Seraphina
“Tad your ballet shoes, balda.” I call as I spread the peanut butter into my piece of teant.
“Where are they? Lucy calls free upstairs.
“They should be in your closet.“Tcall back
Thear things hitting the wall as she themes things mit of her way to book. “They’re not.”
I roll my eyes, it would have been easier to fad them myself in the first place because now fin going to have to walk upstairs and get plus clean up the mess she made while looking for them.
“Team find them,” she screams, un the edge of a polidown. Tve looked everywhere.”
Ugh, every Saturday it’s the same.
Running around like a chicken, getting ready for hallet class.
I swear someone must break into our house and hade shit to make my life difficult.
I’m forever looking for something.
I walk upstairs and from the corner of my eye catch sight of her twirling in my bedroom, she’s checking herself out in my full length mirror. I stand and lean against the doorframe and watch her for a moment.
She’s wearing a pastel pink leotard and tura, litle white stockings. Her long dark hair is up in a ban and she is so stinking cute I can’t stand it.
“Wow.” I smile. “Tabulous twirling.”
“I’m getting really good at these.” She holds her hands our all professional like.
I can see,” I nod Very impressive.”
“Maria says that I might go up to the next class next year.”
I smirk. She will go up because she’s older but I play along “Wow I didn’t know that. Great,”
I walk into her bedroom and look around at the chaos, everything is out of the bottom of her wardrobe and strung all over her bedroom. “What happened in here?”
What
“The mess.
“Oh I was looking for the ballet shoes
“Couldn’t be bothered to put things back after?” I roll my eyes as I begin to look for these bastard ballet slippers
“I’m twirling.”
I roll my eyes as I look around her room, not in the wardrobe, not in the toybox, not under the bed.
Where are these stupid shoes?
Maybe you should go barefoot today.” I call,
she cries
“Well, where did you put them “Maria must have touched them.“Ugh, she’s probably right.
Maria has moved out and is Irving with her boyfriend, she’s here three days a week while I work and she still knows me a
TRIVINYL THE LAST RETRATAL COOP: Faked My Death and Found REAL FREEDOM
about
than we do.
Chapter an
I walk downstairs and test her.
Sorry to bother TRE
Have you seen Lucy’s ballet shippers?
A test bounces hack
HL
Mr. Smuffles is wearing them
for god’s sake.
What would we do without you?
Thanks
I trudge back upstairs, and sure enough, Lucy’s giant stuffed elephant is wearing the ballet slippers. “Mr. Shuffles was wearing them,” I call.
“Oh yeah,” she calls, unruffled. “He was too.”
Come on, we have to hurry now. Downstairs and in the car.”
Trush down the stairs and glance out the window down to the lake. The morning sun is glistening on the water
This view will never get old
car, please, ” 1 call.
In the ear,
I had the piece of toast with my teeth as I collect my bags, Straight after hallet we have Little League, and then this afternoon we have a birthday party. Saturdays are always jam–packed with activities
I walk out the front door onto the large veranda and see a black car come down the driveway.
“In the car,” I call “Turk’s sake,” I mutter under my breath.
The car stops and parks at our plate and I frown as I look over. Who is this? The back door opens and in slow motion I
of the car my heart stops.
Gabriel Ferrara,
I see a man in a Navy suit get out
He walks toward me, his height towering over mine. Big brown eyes and his perfect square ja “Hello. Seraphina,” he says in his deep part of a voice.
Imotion instantly overwhelms me and 1
1 get a lump in my throat, suddenly I’m taken back in time to the girl he didn’t want
I always knew this day would come, but now that it’s here. I’m not ready.
Chapter 36
“Hello, Gabriel,” My eyes flick in the house. “What are you doing here?”
His dark eyes hold mine. “I think you know.”
The screen door slams shut and lacy comes sauntering out in her little tutu.
Gabriel’s face drops and he watches her walk over in in
Bang.
Bang beats my heart.
No
“Hi” She smiles happily as she takes my hand in hers and swings it back and forth, damn it, why is she so friendly?
“Hello,” Gabriel replies coolly. “What is your name?”
“Lucia”
Gabriel’s jaw clenches as he stares at her. With her dark allan features, she is undeniably nothing like me. My eyes well with tears, knowing that his anger is going to be ruthless.
Fuck
Don’t cry.
Don’t cry.
“What is your surname?” he replies to her.
Lucy smiles proudly as she swings my hand back and forth. “Locke “Gabriel’s murderous ayes meet mine.
He knows.
My skin crawls with fear. “Go in the house, baby,” I whisper.
