Chapter 81
"I wanted to stay more in New York." Allegra grumbles when they both leave a taxi outside her London building. "I didn’t know anything I’d like.”
"Mom has a lot of things to sort out around here. New York and everything you still want to know will be there when we get back.”
"Alec, too, huh?”
Inside the elevator, Evangeline looks at her daughter, who had a mischievous smile on her lips. She did not want to give any false hope to the girl, so she just limited herself to smiling and shaking her head.
As soon as they both entered the apartment, Evangeline dropped her suitcase by the door and removed her shoes.
"I’m going to my room!" Allegra says, already up the stairs with her belongings. "I have so many things to tell Olivia.”
"Without much detail, Allegra. Our life is nobody’s business.”
"Not even my own?”
Evangeline feels that her heart will come out of her mouth, with the fright she took. She turned and found herself leaning against the door leading to the kitchen, Jonah, her ex.
"What are you doing in my house?" she asks, when you can pull yourself together.
"That used to be my home, too.”
"Look, you used the verb in the past. Exactly as it should be." Evie goes to the door and opens it. "Go away, Jonah.”
"No. We have to talk.”
"We have nothing to talk about.”
"You was in New York, right?" Evangeline frowns, wondering how he knew that. "Your credit card purchases still arrive on my phone.”
"That’s something else I have to sort out before the divorce.”
"Divorce?" Jonah approaches Evangeline, who just closes the door and walks across the room. "You can’t be serious.”
"I’m sorry, but I can’t continue this marriage. After all you’ve done, there’s not enough trust or love left to maintain our relationship.
"I understand how you feel, but please don’t make such an important decision right now. Let’s talk, try to work things out together.”
"There is nothing more for us to talk about. You broke a fundamental promise in our marriage." she is firm. That marriage without love and respect, had already lasted too long. There was no more reason for her to push that with her belly. "I can’t imagine a future together, where I’ll always be worried about who you’re thinking about or what you’re doing when you’re away from me.”
"Please give me a chance to do the right things, to redeem myself.”
"I’ve given you plenty of chances. Now, I need to think about myself, my daughter and my own well"being. It’s time to move on.”
"Move on?" Jonah lets out an ironic laugh. "With Alec? The man whose name you called every night during these seven years of our relationship?”
"You never said... well... my choices have nothing to do with anyone but myself. I can’t... I don’t deserve to be in a relationship where I’m betrayed every six months.”
"And Allegra? You can’t keep me away from my daughter.”
"You know she’s not your daughter. She knows, too.”
"Did you tell her?" Jonah was offended and slightly sad. "Do you want to get rid of me so much that you told her the truth?”
"Allegra is no naive child, Jonah. She has known for a long time that you were not her father. But I, will never forbid her to see you. If that’s what she wants.”
"I want.”
Allegra runs down the stairs quickly and runs into Jonah’s arms.
"Then we'll talk about your new habit of eavesdropping on other people's conversations on the stairs." Evangeline says, but Allegra’s not the ball.
The girl walks away from Jonah a little and smiles at him.
"You’ll always be my dad. We can still go to the movies Friday night while Mom and I live here in London.”
"While they live?" Jonah directs his gaze to Evangeline. "Will you move?”
"I don’t... know. Allegra, come. Let’s go see your grandfather.”
Evangeline goes to the door and opens it again, waiting for the girl. Allegra hugs Jonah again and sighs.
"I love you, Dad.”
"I love you too, daughter.”
Jonah kisses the little redhead’s face and then she runs out of the apartment to call the elevator. Evangeline takes advantage that her daughter is estranged and turns to her ex.
"Pack your things and get out of here. When I get back, I expect to find the copy of your key with the doorman.”
[...]
"What happened to you?" Samuel asks, so he undies his embrace with Allegra and opens his arms to Evangeline.
"What do you mean?”
"Jonah called me a few times, asking about where you were. He said you picked up Allegra earlier at school one day and disappeared.”
"Ah..." she looks in the direction of her daughter, who was entertained with the large computer that her grandfather had. "We were in New York. Felippa’s father was dying and wanted to see me.”
"New York, is it? And you haven’t seen Alec?”
Evangeline closes her eyes and recalls the kisses she and her mobster had exchanged.
"Yeah... we bumped. Well, I think I can tell you the details later. I need your help with something else.”
"What?”
"My divorce with Jonah." Samuel raises his eyebrows. "Please do not repeat that speech?”
"Which one? The one where I say you should never have married that guy?" Evie grimaces. "I won’t. But what happened? There’s no going back?”
"No. No possibility. And before you ask me if Alec has anything to do with that decision, the answer is no. I was already sure of what I wanted to do, before boarding home.”
"You could have warned me about this a few days ago." Evangeline had a question mark on her face. "My retirement party is next weekend. All invitations have been sent to my family and all my clients. Including his own.”
"How incredible.”
"Well, think on the bright side. Alec hasn’t been my client for years, so he certainly won’t be at that party.”
"Yes...”
Evangeline murmurs, wondering how long it will take her to sort out all the loose ends in her life and finally be happy alongside the love of her soul.