Vanessa was greeted at the border by Francesco, who had decided to be as silent as a statue again. Apparently, he only had a certain number of words available in a day, and he weighed them carefully before wasting them. It didn’t bother Vanessa anymore though, knowing his story and how he would have given up everything to become her stepfather, the silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable anymore.
He dropped her in front of her grandparent’s home and left her alone. When she stepped inside, her grandmother immediately rushed out of the kitchen and gave her a hug.
“You got me worried, darling,” she mumbled before leaning back to get a good look at her granddaughter.
“I’m alright, nonna, I was with Raffaele,” Vanessa replied, and Carla held her at arm’s length looking her up and down a
