Chapter 76
Allegra was sitting on the couch, waiting for her mother to recover from what had happened at the Castello mansion. When Evangeline feels comfortable, she leaves the kitchen and goes to her daughter. Before sitting down, she asks only one question:
"How did you know?”
“It started when I learned about genetics in school. There’s no way your green eyes, with Dad’s brown eyes, make my blues.”
Evie smiles from the side. Although she is terrified that Allegra discovered it and went after the truth alone, she rejoiced at the cunning of the girl.
"So I found a box with some souvenirs and saw his picture. Alec. The blue eyes... I remembered that you had become very emotional to see that same man in a news on TV.”
Evangeline recalls that feeling. Upon hearing Alec’s name, related to an exchange of gunfire at a prostitution club, she was terrified. It was the first time she heard his name, after all these years, and she still had a chance that he was hurt. That same day, all the doubts she thought she had about her feelings for Alec were resolved. Once Evie was sure that he was well and had not been hurt, she knew that her love for him had never passed.
"I did some research and waited for the moment when we would come here." Allegra concludes, messing with her red hair. "Are you upset mom?”
"No, I just... you’re not?”
"No." The girl shrugs. "I don’t know what happened, but I know I’m too young to know.”
"It’s..." Evangeline opens her arms and Allegra sticks around. "But still, I want to apologize. It was never my intention to lie to you. I just wanted to wait for the right moment, but it never seemed like the time.”
"But he is, isn’t he? My father.”
"Yes." she kisses her daughter’s forehead and sighs heavily. "Alec is your father.”
"And now we’re...”
"Now we’re going out to eat." Evangeline pulls Allegra away and gets up. "It’s almost one o'clock and I’m hungry. Come on?”
"To where?”
"I’ll take you to my favorite place.”
[...]
"No! Definitely not. Never again.”
"Too much, Allegra. It’s so good.”
"No, Mom!" the girl makes a face when she gets out of the car. "Taco is horrible. No matter the filling.”
Evangeline rolls her eyes and joins her daughter. She didn’t understand how that girl, who had been raised with her, could be so much like Alec.
"Who is that?”
"Who?" Evie asks, looking for the house key in her purse.
"The blonde woman outside our house.”
Evie gave up what she was doing and looked at the door. Audrey was sitting on the small staircase, tinkering with her cell phone and impatient for Evangeline’s delay.
"Audrey?”
The blond-haired Castello raised her head and opened a huge smile to see Evangeline. She was also unable to avoid the smile and walked hurriedly to hug her friend.
"I missed you!" Audrey murmurs, squeezing her arms around her. "I should hate you for being gone all these years, but I can’t.”
"I know you understand the reason for my departure. I didn’t want him to know...”
They walk away and Audrey looks directly at Allegra.
"She’s your face, but she has Alec’s glow.”
"I know." Evie says, looking at her daughter. "Well, why are you here? If Alec sent you...”
"And since when that brat rules me?" she rolls her eyes and smiles afterwards. "I came to see you! Knowing everything. Let’s have a wine?”
Audrey pulls a part of the rose wine bottle out of her purse. Evangeline just nods in the affirmative and opens the door.
"Make yourself at home." he says. "Allegra, take your things and stay in the room. It's a matter for big people.”
The girl mutters a few words and walks up the stairs tapping her foot. And even if she should go to the bedroom, she sits at the end of the step and keeps an eye on the conversation.
"You and Alec have a daughter!" Audrey says, when the redhead comes back with the cups. "That’s so amazing.”
"It would have been amazing if he hadn’t abandoned me.”
"He didn’t know you were pregnant.”
"When he left me, I didn’t know either. The doctor told me right after he left the room. I panicked. We had been in a bizarre car accident and nothing had happened to the baby.”
"Because she had to be born." Evie nods, swallowing the wine at once. "And you have to stay together!”
"What? No way, Audrey. No.”
"Why? Why are you married?”
"Me?”
"Alec told me. I imagine Allegra told him.”
"Ah..." Evangeline sighs and looks at the ladder. "Yeah... but I’m not married. No more.”
"Who is he? What happened?”
"You really want to know everything, don’t you?" She asks, laughs. Evie didn’t mind telling Audrey about it. It was good to tell someone, who was not biased to be next to his ex. "I met him as soon as I went to London. Jonah was my physical therapist. We were friends, with no benefit. He followed my entire pregnancy and helped me get my hand working again. When Allegra turned two, he asked me out. It was so cool hanging out with him, that we did it again and again until he was living in my apartment.”
"And why did it end?”
"I never loved him, you know? But I always respected him. I never looked at another man, or had intentions with someone else. Unlike him." Evie lets out a melancholy laugh. "Two years after we were already living together, he betrayed me. He said it was just a random kiss at a bar and it would never happen again. Allegra loved him. She called him her father and as much as I tried to take that away from her, she called. Because that’s what Jonah was for her. So I forgave him. And he held on to it. He kept betraying me, with everything that moved and I pretended not to see. All for the happiness of my daughter. But it got to a point, that it wasn’t worth being there anymore. I didn’t love him, he didn’t respect me. I threw him out and said I didn’t want to see him anymore. And that’s only two weeks old. He calls me every day. He calls me all day, even. He have no idea we’re here.”
"So you’re free to try Alec again!" Audrey couldn’t contain your happiness. "You’ll be my sister-in-law again.”
"That’s not how it works, Audrey. I didn’t come here with the intention of reviewing Alec and resuming anything. I’m still in love with him, I always will be, but it still hurts. A lot. I know I won’t be able to deny that he and Allegra hanging out, but that’s it. There’s no way Alec and I are coming back.”
Audrey grimaces and rolls her eyes.
"You know I don’t care what you said and I’m going to try to get you together the same way, don’t you?”
"Audrey...
"The day after tomorrow is AB’s birthday. He’ll be ten. And I want you and my niece there.”
"Oh... it won’t be possible, Audrey. We’ll go back to London tomorrow morning.”
Allegra widens her eyes and gets up quickly.
"No!" she protests, appearing in the middle of the stairs. "We can’t leave.”
"Were you listening to our conversation?”
"Mom, we can’t go! I want to meet my cousin, my aunt and my father! We can’t go now.”
"Allegra...”
"Please, Mom." Allegra whines, feeling her eyes burn. She had not waited so long for that, to return home as if nothing had happened. "Do not take that away from me. Please.”
Evangeline looks sideways at Audrey, who kept a hopeful smile on her face. She sighs defeated and nods in the affirmative. Although she wanted to stay away from Alec, she was with something that belonged to him for ten years. It was time to deliver.
"All right. We’re going.”