Creed of the Leviathan I

38 | E

Emmanuelle

Marissa and I drove back with Marco since Anthony was not able to pick us up for some reason. I was nervous to go home, thinking that I would have to face Gia. To my surprise she had already left when we arrived.

After a quick shower to freshen up, I went back downstairs and had a major flashback when I saw Tia and Anthony both standing behind the counter, arguing. We were in the exact same positions like the moment I found out that they had been lying to me for years.

"You think I stay home and– and do nothing? I cook, take care of Mattia. I help Lorna. I do not go to office like the others or do work like you, but I work. I work very hard. Lorna is sick today. So, I had to go to the store with Christoph. Emilio was at the back. You think I left him alone on purpose?" Tia spat at Anthony who was massaging his temples with his thumb and pointer finger. They both looked stressed.

"I didn't say that, Tia. I know this isn't easy for you. I just—" he threw his hands up in defeat. "I don't know what happened, I just feel sorry for him." Anthony continued.

My nosy self was curious to learn more about what they were arguing about which is why I decided to hide behind the wall for a bit longer.

"Emilio say that Gia came to visit, that's why he went to the back. If she wasn't here, he wouldn't leave Mattia all alone." Tia explained, her thick Spanish accent reminded me of the telenovelas we so often watched back then. I could not remember the last time we hung out to do fun stuff.

Anthony sighed. "She wasn't here when I found him and he didn't mention anything about her stopping by."

"But how, Tony? How did he fall out of the wheelchair? Did he say?" Tia held her hands open in front of her.

That Dimitri fell out of his wheelchair was the only part of what she had said that I held onto. It was hard not to ask myself how he was doing, but it was very easy to remind myself that I deserved better than to get scolded at for my good intentions.

For this very reason I decided to keep eavesdropping to get an answer to my question rather than to get it answered by Dimitri himself.

Anthony shook his head. "He didn't speak. Man, he must feel so embarrassed." He said as he stared at the ground. The volume of his voice lowered.

Luckily, I have good hearing.

"I can't do this by myself. It's too much, it's just too much to- to do this and cook food, to look after him. I get tired too," Tia sighed. "That's why you need to talk to Marissa, let her help more. And Nuelle—"

"No, no," Anthony turned to face Tia. "Nuelle– I don't think it's a good idea. You've seen how he treated her. The best thing to do is to get a registered nurse or hire someone else that does this for a living."

"No, that's the thing. He doesn't want a stranger helping him, Tony. Nuelle wouldn't mind, you know how she is. If she and Marissa helped more, it would be easier."

Anthony took a deep breath. "Tia, the thing with Nuelle and Mattia—"

My heart felt a sudden rush. I wasted no time and sprinted into the kitchen before Anthony had finished speaking. There was no reason for Tia to know what had happened. Anthony was suppose to keep his mouth shut about this situation. Two times is too many times to get betrayed by someone you consider a friend let alone a best friend.

Tia looked confused, probably wondering how I showed up out of nowhere. Normally, you could tell when someone was walking into the direction of the kitchen. Of course that was not the case in this situation since I had been hiding from them for a good few minutes before I decided to show myself.