The Mafia's Heirs

59. Is Papa Mad At Us?

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River followed Alessia into the kitchen. Lilith was on a high chair in front of the stove. She looked over at the two women and asked immediately, "What happened?"

"Nothing... grandma?" Alessia tested the name, asking her if she could call her that.

"Call me Nanna. That's what River calls me." Lilith laughed as she took the chopped vegetables that the help handed her.

"Nanna." Alessia smiled.

Lilith looked between the two women again. She could tell that something was clearly wrong but she decided to not press the matter. She had resigned to the fact that she was old now and even if she did know what the matter was, there was little she could do to help.

"Alright then. I want the both of you to leave the kitchen though." She said. "I need to be alone and focused to make the best food in the whole wide world."

River chuckled while Alessia nodded. She moved to the refrigerator to get a few cans of beer before she walked out.

River smiled at her grandmother and waved before she left the room, following her friend up the stairs and to her room.

"Who is he?" River asked as she closed the door and turned around to see Alessia plopping down on the bed, opening the first can of chilled beer.

"Husband." She sighed.

I turned to her. "I didn't know you were married!"

"I wish I wasn't."

"You guys are separated?" Of course, they were. River cursed herself for the most obvious and stupid question. Alessia looked like she wanted to shoot him dead right there.

Alessia looked up at her and chuckled, shaking her head. "I left a few years ago but we are still legally married." She sighed as she took another swig of her beer. "Mafia law – marriage is a sacred rite to be realized until death does its part."

River didn't know what to say. Because she had never been in such a situation before. She had no idea what Alessia was going through nor did she know what had happened between her and her husband. She guessed it was pretty bad from the way Alessia, Mateo and Adam reacted to his visit. But River couldn't bring herself to ask the woman about what had happened because one, she didn't want to reopen her wounds and two, she didn't think it was her place to ask.

There was a knock on the door followed by "Mommy!" and "Zia!"

Zia was Aunt in Italian and Alessia had insisted that her niece and nephew call her just that. So now she was Zia Sia to the twins.

"Yes, coming!" River called out as she looked over at the door. Alessia quickly sat up and chucked the unopened cans of beer in the drawer of the nightstand and placed the opened can under the bed.

She rubbed her face with her palms and then gave River a nod telling her that she could open the door now.

River gave her a small smile and walked over to the door, opening it. A smile immediately made its way to her face as soon as she looked down and saw her two little munchkins waiting patiently at the door with their hands tied to their backs – they did that to stop their urge to knock again. Susan Johnson had taught them that to stop them from doing it when they were in her Law Firm and wanted to go into her room while she was in the middle of meetings.

Lilith and Susan Johnson had played a great role in raising the two darlings to be such disciplined and lovable children.

"Yes, my darlings?" River crouched down in front of her twins.