Altered (An Italian Mafia Story)

Chapter Twenty One

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that the space next to me was empty and my heart sank a little. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Looking around the room, I confirmed that Stefano had left a while ago. The bed next to me was cold and the sun was peeking through the curtains.

Sighing, I stood up and opened the curtains, letting the sunlight flood the room. I had expected him to at least stick around and say good morning to me. I stopped when I noticed something on the nightstand that made me smile.

He had left me a folded up note and a mug of tea that was set on a mug warmer to keep it hot. I unfolded the note and read it. He had to leave this morning to take care of some stuff after what happened last night. He was sorry he couldn't be there when I woke up. My heart skipped a beat when I read over the "I love you" he had written at the bottom of the paper.

Last night hardly felt real to me. From the dinner to the bomb, to everything that happened after... It felt like something that would happen in a movie, not in real life, let alone to me. I felt my cheeks heat up as I remembered the way his hands had felt on me last night, the way he'd claimed me. I folded up the note and put it back on the night stand.

I took the mug from the mug warmer and took a sip of the tea, sitting on the edge of the bed. I realized I'd been so caught up in my own life that I hadn't thought of my brother in a while. My heart ached as I thought of Daniel. I missed him. Regardless of all the shit he got me roped into, I really, really missed him.

I didn't even know where he was buried. Actually, now that I thought of it, I didn't even know if he had been given a proper burial. I made a mental note to ask Stefano later about it. It bothered me that it had taken me this long to even think about asking.

I finished the tea and set the mug down. I felt like I needed to go for a run. I quickly dressed myself in running attire and laced up my running shoes.

As I ran outside, following the route I usually ran with Luca, I thought about my childhood. Before my parents died, they would take Daniel and me to get ice cream every Friday after school. I always got chocolate, but my brother got a different flavor every time. He said that one day he'd try every ice cream flavor in the world. He'd let me try the one he really liked and I'd laugh when he got a bad one.

I missed my parents too. My mom was always so gentle and kind. She'd spend hours in her favorite chair with her nose in a book. I used to beg her to play with me. She'd insist on reading one more chapter every time. I guess I got my love for reading from her.

My dad was my hero growing up. I looked up to him. In my eyes, he could do anything. Every time I got a scrape on my knee, he'd put a band aid on it. I used to tell my friends at school that my dad was a doctor because of that.

My heart ached for my family. I'd been missing my parents for over a decade, but Daniel was a fresh wound. I stopped running when I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore. I walked back to the estate slowly. Within a half hour, I was showered and settled on the couch, reading a book. I was there for a few hours before I was interrupted.

"Alaya."

I looked up at the sound of my name and smiled at Stefano. I hadn't heard him come in, but he was leaning in the doorway to the room in a dress shirt and slacks.

"Stefano." I replied, amused. "How long have you been standing there?"

"A few minutes. I'm concerned by your lack of spatial awareness." He said, stepping into the room and sitting next to me.

I laughed. "I would've noticed you eventually."

His lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smile. "I'm sure you would've, but I didn't have all day."