"I'll accept your proposal, but with one condition," Deanna told him as they walked through the park.
Leonard got excited.
"Really?!"
"Yes... But I don't want to have a representative who chases after young girls..."
"Oh, Deanna! Don't do this to me..."
"It's the only thing I'm asking you, otherwise I'll go back to finish the semester and look for a job."
The relationship between them wasn't yet one of father and daughter, but it had grown closer with the days and with Leonard's persistence. A few weeks ago, he was nothing more than a stranger who pursued her to corner her, and now he had become a support for her. Without Harry, without her
Ethan was doing his school homework when his computer began to emit a constant beeping sound. It was a video call. He couldn't identify where it was coming from, but he answered anyway. The screen showed him an image of Deanna."Deanna!""Hello Ethan, how are you?" Her smile was barely a grimace."Deanna! Where are you?""I'm so sorry about what happened... I'm sorry... They told me you wanted to see me.""Yes! Yes! Wait, I'll go get my siblings! Wait Deanna!""Of course..."Ethan ran out, but he didn't find his siblings in their rooms. He went downstairs and saw them in the living room wit
Leonard went to speak with Marcus that morning, needing a place where Deanna could practice her voice before the audition. The professor was furious with his friend."You're a traitor. You knew I wanted her here with me, and now you're going to hand her over to Sacha...""Don't be like that, Marcus. You know as well as I do that this is a one-in-a-thousand opportunity, and if this Sacha doesn't appreciate her, I'm sure she'll agree to stay with you.""You finally got your hands on her, you bastard.""It's not like that...""And you really put in the effort this time. I suppose you must be euphoric.""I'm telling you it's not like that..."
The Ambassador Theater was packed with people. The audition was closed, but it had attracted many aspiring performers from the area and neighboring cities. Deanna had arrived with Leonard, but when the moment came, they had to separate, and he went to sit in the upper rows, just like when he used to spy on her before knowing the truth.Sacha Feni, the producer, was seated right in the middle of the orchestra section, and Marcus came and went at his every request. The guy had a reputation for being fussy, but he already had several successful stars to his credit. When the auditions began, the Professor looked for his friend and sat down beside him."Well... What's she going to sing?" he asked."Un bel dì vedremo," Leonard answered."S
Sacha Feni wasn't just left open-mouthed; he was amazed. The call to Deanna didn't take too long—the next day he was already informing her that her audition had been a success and that he wanted to start working with her as soon as possible."I can't believe it..." She was so surprised."I told you! I told you! This is great, Deanna!" Leonard was euphoric."But...""But nothing! You did it!... I'll have to get in touch with the guy and see how we proceed... Get ready, baby, because the world awaits you from now on.""I have to call mom."Shouts of joy and tears rang out in the small restaurant. Her little girl had taken a giant step f
But the papers remained abandoned in a corner of his desk; he didn’t even look at them. Her signature was on them, and he didn’t want to see it. If he did, reality would hit him straight in the face: "She doesn’t love you anymore."Harry had become the black sheep of the family. Susan was livid with him and never missed a chance to throw what he had done in his face. Daniel outright pretended he didn’t exist, and Charles would sometimes watch him with suspicion. He kept going over it in his head. He had gone down to the security department to check if it was true, and it was. His ID badge had recorded it, and he had made a copy of the video.What bothered him the most was seeing her with Leonard. It was more than confirmed that Deanna had left Daniel for him. They were seen all over the city together, and now people were saying the guy had
What Daniel needed to finally accept that Deanna wasn’t coming back arrived in the form of a news article in the local paper.That Sunday, he had woken up and gone downstairs for breakfast like always. His kids were going to their grandparents' house to visit Emma and spend the day there, and for some reason, around 11, Beverly was already at his house. He didn’t care. He knew she was hovering around, trying to find a way into his life. She could do whatever she wanted—if she wanted to keep enduring his indifference, that was her choice.He locked himself in his office, trying to avoid her, but there she was again, with her laptop and a stack of documents. He didn’t even know why he didn’t just tell her to leave. He was too apathetic to care.He sat back in his chair, reading the newspaper, wh
"Let us see the full costume!" Naomi asked excitedly.Deanna stood up and took a few steps back. She was wearing an empire-waist dress, burgundy with gold details. Her hair was styled in an updo reminiscent of the era, adorned with a delicate headpiece that looked like a small tiara.Six months had passed since she had started working with Sacha Feni, and that night was her debut. She was in Rome, waiting for the curtain to rise. The Teatro dell’Opera had been chosen to present the new gem of the operatic world. The theater was packed; every seat had been sold. Leonard had spared no expense in promoting her, and with Feni’s name attached, expectations were high."You look beautiful, Deanna!""Thank you, Ethan… I’m so nervous!"
