Chapter 59 What More
Serena's POV
I had never seen such a deadly look in the eyes of a woman. Something about the way she said it reassured me instantly.
I stared down at a woman whose blood flowed through my veins but her heart beat at a different tempo.
And for a moment, I forgot about everything else and found myself smiling as I leaned down and wrapped my hands around her.
“Thank you, Aunt Maria,” I said to her as my voice came out all muffled up.
She ran a hand down my back. “I'll go to the ends of this world to see you happy, my little princess,” Aunt Maria said warmly.
“You two should get a room, stop staining my couch,” I heard from behind me and turned to see mom smiling at the both of us.
“If you are jealous, you can join us. There's room for another,” Aunt Maria chimed in.
“And risk losing a rib? No, thank you,” mom replied with a smile.
“And this is the point where I begin to feel you have grown older than me,” Aunt Maria joked.
“You wish, grandma,” mom shot back and Aunt Maria laughed heartily.
I watched as both of them threw jabs between themselves and couldn't help the smile that crept on my lips at the sight of their reunion.
“I'm going to prepare something for dinner,” Aunt Maria said, standing to her feet abruptly. “You two have a lot to talk about,” she added with a smile before leaving.
I stared up at mom who didn't meet my eyes.
Will you join me outside?” She asked after a few awkward seconds.
“Sure,” I said with a small smile and followed her as she led the way out.
We settled down on the top step of the stairs and remained like that for at least five minutes.
I felt she wasn't going to say anything, so I decided to break the silence. “Beautiful city, isn't it?”
“Shelf that. Terrible place if you ask me. Worst few days of my life so far,” she remarked immediately, drawing a smile from me.
“So why come here?” I asked.
“I needed somewhere quiet to go to, somewhere media centric. And plus, I couldn't go anywhere I could easily be traced to, I practically snuck my where in here,” she added with a laugh. “Makes me wonder how Dante's team found me so easily.”
I laughed, shrugging my shoulders. “Why though? Why are you sneaking around?” I asked.
She took a deep breath, leaning over and picking up a small stone before tossing it onto the road.
“It's your dad, Serena,” she started with a long sigh.
“What about him?” I asked, turning slightly to face her better. “I've been meaning to ask you about him since.”
She took another deep breath before shaking her head. “Serena my daughter, your dad disappeared shortly after you left the house,” she said with her eyes to the ground.
“How? Why? Did you guys fight? Did something happen?” I asked hurriedly.
She simply shook her head. “We never quarreled nor did any fight happen outside that I knew of. I just got up one morning and he wasn't there, and he hasn't returned since then,” she explained, turning away from me as her voice cracked.
I was worried to know where my dad had gone, but as I watched my mother breakdown, I couldn't help but put myself in her shoes for that period.
It must have been terribly hard for her to wake up one morning and not see her husband again, shortly after losing her daughter.
I pulled my mom in for a hug as the tears began to flow slowly.
“I wish he had told me what was going on, I wish he had opened up to me about the struggles he may have been facing,” she sobbed out.
I ran a hand through her hair and down her back.
“I know we weren't the most romantic of couples, but I loved him and he always said he loved me too. He shattered me by walking out of my life without a word,” she continued.
“I'm sorry mom. I wish I had the answers to your questions, but I'm stunned too. I never would think of dad being the type to run off from home,” I said, trying to console her even though the inquisitive part of me slipped through.
Mom pulled back from me softly, wiping her face with her hand.
“I thought he was taken or something, so I reported the matter to his second in command, but he never really did anything,” she explained.
I kept silent, giving her room to go on.
“It still gives me the feeling that he was part of your dad's disappearance. Not long after that, he took over the role of acting family head of the Marceti family, our family,” she continued.
“And no one stopped him?” I asked.
She shook her head. “It all felt like they knew what happened or simply accepted his disappearance as fate,” she said weakly.
“That's not right, dad was a big part of this family. From what y'all have been saying, a family head is of utmost importance, something has to be done about it,” I challenged.
Mom simply smiled and shook her head. “I love the fire in you, my daughter. It showed in what you did, even though I'm not happy with the way you handled it, but I'm proud that you were able to stand up to your problem and literally blast it in the head,” she remarked.
I smiled and rubbed her shoulder.
“I wish I had a bit of what you had, maybe I won't have let them push it aside and practical shelve me aside,” she added softly.
“I'm here now mom. I'll stand by your side and fight for everything that belongs to us. No one will take advantage of us any longer,” I reassured her.
She smiled and pinched my cheeks playfully. “You know? You are much more like your aunt than myself. If I didn't know better, I would say your dad had more to explain to me,” she joked with a smile on her face.
“Hey!” I called out playfully, nudging her shoulder playfully.
She laughed and coughed before the smile dropped from her face immediately.
“What happened mom?” I asked, wondering why she snapped so quickly.
“The story doesn't end there, my daughter.”