Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Every photo is of Romeo and his mom.
You can see exactly how close the two of them are.
I turn and see Romeo standing behind me, his eyes on the photos, too.
“It’s like looking at Manny, it’s quite overwhelming,” I admit.
“What was he like? My brother?” Romeo asks, his eyes moving to mine now.
“He was ... He was a child raised by a man who taught him all the wrong things in life. He was strong, though. Really strong. And he was smart as hell.”
Romeo opens his mouth to say something, but his momma comes in with a tray full of cups, tea, sugar, and cream. She places it down on the coffee table and ushers me to the chair. “Sit, let us talk.”
I go over and sit down beside Cohen, preparing myself a cup of tea.
“What is your name?” I ask her, now just realizing that nobody has told me her name.
“My name is Marcella.”
Marcella. Beautiful.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Marcella. I’m Aviana.”
She smiles. “I know who you are, my darling.”
I give her a small smile and sip my tea.
“I’m sure you’ve got many questions, feel free to ask when you are ready,” she tells me, making herself a cup of tea and sitting back in the chair.
“You ... you had a relationship with my father. Can you tell me about that, please?”
Marcella’s face flashes with pain, and I know the memories would be hard for her. I can’t imagine what it must have been like back then.
“I met him at the café I was waitressing at. I spilled coffee all over him, it was my first day. I was certain he would make a scene, but instead he laughed. Right there, he just burst out with this loud laughter.”
My father laughed?
That’s so hard for me to wrap my head around.
“I offered to dry clean his suit for him, so I took him back to my apartment and gave him some of my brother’s clothes so I could take his suit. That’s how it all started. I didn’t ... I didn’t know he was married at first. He took me out, we formed a relationship, and then I found out he was already in one.”
“That must have been hard,” I say, my voice tight.
“It was awful, but I was young and naïve. I was in love with him. I thought he was going to give me this incredible life. He told me he’d leave his wife, that we’d be together, and I believed him. I was only nineteen years old. When I fell pregnant, everything changed. He no longer wanted a relationship with me, and this man, this prince ... turned into a monster. He was cold and calculated. He didn’t want me ruining anything in his perfect little world, and that’s when I realized he was never going to leave his wife. I was just a bit of fun for him ...”
God.
My heart aches for this woman.
I can hear the pain in her voice as she tells her story.
“I wasn’t going to give up my baby, I told him so. Then I found out I was having twins. Terrified, I knew I couldn’t care for both of them. I was struggling as it was, and without any support from him, I was not going to be able to give them a good life. I told him I wanted money, help, or I would tell people about our affair. It wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever said, but, again, I was young, and I was scared.”
I can only imagine.
“He told me to get an abortion, to get rid of them and the problem would be solved. I refused to do that, and one day, I went and confronted your mother about our affair. I told her everything. The worst part for me was, she was the kindest, most gentle soul I’d ever met, and I knew that she was as trapped as I was. Of course, she was devastated. Days later, your father came to me with a deal. He would take one of the babies and raise him with his family, I would take the other and he would give me some money, but I was never to contact him again.”
God, this just gets worse.
“At first, I refused. No way was I giving up my baby, but as time went on, I began to struggle. I had some health concerns, and I had no money. I couldn’t raise two babies—I would barely afford one. I told him I would take the deal. Your momma wasn’t too keen on the idea at first, she didn’t want to raise my baby, but I went to see her one day, and I told her that I needed her to do it, for me.”
“And she did,” I say softly.
Marcella nods with a smile. “She did. She agreed and when my sons were born, one of them was whisked out of my life and I was paid out. I moved away and that was the last time I ever saw my son. Occasionally, your momma would send me a picture. It was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life, but having Romeo here with me, that made things so much easier.”