"I can't believe it's been a year already... Happy birthday, Ethan!""Thanks, Deanna.""Where are your siblings?""They went shopping with Grandma... Boring.""I imagine you’re not interested in tagging along with the little ones anymore.""No, this year I’m starting driving lessons. If I get my license, Dad will let me drive his car.""You’ve grown so much...""Where are you?""In Sydney... We arrived last night… I’m still not used to the time difference.""La Bohème?""Yes, that one&helli
Susan waited for them in Leonard's car. It was Ethan's last year of high school, and he was about to start college. When they saw her standing there, they were surprised.“Auntie, how are you?“ Naomi greeted her.“Hello, kids...”“What are you doing here?” Ethan asked.“I came to pick you up because Daniel and Deanna are at the hospital. Your sisters are about to be born.”Naomi screamed uncontrollably! She practically dragged everyone to the car.“Calm down, Naomi, there's still time. Don't get nervous,” Susan tried to calm her down.“My sisters are coming! I want to get there!”For some reason, of the three siblings, she was the most anxious. She was finally going to have sisters. Yes, they would be a few years older, but she wouldn't be alone. Throughout the pregnancy, she had spent a small fortune on little dresses, hair ribbons, tiny shoes, and everything else in duplicate. She was overwhelmed with excitement.Ethan, on the other hand, didn't quite know how to feel. He was happy
The day had arrived; the day everyone had been waiting for. Her obstetrician had warned her that multiple pregnancies often resulted in delivery before 37 weeks; that if it happened, she shouldn't panic, even if the girls were born a little premature, as this was to be expected.And Deanna felt it, like a premonition, that morning. Something inside her was telling her, her body was screaming at her. But she told Daniel to take the children to school as usual and go to work, that she felt fine and it was probably just another discomfort. She stayed in bed; she had a strange, uncomfortable feeling in her chest.During those last few weeks, she rarely got out of bed, it was very difficult for her, and her husband insisted that she stay calm, that he would take care of everything and that she should rest. She took advantage of the time to finish reading that pile of books she always left half-read, and that's what she was doing when she felt moisture wetting the sheets.She found a large
“I want to show you something,“ Daniel said, taking her by the hand.“What is it?”“It's a surprise, come on...”Deanna stood up, she was in the final stretch, she could feel it. With some difficulty, she let her husband take her by the hand to the door of what would be their daughters' room.“You mustn't look,” he warned her.Deanna covered her eyes with both hands, and he made sure she wasn't peeking. He opened the door and, with one hand on her back, guided her inside.“Okay, you can look now.”In the center of the room, between the two cribs, Daniel had placed a low table. On it, a lamp spun on its base, emitting colored lights, and for each light, the shape of a firefly was reflected on the ceiling, walls, and furniture. It looked like a starry sky.“God... It's beautiful,” Deanna said with a smile.And he looked proud of his achievement, of his little gift.“Explain something to me...” she said.“What?”“Where did you come from? How do you do such beautiful things with that seri
Camila entered Daniel's house as she always did: as if it were her own. Deanna was a little surprised to see her. Although the relationship between the two women had improved greatly, Camila was still a little embarrassed about the things she had done and didn't know exactly how to make amends.So when Daniel called her to ask her to talk to his wife and help her, she was happy and glad to be able to do something for her. She arrived with lots of bags, lots of things for the girls. She wasn't very demonstrative, but she was as anxious as she was with any of her grandchildren for the twins to arrive. Anxious like any grandmother.“Dear, how are you?”“Hi, Camila, I'm fine... What are you doing here?”Camila put the bags on the floor.“I came to bring some gifts for my granddaughters,” she said, sitting down across from Deanna, ”and to talk to you.”Deanna looked at her a little confused. Talk about what? She waited for Camila to start. She just sighed and had another burst of sincerity
