Page 220 of Falling for the Wife

“Papa!” I greeted as I sprinted into the living room. But the second I saw him, that smile immediately soured. “I would’ve figured that you’d have more sense than to bringherhere.”

My blood pressure went through the roof, seeing red, hungry for vengeance as I saw the target.

My father seemed as though he was in a bind. “Mi dispiace,but we cannot go on like this as a family. We must learn to forgive, even if our hearts find it hard to do so.”

Here he was again with that putrid word.

“Leave!” I snarled towards my mother.

Her cool composure suddenly became deflated at the booming sound of my hateful voice. She knew I wasn’t kidding any longer. I didn’t want her here, and I wasn’t going to tolerate her presence in my home.

“Per favore,give me a chance to prove to you that I won’t ever do such a heinous thing again,” she cried out, seeming as if she wanted to reach out to me yet too afraid of my reaction.

Did she believe that a few paltry words of apology would suffice? She was beyond disillusioned if she had truly thought that.

“I am not going to ask again, so if you don’t have the sense to remove yourself, I will ask someone toforcefullysee you out!”

“Luca, that’s enough!” Kimberly’s voice interrupted, making me catch my breath as I spun around to her.

Her face was fresh with no artifice. She had donned a flowery silk robe and was barefoot with her hair riotously tied behind her head. She might seem meek and fragile, but the fire in her eyes suggested otherwise. And when she directed those beautiful sharp eyes towards me, I knew I shouldn’t interrupt her.

She sent me a warning look, as if she’d had enough of me.

“Thank you for letting the entire household know how chaotic our family life is, Luca. But as much as I appreciated your efforts in protecting me and Gian Luca, I cannot for the life of me go on like this.”

Her cutting words went directly into me. After she sent me a knowing look, she directed her gaze towards my mother. It was as if time had suspended as both women battled with their eyes. The tension was severe, charged, and so stifling it took my breath away.

My mother’s bravado was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes continued to tear even though she tried to keep them at bay.

“What you did was disgusting, Felicia. I never thought women like you existed outside the evil stepmother in storybooks. You proved me wrong. You have no idea how many nights I stayed awake, fearing for my own, my brother’s, and my baby’s lives because you might fancy taking one of them away in the blink of an eye.

“As much as I want to harp on the past and all the monstrous things you committed to my family, you are my son’s grandmother, and for that very fact alone, I know I have to find it in me to make this work. But let me get one thing straight, Felicia. If I see or hear that you’ve abused Gian Luca, whether it’s verbally, mentally, emotionally, or physically, it will be over so fast you won’t even realize what hit you.”

My father unprecedentedly rushed towards Kimberly and gave her a warm embrace, one that displayed how grateful he was for what she had just done. “Bless your heart. Thank you. My son chose the right woman.”

Kimberly seemed choked up as she merely nodded with a smile on her face.

Felicia, on the other hand, seemed too perplexed to function.

“A thank you would not measure how indebted I am for this second chance. I promise you won’t regret this, and I’m truly sorry for your loss. You have no idea how devastated I was when I heard the news.”

The moment Kimberly was reminded about her brother, her demeanor instantly shifted. Instead of responding, she opted to nod her head as she bit the bottom of her lip, reflecting how raw the subject was still. She couldn’t bring herself to mention anything about him without clamming up, putting herself back in a safe cocoon as she quietly licked her wounds.

“Luca?” My mother’s voice interrupted my scrutinizing gaze of Kimberly. “Can we work on this?” she shakily whispered. “Because, if you’re not going to take the same stance, I won’t know what to do with myself.”

This was, by far, reaching for the abyss, but for Kimberly’s sake, I knew better than to upset her since she was the one who had taken the initiative for our son’s sake. It wasn’t easy for her, to be sure, but she had done it, anyway, because she had known it was the right thing to do.

“I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try for Kimberly and Gian Luca.” It was a measly progression, but a much better option than what I had spouted less than ten minutes ago. Felicia shouldn’t dare be picky, because this was the best I could offer her at the moment.

“That’s more than enough. I thank you both,” Felicia humbly uttered, reserved. “Your father and I won’t take any more of your time. We’ll call next time … and hopefully, you both will give us the pleasure of introducing our grandson to us. We’d be beyond grateful.”

“Of course,” Kimberly effortlessly responded. “Until next time.”

My father came towards me to shake my hand, and when it was my mother’s turn, she seemed too afraid to come near me still, obviously frightened at the thought of rejection. She opted to send me a smile, a shaky one at best.

A part of me still wanted to punish her. It took every ounce of me to nod my head towards her, as if we were truly mending things. My mind and my heart were at odds, but I knew I should support the mother of my child. I should respect her. It showed that I would support her even if my heart repelled the thought.

Shaking my head, I let out a breath I had been holding for quite some time now.