Chapter 101

"I'll drive you home," Riccardo said, his voice calm, breaking the silence.

Vanessa glanced at him for a second before nodding. "Okay," she answered quietly, her mind wandering. She stared out the window, watching the lights of the city blur by, her thoughts far away.

Riccardo stayed focused on the road, his hands resting on the wheel. The silence between them grew, but it wasn't uncomfortable. He didn't try to make her talk, knowing she needed the quiet. The soft sound of the car's engine filled the space as they drove through the night.

"Thank you for today." Vanessa said, her gratitude evident.

Riccardo stared at her, a hint of surprise dancing in his eyes. He then let out a small smile.

"It's not a problem."

"Oh." Vanessa muttered, tearing her gaze away from him.

The rest of the ride to her house was a quite one and in less than thirty minutes they arrived. Riccardo was fast as lightening to step down and open the car door for her.

As she walked toward her gate, she muttered a quiet "Thank you," barely loud enough for him to hear. Standing in front of the gate, she reached for the handle but stopped. Something made her turn around.

To her surprise, Riccardo was still there, his eyes on her. He leaned against the car, watching her with an unreadable expression. The night air felt cool against her skin, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. She could see the faint glow of the streetlamp reflecting in his eyes, making them look almost gentle.

"You should go now. Rest early." She muttered, loud enough for him to hear.

"Alright, I will."

Vanessa gave a small nod before walking in. Her door was already locked, since she had a spare key, she unlocked in and walked in quietly.

She didn't find Lily in the living room.

"She must have gone to bed." Vanessa muttered to herself, making her way towards her kids room.

She gently pushed the door open and met her kids still sleepy peacefully, she glanced around the room and saw Lily dozing off on the couch.

She smiled, she must have come here to make sure that her kids where okay.

Vanessa quietly approached their bed. She pulled the duvet well over their body and gave them both a light kiss on the forehead before moving over to where Lily laid.

"Hey Lily." She whispered.

"Lily!"

"Hey, Lily! Wake up." She whispered quietly.

She watched as Lily's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Oh, Vanessa, you're back." She acknowledged.

Vanessa nodded. "I am."

"Go and sleep in my room." Vanessa added, helping Lily stand up from the couch. She gently rose from the couch and began making her way out of the room without making even the slightest noise.

"Thanks, aren't you coming yet?" Lily asked, seeing Vanessa still standing in her position.

"You go first, I'll meet you later." Vanessa muttered.

"Okay." Lily walked off, leaving Vanessa alone with her kids.

She walked over to their bed and squatted, her hands gently brushing off the strand of hair on Emily's face. But the little action got the little girl stirring awake.

Her eyes fluttered open and she beheld Vanessa.

"Mommy! You're here." She said rather loudly.

"Shhh. Don't wake your brother." Vanessa shushed.

Emily glanced over at Ethan who was still asleep.

"I won't." She quickly placed her hands on her lips and she sat up on her bed.

"It's okay. I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Vanessa asked gently.

"No Mommy." She replied, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"What are you doing here, aren't you sleepy yet?" Emily asked, her beautiful eyes staring back at Vanessa.

"Nothing dear. I missed you." Vanessa whispered, pulling her into a small hug.

"I missed you too, Mommy." Emily replied, her small arms wrapping around Vanessa's back.

"It's okay now. Go back to sleep, Mommy is here, she'll protect you." Vanessa cooed, patting Emily's back gently.

"I love you Mommy." Emily said gently.

Vanessa kissed her cheeks. "I love you too, My dear."

It didn't take long before she fell asleep again. Vanessa gently laid her on the bed before standing up.

As usual, she gave them one last glance before leaving their room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Walking into her own room, she found Lily asleep on her bed. She sighed tiredly, dragging her feet towards the bathroom to have a bath.

After having her bath, she got dressed in her night clothes. She moved towards her bed and picked up her phone on the nightstand. She decided to send a message to the number which Riccardo had used to call her earlier.

She glanced at the clock and saw it was almost midnight. The day had gone by quicker than she thought, and she was starting to feel tired. She quickly typed out a message.

"Hey, did you make it home yet?" she sent the message, then placed her phone down next to her. With a yawn, she turned off the light and got ready to fall asleep.

She laid on her bed for a long time but sleep refused to come. Rising from the bed, she picked up her phone and walked out of her room.

Checking her messages, she saw that Riccardo had replied that he had arrived. She sighed as she made her way towards a room at the end of the hallway.

The room was specifically for her paintings.

As she walked in, she flicked on the bulb, filling the room with a warm, soft glow. The light brought the space to life, revealing the light-colored walls and the canvases on the easels. Unfinished paintings sat quietly in the corners, waiting for her return. The shelves, now illuminated, held rows of brushes, paints, and sketchbooks. The faint smell of paint and wood lingered in the air, and the room, though quiet, felt like a place full of ideas ready to come alive again.

She stalked towards the Cupboard where she kept all her paintings, she brought out the colors she planned to use tonight. As she was about to close the Cupboard, a paint color caught her eyes, it was the one that Riccardo had gifted her.

She gently picked it up, turning it over in her hand before adding it to the supplies she planned to use for the night. The quiet of the room surrounded her, but she wasn't tired. Sleep wouldn't come, so she decided to focus on the one thing that always brought her peace: painting.

It was what she knew best, a way to express herself when words failed. With her brushes and paints ready, she set her mind to the canvas, eager to let her thoughts flow through each stroke.