The Unknown Family

Lectures

K A T E R I N A

The silence that surrounded us was deadly. My gaze followed my teary eyed sister and furious youngest brother as they stormed out of the dining room.

As they left, my gaze shifted to Dad, who had a mix of realisation, guilt and hatred washed over his face.

Realisation that he does not mean as much to them as he thought he did. That they still think of their step father as their dad.

The guilt when he saw the way Liv's face hardened in rage. As the tears glistened her tan cheeks at his words. The way Theo had to fight back his rage so Liv didn't see him break.

The hatred for himself. For our mother. Their stepfather. The fact that everything Theo said was right; he wasn't there. Everything he wanted to see for his youngest two, he missed.

He hated our mother for being the reason he didn't get to see the childhoods of Theo and Liv. The hate he had for their stepfather, knowing they love and care more for him.

I was broken out of my trance when we heard the front door slam shut.

That's when fear got added to his face; to everyone's face.

"Well done! You've ran them off! ARE YOU FUCKING HAPPY NOW GIOVANNI!"

All of us froze as we glanced at where the raging voice came from.

Leo.

The calm, sweet, peaceful, friendly, wonderful brother.

Just full on shouted and glared at our dad.

I watched as he too stormed out of the dining room. Then Luca stood up, surprisingly calm... until he spoke.

"You better pray that Liv forgives you. Without her, there's no chance of getting Theo's forgiveness. You know the power that Theo holds, not only will you loose your children, and you'll gain a powerful enemy."

Then he left the room.

"They've been through a lot. They may have not told us about it, but we all know it's there. And you keep taking more happy memories from their past." Andrea said in a solemn voice before walking out the room.

Now all that was left, is Dad who looks like he regrets everything. Vito who sat in silence for the entire ordeal. And myself.

"You had no right to do that." Vito states, face emotionless as always.

But his voice, for once he let that show his emotion; fury.

"They are your children, yes, but they have know you for less than a month. The man who raised them, he is their dad. It's not your fault that you weren't there, but they don't know that. They see you as the man their mother had children with, and the man who was hidden from them for their entire life up until now.

Your jealousy will push them further away, not bring them to us.

We may be their biological family, but we have to work to be considered more than DNA. They already had a family, and they lost them all.

Do better."

Now, Dad and I were the only ones left in the room as Vito stormed his way to his office.