Chapter 69

Mena

Her words stunned me, and everyone around us as we fell into complete silence. I felt a tight feeling in my chest, seeing the depth of Naty’s attachment to Alessio, and it scared me.

She was just a kid. She didn’t know what she was saying. Even though I had asked him to be that figure in her life, and Domenico referred to her as Alessio’s daughter, I had never expected she would actually call him by that name.

My eyes turned to Alessio as I thought of the right and careful way to tell my daughter to call him by his name. His face had turned serious, as he, without a doubt, was taken aback.

“Naty, he’s not—“ I began, wanting to correct her gently, to spare us both from any awkwardness or misunderstanding.

Alessio stopped me with a simple shake of his head, telling me with his eyes not to make it a big deal. Then, he turned to Naty with a big smile and gave her a fist bump. “I’ll make time for you this week, and we’ll finish that puzzle—I promise.”

Naty cheered, jumping up and down