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
Alexandra didn't sound irritated or angry as she stepped into the hallway and said aloud:"No one is going to hit anyone here. I've had enough stress for one day."The authority in her voice is undeniable and irresistible. Johnny immediately apologizes, but glares at Joshua, who puts his hands in his pockets innocently.Emanuele takes a deep breath and enters the room. There were few clothes to be packed. It was so strange to have to pack again... Joshua takes the cue to leave. He says goodbye to everyone with a brief chin gesture. The man's gaze is deep, and it is obvious that he still had many things to say.Johnny starts to help the girl with her bags and says:"I don't think he's really going to leave you alone.""He'll give up sometime.""If he hasn't given up so far, even after all he's heard from you, he's not going to anytime soon."She didn't want to agree, but she didn't have the heart to disagree either. Joshua was extremely determined to win her over, and Emanuele genuine
The receptionist at the hospital is getting more and more bored. The few mothers who still bothered to choose that maternity hospital to have their children, a bunch of crazy ones, were mostly at home or waiting to be discharged.Needless to say, the few relatives who visited the new mothers barely stayed for the full visiting hours, preferring to leave half an hour earlier.Nobody liked to be there, that was a fact. Not even the employees. Whispers here and there were always about the scandals involving the names of doctors, nurses, and even the high ranking professionals; rich and haughty businessmen who laundered money left and right. Everyone in Laketown knew. It was impossible not to know.The name of that establishment was dirty, and there was no possible campaign that could clean up that huge stain within the clean white corridors. Not even after swearing together that all the corrupt people involved had already been arrested.Nobody, absolutely nobody believed that story.So
The past week had flown by like the wind, and Emanuele didn't know whether that was good or bad.She was now sitting at the hastily made wooden desk in Johnny's room, carefully reading the polite but formal e-mail, which said many things; among them that the girl was fired.Running her hand through her now-dyed-black hair, Emanuele sighed heavily.Her freedom to come and go, her home, and now her job. Even after she was dead, her mother was still the source of all her problems.She tried to cry from sadness and revolt. But so many tears had been shed in the past few days that now the reservoir was empty.As if fate itself was scripting the events, the girl's cell phone began to vibrate with the arrival of a text message.Emanuele didn't even come close to checking her cell phone.Instead, she snuck over to the window, taking care not to leave her face exposed. When was the last time the girl had left her boyfriend's apartment?The world seemed more or less the same. Children played, a
Emanuele does her best to keep a neutral expression and a placid face, but it is much easier said than done. Sitting at the kitchen table are not only Crimson, but also Joshua, as if the whole universe were conspiring against her.While the brunette makes a quick cup of coffee, her former roommate comments in the most casual way possible:"I like the new hair color. Did you decide to go back to your natural color?"Although she didn't want to admit it, it was nice to hear his voice and to count on his support in such a difficult moment. The smile that Emanuele opens is sincere as she replies:"Actually, my hair is not black, but rather dark brown. But yes, I wanted to give it a change in look and stay as casual as possible.""I see. Do you intend to dye your hair red again someday? I really liked seeing your hair that color."The compliment doesn't sound like an attempt at seduction or flirtation. Again she smiles, turning her back to him as she continues to prepare things."I don't
. . . . . . . . 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