Deanna's pregnancy began to complicate even the most routine and simple tasks. Her back was killing her, her legs were swollen, and bending over was no longer an option. Even something as simple as putting on a pair of shoes was now a thing of the past. Daniel watched her with concern; although the first few months had gone smoothly, her belly was growing rapidly.She had always been a petite woman with a small waist and a fragile appearance. A single pregnancy was one thing, but a double pregnancy was another, and although she endured it with difficulty, the pain and discomfort sometimes put her in a terrible mood. She began to feel useless and frustrated.The situation was not easy. Every day seemed to bring a new challenge with her pregnancy, and the complications were not limited to the physical aspects. The feeling of helplessness and frustration that overwhelmed her was mixed with the fear that grew along with her daughters. At times, she felt like she didn't know what to do.Da
For his part, Leonard was suddenly facing another aspect he didn't know. His years of marriage had never given him what he now shared with Susan; his countless affairs with young women had not shown him this strange side of himself, which could overwhelm him as much as it enchanted him.After getting engaged, even though they lived separately, Susan and Leonard began to spend more time together, to experience living as a couple. He wasn't used to that kind of intimacy, to the simple, ordinary moments shared on a daily basis. Dear Leonard, in his 50s, was learning new things.Getting married without love, spending years with someone he didn't love and who didn't love him, meant an emotional distance more than a physical one. Because even though they lived under the same roof, for him it was the same as being alone. He didn't participate in anything, he didn't care about anything, and he escaped from that cold place whenever he could, until finally, he stopped escaping and simply disapp
By the time Deanna returned, Daniel and the children had already come back. Meeting Frank had given her a feeling of well-being despite the past. She entered smiling.“Where were you?“ her husband asked her.“I went out for a drink with a friend... It was nice, I hadn't done that in a long time,” she replied happily.For Deanna, it was perfectly normal, but for Daniel, not so much.“What friend?”“Frank. Remember?” she said, sitting down next to him.“The guy from college? The one who cheated on you?”Something in his tone bothered Deanna.“Yes, that one...”“And why?”“He called me this morning, he wanted to talk... He's getting married next month.”“The messages last night were from him. You said you didn't know the number.” And again, that hint of mistrust crept into his voice.“And I didn't know it.”Deanna had honed her patience and temperament. She knew that tone and those mannerisms of Daniel's, and that's why she had put so much of herself into learning to calm him down, to le
Deanna and Jonathan's relationship had returned to normal, the only thing that had changed was that the boy now called her “Mom.” It sounded a little strange to her, but at the same time it made her happy to hear it. She just had to get used to it.“Mom, I'm hungry,” said the little boy. They were sitting in the living room reading a book.Now that he was a little older, he was interested in other things besides stories. So Deanna brought him one of her books about music to answer his questions as best she could.“Dad's making dinner. Are you very hungry?”“Yes, my tummy is rumbling,” he replied, and she laughed heartily.“Well, read a little more and I'll go steal something from the kitchen.”But she stopped at the door when she saw Daniel. She leaned against the frame and looked at him.With his back to her, wearing his apron, he was skillfully wielding a knife. She had become so accustomed to these moments they shared together that now he was the one who turned on the radio to list
“But of course it's nonsense!” Camila exclaimed indignantly, rushing out into the courtyard.Susan held her breath and Amanda just watched her. She knew what Harry's mother was like: very traditional, very attached to customs, and relentless. She knew how resistant she had been to Deanna and how difficult it was to please her.“Mom...“ Susan tried.“It's nonsense, Amanda. Ridiculous!” she said, raising her arms.Susan's face tensed, and she looked at her as if to warn her.“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked her daughter, then looked Amanda in the eyes.“Didn't you just give him a son? Doesn't Emma call you Mom? What rights don't you have? Of course you have all of them! For God's sake!”She sat down next to her and touched Ryan's little hand as it slipped out from under the blanket.“You gave my son the chance to love and have a family. You were there for him when none of us could be, and you supported him and made him feel safe. I don't even want to think about wh