Nico made a deal with Adrian

Nico made a deal with Adrian
Nico

It had been two weeks since Serena came home, and she was still fighting her grief alone. I hated that she carried everything by herself. I wanted her to talk to me, to share at least a little of what she went through. I wanted to carry some of that weight for her. But she wasn’t ready. She just would not let anyone come closer to her. 

Still, there was one thing that gave me a little relief: she let me sleep next to her now. Every night, she would fall asleep clinging to the blanket, quiet at first. Then the nightmares came. She would whimper, cry, or twist in her sleep like she was running from something. I held her hand every time, even when she pulled away. Watching her like this made something tear inside my chest. I would have taken all her nightmares if I could.

But this morning,  something changed for the better.

A small step, yes. But even a small step felt like a miracle after everything.

Serena came down for breakfast.

She walked slowly, tired and thin, but at least,  on her own feet. When she reached the table, she said softly, “I’m hungry.”

Grace, who was scrolling on her phone, froze. She looked at Serena like she had just witnessed a ghost talk. Nina quickly nudged her under the table and whispered, “Don’t stare. Stop.”

Then Nina smiled warmly at Serena. “Of course you are hungry. Come here. What do you want to eat?”

“Anything,” Serena said. “Just… nothing spicy.”

Nina practically ran to the kitchen and came back with a plate of sandwiches and a glass of fresh orange juice. She placed them gently in front of my wife and waited. Serena picked up a sandwich and ate very slowly, breathing heavily between a few bites. She sighed a few times too. Eating was still hard for her, but she tried. That alone made my throat tight.

Grace cleared her throat dramatically. “Nina, we should check our kitchen garden today. You can’t get me addicted to gardening and then ghost me.”

Serena looked at Grace with surprise on her face.

Grace threw her hands up. “What? You are surprised? Believe me, so am I. For the last four months I haven’t gone to a single party or event. All those people are horrible fake, dramatic, and annoying. Nina told me gardening is therapeutic. And now our tiny kitchen garden has an Instagram page that has more than a hundred thousand followers. And now, this witch is ignoring it.”

“That’s nice,” Serena said quietly.

Nina quickly added, “We were thinking of planting new vegetables today. Do you… want to come?”

Grace blinked at Nina. “We were?”

Nina gave her a look. She clearly made that up just to get Serena outside. And honestly? I was grateful. These women had stepped in for Serena in ways I never expected. They didn’t just take over her responsibilities, they took care of her like she was their own family.

Serena looked between them. Then she nodded. “Okay.”

That single word felt like a victory.

Grace and Nina almost jumped from their seats, guiding Serena outside to the small garden area. They showed her the plants, the soil and  the seeds. They spoke softly to her, giving her space. I stayed a little far away, keeping an eye on her. I couldn’t go too far. Not when she was still so fragile.

Hours passed like that. It was noon now, the sun high in the sky. Serena watered plants while Nina explained something about soil health.

Then Gino came running toward me. “Nico,” he said, breathing hard. “Mrs. Moretti has been calling.”

I clenched my jaw. “Don’t let any of their calls reach Lucia or Serena. She is going to use the ‘mother’ card. Knowing Serena, she’ll get worse after hearing her voice. We cannot risk her health.”

Gino hesitated. “But… will Serena like that you didn’t let her mom talk to her?”

I glared at him. “The same mother who dumped her daughter when she needed her most? That woman is not a mother. She is a stain on the word. If she stays away from the girls, that is better for everyone. And did you forget what Lucia said? She never wants to hear the name Moretti again.”

Gino sighed. “Fine. I will handle it.”

“What about Adrian?” I asked.

“You gave him his inheritance,” Gino said with a sarcastic snort. “Obviously he is celebrating like he won the lottery.”

I smiled a little. “Isn’t it his father’s money? I kept it safe for him all these years so he would have a future. I hoped he would learn something before getting it, but well… we made a deal. He gives Lucia a place in this family without controlling her life. Lucia gets to live how she wants. And Adrian gets his money. He can drown in it if he wants.”

“One billion, Nico,” Gino muttered. “You just gave one billion to a boy who doesn’t even have a functioning brain half the time.”

“Let him enjoy,” I said. “And let Luca handle him.”

Gino shook his head. “Ever since he got the money, Luca is extra strict with him. Either Luca will make Adrian a man… or Adrian will run away with the money and never come back.”

I shook my head and looked toward the garden again. And that’s when I saw that Serena wasn’t standing straight anymore. Her shoulders were drooping. Her breathing looked strange. She placed a hand on the wooden fence as if she was trying to steady herself. Grace said something to her, but Serena didn’t respond. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. I took one step forward. Then another.

Before I could reach her, before anyone could react—

Serena’s legs buckled. She collapsed on the ground, her eyes rolling back.

“Serena!” I shouted, my chest exploding with fear. I ran toward her as fast as I could, my heart pounding like it was going to tear out of my body.