In the Closed Arm of the Don

Untitled Episode

Erminio… Her beautiful eyes stared back at mine as she smiled and held my hands in hers. Being with her was the moment I cherished the most. She always managed to make my worries fade away, I found ultimate peace with her. “What if your father finds out about us?” I asked, and the smile on her face disappeared like it was never even there. She slowly removed her hands from mine, and she stood up from the bed, staring into blank space. “Do you intend to keep us a secret forever?” I asked again. I loved Noemi with all my heart, and I just wanted to be sure about where I stood at that moment and what our bond meant to her. She toyed with her fingers and gave no definite answer. “ Are you ashamed of our relationship?” I found myself asking. This time, she turned around sharply to face me. “ Of course not. What makes you think that?” She said in a slightly pitched voice, her eyes shrouded in mystery. I could never tell what was going on in her head. “ You're always afraid of us being seen together in public, and every time I ask anything about our future, or where we stand as partners, you just keep quiet. You never say anything, what am I supposed to think in such a situation?” “ You don't understand.” She ran her slim fingers through her luscious hair and expelled a sigh. “ Then, make me understand Noemi. Make me understand. I can't help but think that one day, all this will disappear.” At that moment, she placed a soft kiss on my lips and shut me up. “ What we share, Erminio, would never fade away for our love is pure. I'm sorry for making you feel so uncertain but… every time we're together, I can't help but think of the possibility that things could turn out badly. I mean, our families have been at each other's throats for decades. I can't even start to imagine my father's reaction.“ She said, worry evident in her eyes. It was one of the few times she truly let her black mask slip. Ever since I'd known Noemi, she had the habit of worrying about what people think of her. She always chose people's wants and opinions over her well-being. I cupped her face in my palms, and I kissed her forehead. “ Nothing's going to happen as long as we're together, okay? Just promise me, you'll never leave me.”

“ I'm never leaving, my love. You're everything to me. “ She reassured me with a smile on her face and her eyes twinkled. My eyes flew wide open and I realized it was all a dream. Everything was a lie. Her love, her devotion, her promises, they were nothing but lies. Why did she have to show her face after all these years? I rolled off my bed and to my greatest surprise, it was almost nine am. I never woke up after sunrise. Why was today different?? I took a quick shower, had a change of clothes and I headed downstairs to have breakfast with Alessio. “ Good morning, Mr Rossi.” Nanny Isabel pecked my cheek as she dished out my breakfast. “ Where's everyone else?” I asked, noticing the empty dining room. “Everyone else already had breakfast except…” She paused and shared a look with me. “ Except for who??” …. I threw the door open, and I was welcomed by Alessio's sulking face. The moment he saw me, he turned around and cuddled his pillow. Teresa, Nanny Isabel's daughter stood up from beside him and came up to me. “ What's wrong with him?” “He refuses to eat or drink anything unless…” Her eyes grew solemn as she paused. “ Unless what?” “ He refuses to tell me, I've been trying to get him to eat all morning. I think he's still mad at me for what happened.” She placed her hands on my upper arms. There was this wild look in her eyes and I could feel myself getting hard. Her appearance was different from Nanny Isabel's demure look. She had the most seductive foxy eyes, high cheekbones, and tiny freckles painted her nose but it only elevated her looks. Her body…. Teresa could easily pass off as a model yet she chose to work at my mansion alongside her mother. Over the past few years, I've had a s****l relationship with her but it only revolved around s*x and nothing more. However, I'm starting to think Teresa wants more than that. Not that I care, I made myself clear since our first time together. I shrugged away from her touch and I approached Alessio. “ Leave us,” I said in a low tone. “ What if…” “ Don't push it Teresa, leave us.”

The sound of the creaking door followed her exit. I took a seat right beside Alessio and I could feel the bed sink underneath my weight. I ran my fingers through his soft hair as I tried to speak as calmly as possible. “I'm sorry…for not coming sooner. I've just been busy with work and then…I wake up to Nanny Isabel saying you refused to eat or drink. What's going on?” He turned to face me and his face was wet with tears. Suddenly, I felt a tightening sensation in my chest and I pulled him into my embrace. “ Hush, hush, you're okay…. Daddy's here.” I patted his back slowly the same way I'd seen Nanny Isabel do it. After coaxing him, I placed him on my lap and said.” Should we go have our breakfast downstairs or you'll have it here?” He shook his head negatively and reached out for his writing pad which was lying on the bedside drawer. He scribbled something on it and showed it to me. { Where is she?} “Who is she? Teresa??” I asked, unsure of his words. For a five-year-old, Alessio was smarter than most kids his age. This made it easier for him to communicate with his writing pad. {The nice lady in the white dress} Nice lady in the white dress,...he couldn't possibly be talking about Noemi. How could he call her nice after all that she had done to him? My blood boiled and I clenched my fists as I tried to control my temper. “ She's getting the punishment she deserves for hurting you.” {But she didn't hurt me} “What do you mean, she didn't hurt you? She took you away from me.” At that moment, he jumped down from my lap with his tiny legs and faced me. He scribbled away on his pad again then, he showed it to me. {She didn't take me away. It was some bad men and when we got to that big house, I escaped. She stopped those bad men from hurting me. They even hit her a lot but she didn't leave me behind. She's an angel, I want to see her}

This new piece of information stunned me. Noemi didn't kidnap him??? Instead, she even saved him and got hurt while doing so. I was caught up in my head thinking about the things I said to her because of a …. misunderstanding. Oh f**k! Alessio shook my arm incessantly as he insisted on knowing Noemi's whereabouts. Even if she wasn't guilty of kidnapping my son, her husband did it perfectly. Also, what was the guarantee that saving my son to get into my good books, wasn't a ploy to creep through my defences and destroy me again just like she did all those years ago? “ Forget about her and let's go have breakfast. Nanny Isabel made your favourite pasta.” I tried to lift him but he stepped backwards and shook his head. { I'm not eating anything until I see the nice lady} “ Don't be stubborn Alessio, just come…” He didn't answer. Instead, he climbed up to his bed and hid under the sheets. Soon, sniffles and choked sobs followed. I was conflicted, why was he attached to a total stranger? It could've been anyone but he was attached to my sworn enemy. The woman who took everything away from me. That b***h, she must've known that she wouldn't make it into my life again so she's trying to use my son against me. My lips curved into a smirk as I muttered. “ Let's play, Noemi Di Angelo Conte.”