(Renata Pellegrini)
I feel my hair shiver as I feel Filippo's touch on my waist, God! How I missed those hands. Controlling the sigh of joy at having him so close once again, I look from his hand to his face and Filippo's jaw is clenched, I see it in his eyes, his hand clasps my waist even tighter. I stare at the figure of a gentleman standing in the middle of the room and his eyes are fixed on Filippo, it looks like they are dueling.
The gray-haired gentleman is the first to break the exchange of glances, his eyes land on me and a shadow of a smile appears, but soon disappears. For a moment, I think I see pain in his gaze, as if upon seeing me, bad memories are tormenting him.
“I heard that they went to rescue my granddaughter, so I came to get her.” You speak, Filippo's grip increases.
“She won't go anywhere with you, Dominic.” Filippo says and I just listen to the strange conversation between them. Who are they talking about? I want to pull away, but Filippo seems to be trying to pin me to his body so tightly his arm around me.
“She is my granddaughter! She belongs to my famiglia!” The gentleman, who I now know is called Dominic, bristles angrily.
“She is my wife!” Filippo speaks in a low, but chilling tone.
“She will go with me!” Dominic speaks defiantly.
“Just over my dead body.” Filippo says and draws his gun pointing it at Dominic.
I feel the tears burning my eyes, I knew it! Filippo is already married! He left me to be with another woman! I blink my eyes trying not to let them fall, but it is impossible. When I feel the first tear coming, I gather all my courage and push Filippo as hard as I can, he staggers a little, I feel his confused look in my direction, but I can't face him, I don't want him to see all the pain I still feel for his abandonment.
Being free of his arm, I run out of the house.
“Renata!” I hear Filippo calling me, but I ignore him. I can't see straight because of the tears that are falling like waterfalls. “Wait, wait, wait!”
I don't want to hear him, I don't want to see him, I just want to walk away, go as far away as possible, forget that he was once a part of my life.
“Oush!” I groan in pain as my butt hits the ground. “Oh, shit!” I mutter and massage the area that suffered the impact of the fall. Then I massage my head that hit the wall.
“Ciao, bella ballerina!” - "Hello, pretty dancer," I open my eyes and stare at the image of one of Filippo's brothers, if I'm not mistaken, this is Vicenzo. He reaches out his hand and helps me up.
I don't greet him back, I look back and Filippo is approaching, I pass Vicenzo, but before I can get through the gate, he holds my forearm.
“Let me go!” I speak with my voice shaky from crying.
Again I look away and Filippo is only a few feet away from us. Vicenzo looks where I am looking and Filippo suddenly stops walking, they stare at each other for a while, but I feel relief and am able to breathe easier as I see Filippo turning his back and walking back into his mansion.
“Let me go, please.” I ask with my head down, against my will, sobs escape my mouth.
“Come here with me.” He lets go of my forearm and holds my wrist dragging me with him.
I try to keep in place, but Vicenzo is not only taller than Filippo - who is about thirty centimeters taller than me - but he is also stronger, so no matter how hard I try to keep my feet on the ground, it's as if a cart is towing me.
Vicenzo has stopped walking, I look ahead and there are two chairs and an umbrella. I look around and see a gigantic swimming pool, several plants around the wide environment, it would be beautiful, if my world wasn't so gray.
“Sit down.” Vicenzo finally lets go of my wrist, I do as he asked, he sits down in the chair across from mine.
I lay my head on the back of the chair and look up at the sky, it is cloudy, it looks like a storm will fall at any moment. But in my eyes, the rain is already falling: hard, sobbing and blushing. I don't know how long to continue crying, my heart is slowly calming down. I wipe my face on the skirt of my dress, I feel calmer, but the sadness is even stronger, my heart hurts even more than when I accepted that I had really been abandoned.
“Why did you run out of the house?” Vincenzo's voice interrupts the silence, minutes after I stopped crying. “What did my brother do wrong?”
“He got married…” I mumble, feeling a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Did you get married?”
I know that Vicenzo is the nicest and most playful of the brothers, but I hate it when they act like that with me, when they try to make fun of a serious situation.
“Don't do this to me, don't pretend you don't know. Filippo told me that he would have to marry whoever his brothers chose. Don't play dumb.” I speak sourly.
“Filippo, who told you he is married?”
“Practically.”
“What exactly happened? - He insists.
I take a deep breath, remembering the ferocity in which he was defending his wife hurts me so much. He did it while I was by his side, watching and listening... he didn't care one bit about hurting my feelings.
“Mr. Dominic wanted to take his granddaughter, but Filippo said he would only take his wife over her dead body…”
I speak feeling my heart being crushed.
“Oh, I get it.” Vicenzo says and smiles, I look shocked at him, him seeing my state and smiling at my sadness? Is my suffering fun? “You don't understand.” He say.
“I understood it very well.”
“I don't think so.” He says, laying his back on the back of the chair and crossing his arms, I can see the amusement in his eyes.
I feel an anger consume me.
“Are you finding my suffering amusing?” I ask, looking into his eyes.
“I am.”
I roll my eyes at his response, wretch, he is as heartless as his brother.
“It must run in the family.” I murmur. “How can you find it amusing to see someone suffering from a broken heart? I was abandoned, I tried to keep him away from me, but every damn step I took, there he was, seducing me, protecting me, making me burn, until he finally managed to use me for his pleasure, and in less than a week, he abandoned me, without giving an explanation, just vanished from the map, leaving me alone? And when I finally see him again, it is only to see him defending his wife tooth and nail as if her grandfather were the worst threat.”
Again tears burn my eyes, my jaw trembles, I touch my belly... my son... the memory of what we did.
“He abandoned us, moved on...left us behind, I was just a diversion and now I have to bear the consequences alone for not having listened to my mother and father's advice to give myself up only after being married.” I speak bitterly, I regret so much that I gave myself to Filippo. My boss, I always knew that was a mistake. But I thought... There, deep down, I hoped I was doing the right thing, I thought I was with the man made for me.
How foolish I was...
“Stop crying, Renata, Marieta would hate to see you like this.”
Marieta? I have heard that name before... Tiago... It was he who said that name to me.
“Who is this woman?”
“Your mother.” He replies.
“No! My mother's name is Sandra! I am her daughter!” I inquire fiercely.
“Yes, Sandra is also his mother.” Vicenzo says calmly. “But the woman your father really loved and conceived you is called Marieta. Marieta Martinelli.”
“Stop lying! Stop, stop, stop!” I shout and again start to cry.
Vicenzo gets up, I don't follow him with my eyes, I just keep crying, I wish my parents were here, I wish I could feel their embrace again. But these people lie to me, and I hate that.
After a few minutes, I hear the chair scratching on the floor and feel Vicenzo's presence again.
“Look at this, who are these people?”