𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍 | 𝟏𝟖+

𝐗𝐕 | 𝐍𝐎 𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

"This house no longer feels like home"

❦

GIANNA ROSE
"Mommy look, I grew strawberries!" Sofia ran over to me holding up a big red strawberry she's been growing since we got here. I smiled taking the strawberry from her mouth and rinsing it in the water bucket I had next to me.

"It looks delicious, baby, why don't you try it?" Sofia opened her mouth wide as I placed the strawberry between her small teeth. She lost one of her bottom teeth a week ago when she and Dante were playing a game they like to call "Sniper" in our living room. The pillows were everywhere, furniture moved, and Dante and Sofia dressed up in black combat clothing with black charcoal smeared on their cheeks. They held an equal amount of nerf guns at their sides as they shot at each other and her stuffed animals.

We started our garden a week after we settled into our new home. Sofia grew strawberries, watermelons, a lemons tree, and a couple more fruits and vegetables. Sofia rushed me out so we can garden some more and pull out the ready plants while Dante strutted out with his swim trunks so he could lounge in the pool with his margarita and sunglasses.

"Mm, it's so sweet," Sofia mumbled through chewing. I took a bite of the rest of it letting the sweetness seep onto my tongue. Christ, she's right, these were fucking amazing, why didn't I think of gardening sooner? Sofia grabbed her basket and began plucking all of the fresh and ready strawberries. "I can't wait for daddy to try these, he loves strawberries-that's actually why I grew them because I want daddy to have all the strawberries in the world when he comes to our new home."

I tensed at her words, the girl was such a daddy's girl, he was her main topic every day. It killed me that she had to be away from him but I know what I want now and I'm doing my best to get her dad back. Over the months, Dante and I have been working on finding out what happened to Rowan and Declan. I texted Declan's number back over and over but still, no response.

My time also had to be split, though. Despite all of the money I have saved for us, I still needed a job so I took up a bartending gig. This constant pattern of working at clubs is really telling me something, but we need a living. Sofia even started pre-school and has made a lot of new friends, they sometimes come over and play but she still prefers her Uncle Dante to kids her age. Reminds me much of myself when I was younger, I'd rather hang out with Leonid who was much older than me rather than Luka who was only a year older.

I've been hesitant in coming back to the reality of this war going on. Our life here has been so peaceful, it's like for the first time in a while I can finally breathe fresh air. But that doesn't stop me from being paranoid when we go out. The mafia works in many ways, they always know where you are, they always have power, and they always have control. No war could ever stop that-nothing could get me out of this life besides death itself.