Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“Oh, Harper!” Andrea yelps.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” I say.
She gets up from the ground and pats down her shirt even though her hands are covered in dirt. “Oh my, if I’d known you were coming, I would’ve cleaned up and set some tea.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I know I came unexpected,” I reply. “I just wanted to see you.”
She approaches me, and we stare at each other for a while.
“Can I just …?” She nods, and I fall into her embrace to hug her tight. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, honey. I was so worried about you. The last time we spoke, you left in such a hurry that I thought something bad had happened to you. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
I swallow. “Something bad did happen.”
She pushes away and grabs my shoulders. “What? Tell me.”
“I …” I blush, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Well, it’s a long story.”
She grabs two small chairs and unfolds them near the door. “Well, sit. I’ve got time.”
So I do what she asks and tell her about everything that’s happened since I told her I was following my parents’ murderers. She seems shocked at first, especially about the auction and the fact that I was bought. But I push on, despite the shame, explaining in detail what transpired afterward, how Marcello treated me, and about my parents not being who they actually were. And that I had no choice but to run … only to end up in Marcello’s lap anyway.
After she’s taken it all in, there’s a big sigh, and I look at her, wondering what she thinks of me.
“You don’t hate me, do you?”
“Hate you?” She frowns. “I could never.”
I rub my lips together. “I know what I’ve done isn’t exactly appropriate or moral.”
She grabs my hand. “You did what you had to do to survive.”
“Maybe …” I look away, embarrassed. “But I … I …”
“You fell for the man, didn’t you?”
Her sudden question has me looking wide-eyed. “What? I—”
“You don’t have to say it.” She chuckles. “I know what a girl in love looks like.”
Now I really can’t stop the blush from spreading across my cheeks.
“Don’t be ashamed,” she says. “You can’t help who you fall in love with.”
“Stop, I never said I was in love,” I say, laughing too.
“Well, whatever it is that you feel, I’m not going to judge you for it.”
“But you should. I mean, I told you who he is,” I reply.
She shrugs. “We have all done something we weren’t proud of.”
I raise a brow. “Oh, like you have?”
“I may be a nun, but I’m not a saint,” she says, side-eyeing me. “There is something I’ve known for a very long time that I didn’t share with you.”
She looks at the garden for a second and sighs out loud.
“I already knew Marcello.”
My heart momentarily stops beating.
“What?” My jaw drops. “How?”
“It was Marcello himself who brought you to my doorstep. Marcello’s mother, Camilla, is an old friend of mine.”
“A friend?! So you knew about them being from the Mafia?” I could not be more shocked.
“Yes. And I think that is why Marcello brought you to me after he saved you from that fire.”
My breath hitches in my throat.
“I should have taken you to the police or the hospital, but I was too scared because I knew what Marcello and Mario were capable of. The connections they have.”
Wow. I never expected this.
She adds, “I was actually Marcello’s godmother.”
“Andrea … are you part of the Italian Mafia?”
“Was,” she explains. “Until that whole thing at the restaurant happened, and Camilla was … well … you know. I left the family after that and went into hiding.”
I sigh out loud to try to put all of this information in a place where I can understand and accept it, but it’s a little too much to take in all at once.
“This is why I didn’t want you to go searching for your parents. It was too dangerous.” She shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I should have told you all of this sooner.” Tears begin to well up in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Harper.”
I immediately wrap my arms around her and hug her tight.
“Please, don’t cry. You did nothing wrong. And you only tried to raise me the best way you could.”
“But I knew the truth, and I never told you,” she says. “I should’ve said something when you went looking. I just didn’t want to crush the hope you felt.”
I nod, fighting the tears. “It’s okay. You wanted to protect me.”
“I’m so sorry. I just want you to be safe,” she says, burying her face in my shoulder.
My heart can barely handle this right now. “I know. And you know what? I don’t need my fake parents. Or my real ones.” I push away and look into her eyes. “Because the only mother I need is you.”