Chapter 63
Elodie’s POV
Maybe he just hadn’t bothered yet. Maybe because we weren’t officially divorced, he figured there was no point in clearing out my things and upsetting Nonna.
Or maybe… and this thought hurt more that he just didn’t care enough either way.
I pulled myself out of that spiral, grabbed pajamas and a towel from the closet, and left the master bedroom.
When I got back to Liora’s room, she was sitting up in bed with her tablet, watching some cartoon. Her eyes lit up when she saw the clothes in my arms.
“Mommy, are you taking a bath in here p>
“Yeah, baby p>
“Okay p>
She went back to her show, and I slipped into her bathroom, closing the door behind me.
The hot water felt good against my skin, but it didn’t wash away the exhaustion. Didn’t make me feel any less hollow.
I was halfway through washing my hair when I heard voices, muffled through the door, but distinct enough that I knew Dante had come into the room.
I froze, straining to hear what they were saying, but I couldn’t make out the words. Just the low rumble of his voice, then Liora’s higher-pitched response.
A minute later, I heard the door close again.
He’d left.
I finished my shower quickly and got dressed, my hands moving on autopilot.
When I came out, Liora was already looking drowsy, the medicine and the late hour catching up with her.
“Come on, baby. Time for bed p>
She didn’t argue. Just set her tablet aside and crawled under the covers.
I climbed in beside her, and she immediately curled into me, pressing her face against my shoulder.
“You smell good, Mommy,” she murmured sleepily. “And you’re so soft p>
My throat tightened. “Go to sleep, sweetheart p>
“’Kay. Love you p>
“Love you too p>
Within minutes, she was out.
I lay there in the dark, listening to her breathe, and I felt the exhaustion settling into my bones.
But I couldn’t fully relax.
Ever since Liora had gotten sick a few months ago, she’d developed this habit of kicking off her blankets in the middle of the night. And even though I was exhausted, even though I could barely keep my eyes open, some part of me stayed alert. Waiting.
I woke up what felt like every hour, sometimes because Liora had moved, sometimes for no reason at all and each time I’d reach over and pull the blanket back up over her, making sure she was covered and warm.
Then I’d close my eyes and try to sleep again.
It was a broken, restless kind of sleep. The kind that left you feeling more tired when you woke up than when you went to bed.
By the time dawn started creeping through the curtains, I gave up on trying.
I carefully extracted myself from Liora’s grip, she didn’t even stir and walked over to the window.
The estate grounds were quiet. Peaceful.
And there he was.
Dante, down below, going for his morning run.
I watched him for a moment, watched the easy, powerful way he moved, like he didn’t have a care in the world.
He probably didn’t.
He’d be gone for about an hour. That’s how long his runs usually took.
I washed my face, changed into clothes I’d left in the closet, and went downstairs to make breakfast.
Cooking calmed me, in a strange way. Gave me something to do with my hands. Something to focus on besides the mess my life had become.
Thirty minutes later, I’d made enough food for everyone, eggs, toast, fruit, some of the porridge left over from last night reheated.
Sabina came into the kitchen just as I was finishing. “Oh, Luna, you didn’t have to p>
“It’s fine. I was already up.” I handed her the spatula. “Can you finish up? I need to get going p>
“Of course p>
I checked on Liora one more time, still sleeping, made sure there was no fever, then grabbed my bag and keys.
I was out the door before Dante got back from his run.
When I got home to my apartment, I ate a quick breakfast standing at the counter, just some yogurt and fruit, barely tasting it.
I was packing up my laptop and getting ready to head to Cole Corporation when the doorbell rang.
I checked the security camera and saw Mrs. Smith from down the hall with her daughter, Tommy.
I opened the door. “Mrs. Smith, is everything okay p>
She looked frazzled, stressed. “Elodie, I’m so sorry to bother you, but my mother-in-law just called, she’s in the hospital, and I need to get there right away. Could you possibly take Tilly to school? I know it’s a huge ask, but p>
“Of course,” I said immediately. “Don’t worry about it. I’m heading out anyway p>
The relief on her face was instant. “Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver p>
Tommy was in the same kindergarten as Liora, and it was on my way to work. It wasn’t a problem at all.
Twenty minutes later, we were pulling into the school parking lot.
I was looking for a spot when I saw them.
Dante. Sienna… and Liora.
All three of them, together.
My hands tightened on the steering wheel.
Liora looked happy, healthy again, bouncing on her feet as she held Sienna’s hand. She was chattering away about something, her little face bright with excitement.
And Sienna was smiling down at her, looking every bit like the perfect mother figure.
Dante stood beside them, one hand on the small of Sienna’s back, guiding her away from the crowd of parents and kids flooding toward the entrance.
Protective. Attentive. Present. How remarkable… A bitter taste flooded my mouth at that sarcasm.
Everything he’d never been with me.
“Look! That’s Bella!” Tommy’s voice broke through my thoughts.
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move.
“Is that pretty lady Bella’s mommy too?” Tommy asked innocently. “Does Bella have two mommies p>
The question hit me like a physical blow.
“No,” I managed to whisper. “No, sweetheart. That’s… that’s just Aunt Sienna p>
But even as I said it, I knew how it looked. How it would look to everyone else at the school.
Dante, Sienna, and Liora. A perfect little family.
And me? I was the outsider. The forgotten one. The woman no one even knew existed.
“Don’t tell Bella that I dropped you off today, okay? Let’s keep it our little secret p>
She nodded solemnly. “Okay. I promise p>
I found a parking spot as far from them as possible and helped Tommy out of the car.
As we walked toward the entrance, I kept my head down, praying they wouldn’t notice me. Praying I could just drop Tilly off and leave.