Total pages in book: 197
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
People needed to move on.
“We named her Corrine Mia Conti,” Alessa said.
“That’s a very pretty name,” Chloe said, watching the baby.
Chloe seemed to be entirely enraptured as she looked at the child. She traced the baby’s tiny nose and ran her fingers through Corrine’s dark tufts of hair.
It was a sweet sight.
Even Alessa thought so.
“Hello there,” Chloe said to the sleeping baby. “You’re a very pretty girl, Corrine. I bet your daddy is so proud.”
“Adriano is very proud,” Alessa agreed, laughing.
Chloe sucked in a shaky breath, smiled again, and then stood. She handed the baby back to Alessa, being careful not to jostle Corrine too much and wake her. Alessa took her daughter back, unsure of why Chloe was handing her over.
“You can keep holding—”
“No, that’s okay,” Chloe interrupted quickly. “I, uh, just ... need to grab a drink of water. Give someone else a turn with her. She’s beautiful, Alessa. Congratulations. And really, thank you for inviting me today. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”
“Actually, it was easy.”
Chloe frowned. “Sure.”
Confused, Alessa watched as Chloe turned on her heel and left the room without a backward glance. The moment she was gone, the quiet murmurs started.
Alessa ignored them all.
She was more worried about Chloe.
What was wrong with the woman?
Why did it seem like holding Corrine had hurt her?
Not a moment too late, Adriano was back at Alessa’s side. His arm snaked around her waist, holding tight and strong.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I am,” Alessa said.
“But?”
“But I don’t know if she is.”
“Sad, you think?”
Alessa didn’t know. “Maybe, but it seemed like more than just that, Adriano. What if she misses him or something? Do you think she loved him?”
“Who, babe?” he asked.
“Joel.”
Adriano rubbed at the back of his neck. “I don’t know. He didn’t treat her well.”
“Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have loved him.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Adriano said quietly. “Here, let me take the princess. Give your arms a break.”
Alessa smiled. “You just want to spoil her.”
“So? Stop judging me.”
She handed over their daughter with a laugh.
*
Alessa stepped out on the enclosed back deck to take a breather. She didn’t mind parties and the people, but sometimes she just needed a break from it all. It could quickly become too much when it got too loud and crowded.
She was grateful for all the love, though.
Her daughter had been shamed so much before she was even born. People whispered about the unborn baby like she was just a giant stain on her mother and father’s families for what they had done by sneaking around and getting pregnant.
Corrine was just an innocent child.
She hadn’t asked to be made, or born.
So yeah, Alessa was happy.
Overwhelmed, but happy.
Alessa quickly realized she wasn’t alone on the back deck. In the far corner, Chloe had sat on the bench, and was staring out at the back property of Alessa and Adriano’s new home. They had bought it shortly before the baby was born. And just in the nick of time, too.
Nonetheless, Chloe had pulled her legs up on the bench, and had wrapped her arms around her knees like she was hugging herself. She didn’t seem to notice Alessa standing there watching her.
“Chloe?” Alessa asked quietly.
The young woman’s head whipped around. Instantly, she was clamoring off the bench like she had done something wrong. “Sorry, Alessa. I didn’t mean to hang out back here or anything. I just wanted a few minutes—”
“Away from the party?”
Chloe nodded. “Yeah.”
“It’s fine. Me, too, really. I love them all, but sometimes they can be a little much.”
“I get that.”
Alessa took a few more steps closer to Chloe. “You okay? You seem kind of ... sad.”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
Lies.
Alessa could hear the woman’s lies.
“You sure?” she asked.
Chloe shrugged. “Just a lot has happened. Sometimes, a person has to process, you know?”
“Yeah, I do.”
More than Chloe could possibly know.
“Is it Joel?” Alessa dared to ask after Chloe had sat back down on the bench.
Chloe’s gaze cut to Alessa, widened with shock. “What?”
Alessa waved at Chloe as if to explain what she meant. “You—this—is it about Joel?”
“Maybe. I’m kind of in a bad spot. I don’t know what to do.”
“Maybe I could help,” Alessa said.
Chloe scoffed, but it just sounded sad. “You hated your brother.”
“I hated who my brother turned into over the years, but he was still my brother,” Alessa corrected gently. “I still remember playing tag with him in the backyard, or having a great game of hide and seek when he was left to watch over us. Joel wasn’t always like he was, Chloe. There were times when he was different—happier, nicer, and a better man. He could have been great, but someone ruined him.”
“Your grandfather,” Chloe muttered under her breath, looking away. “Your mother’s father did that to Joel.”
Alessa didn’t argue the point, because she didn’t know for sure. But she did know that her mother’s father hadn’t always been nice to Joel. There were stories—rumors—but she didn’t know if any of them were true or not.