31
Natalia
After an extended meeting, my half-day at work ran later than I had anticipated. When I say goodbye to the group of Society women who have been assisting with my class development, I realize Nino needs to be picked up from school.
Damien, we have to go. I play him a message as I rush around the desk.
“Of course, Mrs. Scarcello.” He opens the door for me and leads me out of the building, scanning the street as we walk to the car.
He’s been with me all day, and I don’t know if it’s just that I need to get used to him, but it’s strange having his eyes on me so frequently. Manuel has a way of watching you without making you overly aware you’re being watched, and Damien definitely does not. If I’m completely honest, I feel a little uneasy when he looks at me. It’s a problem I’ll have to address with Alessio, but I can’t imagine he’ll be responsive to hearing it.
We’ll need to go straight to Nino’s school. I type out another note as Damien opens the back door for me.
“No problem.”
He settles into the driver’s seat and pulls out into the afternoon traffic. I check a few emails along the way and then notice I have a missed text.
Abella: Sooooo?
Me: He wouldn’t talk to me.
The three dots appear immediately, and she sends me a string of crying emojis followed by another text.
Abella: Give it time.
I send her a hug emoji and rest the phone in my lap, rubbing my aching temples. I don’t want to cry again. I’m not going to cry again. I’ve already had three spontaneous outbursts of emotion throughout the day. I want to blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but I know it isn’t just that.
When I glance up, I catch Damien staring at me in the rearview mirror. It irritates me, and I’m tempted to tell him so. In the office, I could understand his attention, but this is beyond excessive.
I’m grateful when we pull up to the school so I can get out of the car, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Damien seems to know how this situation works already as he follows me inside to retrieve Nino. He told me this morning that both Manuel and Alessio gave him detailed instructions. I can’t imagine Alessio telling him anything other than grunting not to let me out of his sight, but those are thoughts better saved for another time.
Nino beams at me as soon as he sees me, and I greet him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
How was school, darling?
“It was okay,” he says. “But I’m ready to go.”
Me too, I laugh.
We walk out to the car, and Damien drives us to Nino’s piano lessons as planned. He eats his afternoon snack along the way and then asks me what we’re doing on Christmas day.
I smile at him, brushing his hair aside. I don’t know yet, but let me talk to dad about it, okay?
He nods, and we arrive too quickly. It’s tempting to skip today altogether, but Nino enjoys visiting with Mrs. Hudson. Abella was the one to inform me that their daughter was who everyone thought was Nino’s mother. She disappeared, and then months later, Enzo came back with Nino. He told the other Society members she didn’t want the baby, and she was too ashamed to return. I have a sick feeling Elizabeth met a terrible fate with Enzo before he ever realized I’d had a baby.
I took it upon myself to have a heart-to-heart with Mrs. Hudson after I wed Alessio, and she told me she always knew Nino wasn’t really her grandson. She wanted to continue their visits regardless, and I saw no reason to deprive her of that request when it’s something Nino enjoys too.
When we arrive, I walk him to the door with Damien, and Nino glances up at me.
“See you after?” he asks.
I nod, ruffling his hair. I tried to go in with him a few times, but he was too nervous to play with me watching him, and he promised he would tell me when he was ready. We made a deal that it would be on his terms, so for now, I use the time to catch up on emails or read in the car.
Damien opens the door for me when I return, and I remove my phone from my pocket as I sit down. I’m reaching for my seatbelt when I catch a movement from my periphery. It’s too late for me to react when Damien punches me in the side of the head, blindsiding me. My body slumps against the seat, and I’m barely clinging to consciousness as he grabs my phone and pockets it.
“You and I are going to have a little fun, Mrs. Scarcello.”