive skin of Emanuele's neck. The man sighs, almost intoxicated with passion, and murmurs:"I love the way you smell."With all the delicacy and romance in the world, Joshua props the redhead's torso on the bed, leaving her legs and feet touching the floor. He caresses her over her clothes. Emanuele moans."The last time we were together like this, I gave only a demonstration of what might come next. Remember?"He stimulates her further with the tip of his thumb, in subtle, gentle circular motions. "Those were the words of a man overcome with desire, and even lust, if I am willing to admit it. Today I may again have those feelings in my body, but... there is a difference. Now I am sure that I love you."Still with his thumb on Emanuele's clit, Joshua kisses her eagerly; the movement of his tongue is smooth and warm. Murmurs come out of her throat, as if the teacher is delighting in that moment.Emanuele's hands
The winter dawn is cold.A month has passed since Emanuele saw her sister die. One month, and even then, the memory was still latent and terrible.The girl had already been to therapy, but the nightmares continued to torment her. Joshua didn't know what to do anymore, since every night at two o'clock in the morning the girl's terrified screams woke him up.The teacher got out of his own bed in the dim light. The clock on his cell phone said it was one hour and fifty minutes, that is, ten minutes before the nightmares began.Standing up, taking care not to make any excessive noise, Joshua opened the door to his room, going towards Emanuele's door.But the door was open.Frowning, the man approaches the room. Her bed is empty.Still not making hasty decisions, Joshua goes to the living room, equally empty. His heart only slows down when he sees the girl sitting at the table, drinking a glass of water. She watches him without saying anything, then goes back to sipping the liquid.Slowly
Joshua immediately embraces Emanuele as soon as she, still very tearful and emotional, leaves the room where Sarah is being held. She clings to the man's clothes, sobbing terribly. Her eyes are swollen and red. "I am here," he murmurs. "I'm right here, my love." The girl can barely respond or say anything. A man wearing religious robes appears. He is middle-aged and wears thick-rimmed glasses. In his hand is a Bible. The man's voice is patient and docile, and he uses all his politeness as he approaches Emanuele. "May God's infinite mercy soothe your heart, child. I am so sorry for your loss." Apparently, the priest was already very well informed of the situation. The girl does not respond, only sinks even deeper into the chest of Joshua, who makes no mention of letting go. The policeman in charge of Sarah's surveillance accompanies the religious man. That was the protocol. Before being formally executed, Sarah would have the right to console herself and at least try to ensure a se
The next day dawned gray, cold and absolutely silent.Of course, cars were still passing by, people were leaving their homes to go to work, and children were going to school. But the noise present, that typical sound that Emanuele's ears were used to, could not penetrate the enormous bubble of silence that surrounded her.The call from the delegate the day before was an answer she had been begging to receive, but now that she knew that her sister's last wish was to see her, an unbearable weight had taken over her heart. Sarah was going to die. And all they had together were brief, monitored, timed conversations.Emanuele looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a black overcoat and pants of the same color, as well as dark boots. Her dyed red hair was tied up in a tight bun, and no matter how hard she tried to disguise her swollen face, red from crying with makeup, it was still obvious to anyone paying a little more attention. Joshua appeared in the doorway, wearing dark soci
Emanuele could neither sleep nor eat properly in the days that followed.All the girl could do, and at the massive insistence of Joshua who took care of her whenever he could, was to take a few naps and, very begrudgingly, put food in her stomach. He always tried to be as close as possible, even though he needed to work.With the insurance money, Joshua was able to recover almost nothing from the old apartment, so he opted to buy new furniture and decorate Alexandra's apartment, or rather his apartment. Doing this, however, seemed pointless and even disrespectful, since the present moment was one of mourning, not of celebration.When the man apologized for his attitude, Emanuele just shrugged and continued to stare at some fixed point on the wall.They did not sleep together. Each stayed in his own room most of the time. Joshua tried to get close to her physically, but he was content to give her a respectful cuddle and caress to comfort her. It was not the time for them to get close l