“What?” She frowns up at me.
“In the house,” I snap more urgently. “Ballet isn’t on today, I just found out. Go in the house now.”
“Lucia. Now.”
Lacy shrugs sadly and then waves at Gabriel. “Bye.” She turns and walks back into the house, he doesn’t take his eyes off her as she disappears. As she walks through the door, his eyes meet mine.
Is the
I swallow the lump in my throat.
“How could you?” he whispers angrily.
“Gabriel “I whisper through tears. “Please, you need to leave.” “You think you can hide my fucking child from me?” he growls
My worst nightmare is coming to life.
“You need to leave,” I spit
“I will do no such thing,” he yells as he loses all control.
Loon. tukad te houth and Found REAL FREEDOM
1 screw up my face in tears. “Mój 11“.
“Don’t you,” a litle voice yells as it pushes him away from me. Leave my mom alone,”
Gabriel turns bod
the furious Bittle boy win has seemingly come mat of
His face falls when he sees the ministre version of himself. “This is dominir,” I whiter. “Tucie’s twin brother.”
Seraphina
Gabriel stumbles back as Dominic pushes him. “Het away from her,” he yells.
Dominic.” I stammer. Leave it, go inside the house.”
“No.” He stands between Gabriel and me. “Go away,” he demands.
Gabriel’s chest rises and falls as he struggles for air, his eyes are locked on Dominic’s
- Said. Go Away.” He grabs my hand and tries to pull me into the house. “Mom, come on. Don’t cry.”
The car door opens and Mark climbs out, my eyes flick to him. I didn’t even realize he was in the car. “Hi, Seraphina.” He smiles.
“Mark”
Dominic pushes me toward the house.
“It’s fine, Dom, go inside. I know Gabriel. You need to leave us to talk”
“No He’s mean.” He stands in between Gabriel and me. “Come inside with me.”“
Gabriel and Dominic glare at each other in a standoff
Gabriel, now is not the time,” I stammer nervously. “We’ll organize to meet and talk, but not here and not now. Please?” I whisper, I gesture to the hack of Dominic “Now is not the time.” “Let’s go,” Mark says
Gabriel’s furious eyes hold mine, and 1 wither under his wrath.
“Well come back later, Mark says as he opens the back door of the car for Gabriel
Without a word, Gabriel tr
“Don’t come back, Dominie spits.
Gabriel turns and I can feel the thermonuclear energy about to blow, he is livid.
I grab Dominic and push him behind me. “Don’t be rude,” I warn him. “That’s not how we speak to people, you know that.”
With one last murderous glance, Gabriel gets into the car and we watch
on as it slowly pulls away.
I close my eyes in relief and then in horror. In all of the nightmare situations I could ever have imagined of how this day would go if it ever happened, that was the absolute worst scenario. Fuck
Ipace back and forth in my kitchen as panic sets i
Why did he come here? How did he find out?
My name is Lucia Locke,
Oh my god he knows, of course he knows, the children are the sparting image of him.
Maybe I should pack up the kids and go on the run?
He wont do anything, he won’t do anything I try
y to tell myself
Chapter 36
The problem it. I know him. Better than he kumys himself, and fram het my life on it that he is in shock right now. But when he recovers and pres hinwell together to help me.
The aduh thing to do would be to call him anul ai gonize to meet.
And then do what?
Beg him not to take them from me.
Gabriel Ferrara is a powerful man; I know exactly what he is capable of.
He’s going to be furious,
Maybe he already has a wife and other children of his own? Maybe he wont want anything to do with Lory and Dom. Maybe they are just a blip on his radar.
Then why did he come?
Why did he just show up bere unannounced if he didn’t have an agenda?
He knew. The moment I saw him, I could tell that he knew.
I keep seeing the animosity on his face, the sheer digt at what I’ve done
And who could blame him?
I’m disgusted in myself that I never told him that he fathered my children, regretted it from the day they were born, hur in all honesty, how could I have done it any differently!
How could I have told him that I have not one but two children of his when he already told me that he wanted nothing to do with me? He said that we could never be together and that he only wanted an Italian wife and to have Italian children.
This was never in my plan either. I am the victim here not him.
He had his fun and left without a care in the world. He’s been living the high life and I had two little babies while nursing a broken heart.
It’s been hard
My stomach twists in my chest, I’ve purposely never looked him up because I didn’t want to know how wonderful his life was going.
But I have to know what I’m up against here, I enter into Googl
Gabriel Ferrara wife
My heart beats in my chest as I wait fo
for the answer.