Chapter 28 #2
She runs it all down for me. How Gia didn’t know she was a twin, but also that her twin died, and her family blamed her.
Horror fills me. How could someone treat an innocent child like that?
Over a tragic accident? Sienna nods when she finishes.
“Yeah, she wasn’t a good woman. None of that family are.
I feel bad that Gia suffered so much under their hands, but I’m not sorry that she’s dead.
She let them keep hurting Gia as some kind of punishment, and she blamed Gia. It’s just one fucked up situation.”
I feel sick. Poor Gia. Clearly our biological family are evil.
I look at Soren. “I could never imagine being angry at my son for something that happened like that. From the sounds of things the birth happened at home, so it’s not like they were in a hospital where they could have prevented it or at least detected it early.”
“Even if they had, the boy probably would have been severely disabled, and I doubt that would have been tolerated either, son or not.” The bitterness in her tone is sharp.
Yeah, I’m getting that feeling too. It’s so messed up.
“Alright, well, I know what to expect then. I’ll still read it, because maybe there’s something there, but I really was hoping to find a redeeming quality about her.”
“Is it weird that I don’t care about her? I mean, I have a mom, and even if we’re not blood related, she’s the only one that matters to me.”
“I feel the same way. I thought I would feel some sort of connection to her or at least maybe miss her, but it’s just…nothing. Well, other than pity and anger, but I think that’s more for the situation. It’s like reading a book and being upset at the characters for doing something stupid.”
Sienna nods, understanding. “Gia told me that for a long time she missed her mother, though not because of a close bond, but for what could have been. Gia was young when she died, and then her father eventually remarried and she got kicked out of the house. Probably a blessing considering Carmen.”
“Carmen is Leonardo’s third wife?”
Sienna nods. “We’re pretty sure that Carmen was sleeping with Marco, our eldest brother and the one that is also trying to take over and grab us along the way.”
“I’m going to need a diagram to keep up with all these connections and who is working with whom.”
Sienna laughs. “Yeah, I’ll tell Amara to do that. She’s good with that kind of stuff. The main names to remember right now are Leonardo, Giovanni, and Marco. It’s always one of those three that’s involved in whatever’s going on.”
Soren starts to rouse, a small cry in his lips. “I’m going to take him up to the room to change and feed him,” I tell Sienna. I hold up the journal. “And I’ll take this up too and read it while he’s eating. Maybe I’ll find something else.”
Sienna nods. “Alright. Don’t go without one of the guards. After something like the attack happens, they want to make sure that no one else tries to sneak in while everyone is cleaning up and regrouping. They can take the bassinet up for you too.”
I wonder if I should tell Massimo where I’m going but push that out of my head. I don’t answer to him, and some time apart is a good idea.
It takes a few minutes to get Soren up and into the sling with how fussy he is, but thankfully Sienna has one of the guards, Tino, help me close up the bassinet and carry it out and up to the room. I want to apologize as Soren’s cries get louder and angrier, but I say nothing.
Why am I apologizing? Babies cry. If he doesn’t like it, too bad for him.
When we get to the room, Tino helps me set up the bassinet again and says, “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
“Thank you.” I head for the bathroom to get Soren changed, and then I climb back on the bed, get myself and Soren set up and comfortable, and grab the journal. One thing about breastfeeding, it makes multitasking easier.
I fall into the pages, alternating between anger and feeling sorry for her as she tells more about how hard the pregnancy is on her, how much Leonardo despises her.
Won’t look at her, won’t share a bed, and instead goes to his mistresses’ houses.
Apparently, he had more than one at a time.
She knew about them, and while she didn’t like it, she said that she was grateful at times for the time alone.
The boys were raised by tutors, nannies, and the men around them, not her. She left them be.
My heart hurts for her, but I also wish I could go back in time and slap some sense into her.
Her victim complex is strong, and it prevents me from feeling bad enough to give a damn about her.
She could have made the situation better, she could have tried to love her children and not let them fall into this cycle, but instead, she smuggled us out so that she didn’t have to deal with our deaths on her conscience, and also wished for Gia to stay with her so she wasn’t alone in her abuse and loneliness.
It’s a mass of contradictions that I’m struggling to untangle.
Soren unlatches, but lets out a cry of hunger, and I move him to the other breast, humming a soft lullaby to soothe him. Thankfully, he quiets as he continues to eat, and I can go back to the journal.
I only get a couple more pages in when the door opens, and instead of looking up to see Kida, I see Massimo walking inside. It takes my brain a second to clue in to the fact that I’m lying in bed, my boob in my son’s mouth, and the other one barely covered.
I’m too stunned to react.
Massmio stops when he realizes and sees the horror on my face.
His gaze flicks to Soren, and then back up to my face, eyes widening.
We just stare at each other, the silence stretching.
Well, other than Soren taking that moment to let out a very loud sucking sound in the silence and a small grunt just to punctuate the moment.
Massimo chuckles and steps further into the room. “Someone is hungry. And while he’s occupied, that means we have time to talk.”