SURRENDER - Mafia Romance

• CHAPTER 41 •

Talia

I woke up alone in bed. I took a deep breath, not feeling like I wanted to get out of bed. Not feeling like there was a purpose for me to get out of bed. I forced myself up and to the bathroom. I took a shower then wrapped my body in a towel and with another one I was drying my hair. When I got out of the bathroom I saw Ace sitting in bed.

"Hey," I smiled.

"Good morning," he smiled back and tapped the bed next to him. I went to sit by his side as he scanned my body from head to toe. "How was your sleep?" He placed a kiss on my shoulder.

"Good. How was yours?" I giggled.

He nodded, "good."

I was extremely happy that he was able to fall asleep but I didn't want to bring it up just in case he didn't feel secure talking about it.

"I–uh," he took my hand in his, so I dropped the towel in my hands, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure," I nodded.

"What do you know about your mother?"

I frowned. "Why?"

"Just answer me," he insisted.

"Uhm, I don't know much. I don't even know her name. Dad didn't want to give me much information about her. I guess he was scared I would look for her. I barely know what she looks like. I mean up until the day Dad died, I didn't know what she looked like at all but by accident I found a picture in his car."

He nodded and rubbed my hand.

"I mean, I knew that she did something very bad that's why Dad never wanted to talk about her. Even when I asked about her he would change the subject or tell me not to ask about her, or jokingly say 'am I not enough for you'" I smiled, remembering his voice, "so I avoided asking about her until I saw her picture."

"He told you?"

"He told me she abandoned us because we were broke. She left us when I was a child and no matter how much he begged her to come back she refused. He asked me why would she be a parent to me if she left me? He asked me, "Why do I care to know her when she doesn't care to know me?" I shook my head and looked down at my hand in his, knowing that everything he said was right.

"She does now, apparently." He said and I quickly turned to face him.

"Does what?"

He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on my hand, "your mom keeps going to your house and keeps asking neighbors about you," he paused and my heart started pounding, "she is trying to find you, Talia." I looked into his eyes, silently asking him about what I should do. "It's all up to you," he tilted his head, answering my question. He rubbed the back of my hands with his thumbs, "if you want to see her or if you don't want her to find you at all, it's all up to you. Choose whatever makes you happy and I will make it happen."

I nodded, not sure if what I chose was the right choice. Before I told him what I chose he spoke again, "you don't have to make a decision now. I made the boys get her number," he handed me a paper with a phone number and a name, "call her if you want to meet her. Give her the time and day you want to see her and I will come with you. If you don't want to, simply ignore everything I said and if you don't open the subject again in a few days I will make sure she doesn't pop up in your life ever again."

Silently, I nodded again, looking down at the paper in my hands. Linda Torres. My mother's name was Linda Torres. The woman who chose to not be a mother to me was looking for her daughter after all these years. I wasn't sure if I was angry at her or sad.