Chapter 56 Chapter 0056
•CASSANDRA•
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked Alena when I found her in the waiting room with her face down.
She never really looked sad before, and Nurse Penny smiled at me before she walked away and left us in the corridor.
"Is there something wrong with me, Mom?" She asked.
"No baby," I responded, kneeling in front of her. "There's nothing wrong with you." I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her forehead. "You are the most perfect little girl. And don't ever say there's something wrong with you again, Alena. Do you hear me?"
She nodded before she took my hand and walked out with me to the parking lot.
After getting her inside the car, she turned to me. Her voice was a bit low.
"Do you think my father will come and see me, Mama?" Alena asked softly from the passenger seat, her small fingers twisting together in her lap as she looked at me with those wide, hopeful eyes that always managed to make my heart ache.
For a moment I didn't answer, because the question had come so suddenly that it felt like the air had been knocked out of my chest.
I sat there behind the steering wheel with the engine still off and felt speechless.
I realized that this was one of those moments when the truth and comfort were tangled together in ways that were not easy to separate.
I reached across the center console and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face before placing my hand over hers.
"Baby," I said softly, trying to keep my voice calm. "Sometimes fathers aren't always able to be where we want them to be, but that doesn't mean you are alone."
She looked down for a moment, clearly thinking about my words.
"But Uncle Dante is here for us," I continued, squeezing her hand gently. "And you know he cares about you very much."
The moment I said his name, Alena's expression brightened as if a little light had suddenly been turned on inside her.
"I know," she replied, her voice suddenly filled with excitement. "Uncle Dante always listens to me when I talk, and he helps me with my homework, and he even lets me help him bake cookies that one time when we burned them."
I couldn't help but laugh quietly at the memory.
"Yes, I remember those cookies," I said.
She shifted in her seat before looking at me again, her eyes suddenly serious in a way that made her seem much older than she actually was.
"Mama?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"I've always wanted Uncle Dante to be my father."
I smiled, ignoring the knot in my stomach about keeping her and Mason apart. But it was for the best.
I reached over and pulled her into a gentle hug across the car seats.
"You are a very special little girl, Alena," I whispered as I kissed the top of her head. "Anyone would be lucky to have you as their daughter."
She wrapped her small arms around me before finally pulling away with a bright smile.
"Can we go home now?"
"Of course we can."
I started the car, and the rest of the drive passed peacefully as she hummed softly to herself while looking out the window.
By the time we reached home, the sky had begun to shift toward the soft golden colors of late afternoon, and after helping her inside and making sure she had something to eat, I finally sat down on the couch with a tired sigh.
It had been a long day already, and all I wanted was a moment to breathe.
My phone buzzed suddenly on the table beside me.
I picked it up, expecting it to be a message from one of the nurses at the hospital or maybe even Dante asking about dinner.
But when I looked at the screen, I saw that the number was unfamiliar.
Frowning slightly, I opened the message.
The words on the screen made my eyebrows lift in surprise.
Text: "Dante belongs to me. You won't last long with him, sister. Mark my words."
For a moment I stared at the message, trying to decide whether it was meant to be threatening or simply ridiculous.
Then I laughed.
Whoever this woman was clearly had a lot more confidence than she probably deserved.
By the time Dante arrived later that evening, I had almost forgotten about the message completely.
We had just stepped into the shower together after a long day, the warm water washing away the stress that seemed to cling to both of us after hours at the hospital.
"So something funny happened today," I said casually as I leaned against the tiled wall, letting the water run over my shoulders.
Dante looked at me with curiosity. "Oh?"
"I got a text from some mysterious woman."
His eyebrows rose immediately. "And what did this mysterious woman want?"
I couldn't help giggling as I remembered the exact wording. "She said you belong to her and that I won't last long with you."
For a second he simply stared at me. Then he shook his head with an amused smile. "People really have too much time on their hands."
"I thought the same thing," I replied, laughing again. "She probably thought I would text or call back and find out why she sent me the text."
I trusted Dante and knew he wouldn't do anything behind my back. I didn't even want to entertain anyone who thought they could get between us.
Dante stepped closer, his expression softening as he looked down at me. "You know something?" he said quietly.
"What?"
"I already made my choice."
I tilted my head slightly. "And?"
"And I chose you."
The warmth in his voice made my heart skip a beat.
Before I could respond, he leaned down and kissed me gently, the kind of kiss that made the world outside the small bathroom feel distant and unimportant.
When he pulled away, we both started laughing softly for no real reason other than the simple happiness of the moment.
"Come on," he said with a playful grin as he turned off the water.
"Where are we going?"
He wrapped a towel around his waist before taking my hand.
"I think the rest of the evening would be much more comfortable in the bedroom."
I laughed again as he pulled me out of the bathroom and led me to the bedroom. He took off the towel and picked me up, and took me to the bed.
His dick was already brushing against my thighs, causing small moans to escape my mouth.