An Unlikely Love

Chapter 13

Alessio's POV

I'm meeting with my parents, aunt, and uncle for dinner today. I meant what I told Benjamin. I was truly committed to doing whatever it took to rebuild the trust I broke. Lyn needs her parents to be on good terms since we aren't together.

The first step I needed to take was distancing myself from my family. I could've simply sent a text or silently cut them off but I refuse to give them the opportunity to feign ignorance. I want them to know why I'm going low contact with them and why they'll never have a relationship with their granddaughter.

"Hi baby." Mom came to hug me

"Hi." I replied curtly

"How have you been son? I know you've been down in the dumps since that "man" took your daughter away." He put man in air quoted

"I've actually been great. Benjamin and I talked this out. I'll be seeing her off to her first day of kindergarten next week."

"You better take lots of pictures."

"I plan to."

"Is she going to be in a normal class?" Zia asked

"Excuse me?"

"Well we know how she is. She'd benefit from having more teachers in her classroom." Kora said and they snickered like it was funny

"She learns at the same pace as her peers. You're not a psychiatrist so stop trying to diagnose my kid."

"Watch it Alessio she's coming from a place of concern. Evelyn refuses to talk which isn't normal for kids her age. You're young so you don't know what's good for her."

"Didn't you let your brother abuse your nephew who was the same age as Lyn? Abuse isn't good for kids but you did nothing. Sorry if I refuse to take parenting advice from shitty parents." I spat

"Alessio Jonah Lombardi watch your tone. I don't care how old you are. You never have the right to disrespect us." My father growled

"Respect is earned and none of you have earned my respect. This is exactly why I left all those years ago. You guys always talked down to me and put so much pressure on me to be your cookie cutter son. I had no say in anything I did. I couldn't even feel a certain type of way without you punishing me. You guys always think you're right because you just agree with each other. It's because of this that I'm gonna limit my contact with you."

"You don't just get to throw away your family."

"Family is supposed to be supportive and empowering but all you guys do is cause me stress. I left because you guys were giving me an identity crisis and were so suffocating. I can't breathe or grow around you and it's not fair. I shouldn't feel like this around family."

"Everything we did was so you could be somebody. Besides Matteo your siblings never listened. They always caused trouble growing up and we didn't want you to stray like them. I swear you were always so ungrateful."

"I am grateful. You guys afforded me the best and most expensive education which I recognize is a luxury. But you also deprived me of so much and I'm allowed to point that out." I tried to reason

"We didn't deprive you of anything."

"I don't have a relationship with any of my siblings because of you. You spent my entire childhood isolating me from them. Do you know how lonely that was? To be bullied and disliked by my own siblings because you pinned them against me. It hurt so fucking much. I didn't start living until AJ came back but you turned something that should've been amazing into a traumatic experience." I was fighting back tears as I spoke