❝ 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞. ❞
When Ricardo Esposito bursts through a door and finds a girl handcuffed on the floor, he decides to take her in and give her something she never had.
A fam...
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Alessia Two months later
The clock was ticking.
Sometimes, often, I heard a clock ticking. Intensely and loudly, as if it was trying to warn me that time was about to run out. But now, as so often, I looked around and there was no clock. And the sound faded, but the feeling that time was running out never left.
I touched my phone and looked at the real-time that told me there still were five hours left.
In five hours, Antonio and I would tell my family about us.
I did think it through and knew it was unrealistic, even delusional, to expect them to be happy for us. I simply hoped they would be willing to accept it within their overprotective selves.
All I wanted was an "OK" from them, but that was already too much to ask.
Leandro spoke with his fists, I knew he would do the same today, but there was no way to change that. Rafael killed with his gaze, Alessandro killed with the tone of his voice.
I did not even want to think about Ricardo's reaction. Only Pietro would be amused tonight.
A knock sounded on my door and I got up to open it.
We have moved back to the estate; unfortunately. The situation with the Russians has worsened in the last few weeks. And as there were bomb threats and attacks on many other houses, Ricardo decided that we would move back to the Esposito estate.
The security here was like no other and there was nothing above security to Ricardo, even if that meant living with Vincent and his family.
At the moment it was acceptable; Vincent behaved inconspicuously, his 20-year-old girlfriend was only rarely here, but who I got to see more often was his youngest son, Ryan. He was the only one of Vincent's children that I got along with and liked, probably because he was only Katarina and Marco's half-brother.
He usually lived with his mother, which is why Vincent had no opportunity to turn his DNA evil.
Yet it was not one of them who appeared when I opened the door, but Zia Giulia.
"You cleaned your room," she commented as she entered, and I acted as if I did not hear the surprise in her words.
"Yeah, I tend to do that when I'm nervous," I said as I took place opposite her on the couch.
She laughed. "Today is the day?"
I nodded. I had confided in her about Antonio and she supported us. It was even her idea that when I wanted to spend the night at Antonio's place, I could just tell Ricardo I was at her place.
I knew it was a lie but I did not consider it a deep lie because I was as safe at Antonio's place as I was here.
"Are you sure you don't want to come? Pietro said he bought popcorn. It's live drama for free, you don't want to miss it," I tried to convince her, but today was her marriage anniversary and I was sure she did not want to spend it with her older brother.
