13. EAVESDROPPING

Parking the car in our garage, I step out of the car and walk inside the house through the door that connects our front entrance to the garage.

"I'm home!" I shout announcing my presence.

"Honey, I'm in the kitchen." mom shouts back.

I make my way their to see my mother hovering above the stove while stirring something inside the pot.

"Hey." I greet kissing her cheek.

"Hey honey, how was your day? How have you been?" she asks turning around to face me.

"Good. How are you?" I question as she pours me some water.

"Great." she replies as she hands me the glass.

"Thanks." I mumble and sit down.

"Something bothering you?" she questions turning the gas off.

"Yeah." I answer truthfully.

"What is it?" she places a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"It's... just my... ex being a problem. I... don't want to hurt Liza on purpose." I speak with hesitation.

"You didn't even date them." she rolls her eyes.

My lips thin in distaste and discomfort. I did NOT want to converse about my sex life with my mother.

"Yeah." I mutter awkwardly and clear my throat.

"She's an angel, Nick. The girl absolutely adores you and obviously understands you. What are you so worried about?" she sighs.

"I don't know, mom. I just... I don't want her to feel that she comes second or is not the best because God knows that she is the most amazing and perfect girl for me." I say in a matter of fact tone.

"We always knew your friendship will blossom into love." mom says dramatically with dreamy eyes.

"Mom." I groan rolling my eyes playfully at her.

"Oh hush you, I know it all. Anyways, go freshen up and then come downstairs for dinner." she wags her finger in front of my face before going back to cooking.

I sigh and go upstairs to my room to shower and change into fresh clothes.

After about twenty minutes, I hear a knock on my door and shout, "Come in!"

Ezra walks inside and sit down on my bed, "Mom told me. Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, I am." I smile and sit beside him.

"Good. Cause I want you to know that the past is in the past, she's your present and most definitely your future as well. Whatever's done can't be undone so suck it up and move forward. You can't keep looking back." he advises.

I nod my head in understanding. He is right. I cannot keep looking back when I have the most perfect and amazing human being standing right beside me.

"Let's go down for dinner before mom have our heads for arriving late. Again." he shudders at an old memory making me laugh.

I still remember that night as clear as crystal in my head. I was visiting mom and dad on vacations and mom was pregnant with Fayre at that time. She was overly sensitive during her last pregnancy, even dad agreed to that. He told us that mom had never been that difficult to handle.

Ezra and I were so engrossed in playing video games that we didn't realize that it was already time for dinner and worst, we did not hear mom call for us over our constant banter throughout the game. So a couple of minutes of later, mom came upstairs with a half angry and half sad face and she looked torn between whether to yell at us or cry and she ended up choosing both. Angry tears streamed down her face and she spoke every word with a hiccup followed by it.

"I have been calling you both for an hour, now. Do you know how hard it is for me climb up all these stairs now with this huge bump and constant backache?" she exploded.

"Mom, sorry, we didn't hear you." Ezra spoke politely.

"It just doesn't matter to you guys. You don't care about your mother at all. You boys are all the same including your father. I am just so glad that I am having a baby girl this time. Two against three won't be much unfair, now." she sniffled.

Ezra and I looked at each other dumbfounded. That was totally irrelevant but that was also the first time mom has revealed the baby gender to us so to say we were ecstatic would be an understatement.

"COME DOWN YOU TWO! Sono stufo di questa merda." she snapped.

(I am sick of this shit)

Even though Ezra and I wanted to burst out laughing, we controlled our mouths and followed a fuming mom down the stairs like lost puppies.

"Oh by the way, Elijah told me that Liza has been awfully quiet today. I think you should go and talk to your girl." Ezra tells as we entered the dining room.

"After dinner." he adds by grabbing me by the back of my shirt as soon as he sees me making a bee line for the main door.

I groan loudly before following him inside and sitting down next to Fayre who was picking at the peas in her plate.

"Hi, baby." I kiss her cheek and her face lights up like a Christmas tree upon seeing me.

"Nick!" she claps her hands and hugs me tightly with her small, chubby arms around my neck.

I chuckle and ruffle her hair, "How are you la mia sorellina?" I ask.

(How are you my little sister?)

"Sto bene, grazie." she replies with a toothy grin.

(I am good, thanks.)

And then began her never ending school stories which I listened to with all my interest and also fed her all the veggies on her plate including peas. Sly, I know. But she was so engrossed talking animatedly that she didn't even realize while mom just gave me a thumbs up.

"How's school going, Nick?" dad asks.

"It ain't going anywhere, dad." I fake pout making all of us chuckle.

"It's going great, jokes apart." I tell him truthfully.

"Of course it is dad, there has been a new admission this particular year." Ezra teases and I just settle with a roll of my eyes in response.

"Ah, Eliza right? What a wonderful kid she is. Way too wonderful for Nick." dad jokes.

"I can see I am not wanted here anymore. I should probably leave." I announce with a sigh and all of them burst out laughing.

The rest of the dinner is followed by every type of conversation from our studies to dad's office and mom's day-to-day routine.

I love this time of the day the most because it means gathering around the dinner table and talk and joke about anything and everything. After all, la famiglia e tutto.

(Family is everything.)

After dinner, I excuse myself to go and meet Eliza. I really needed her to know that there's no one like her and never will and with that thought, I drive towards their house.

After about sixteen minutes, I park in their driveway and get out before walking to their front gate in a hurry.

Adam greets me from the other side of the door with a smile, "You're always welcomed here but it is almost nine in the evening." he jokes.

"I know and I am sorry but I really had to see Liza otherwise I wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight. I know it sounds corny." I say sheepishly.

He laughs and shakes as his head, "Of course, not. I cannot get even a blink of sleep if I don't see Savannah lying beside me." he states with love twinkling in his eyes.

We walk inside the house and together and he tells me that Eliza is with Elijah in her room.

I climb up the stairs to surprise her but what I, unintentionally, hear surprises me in return and I don't think I saw it coming. I knew eavesdropping is rude but when I heard Eliza's shaky voice, I couldn't help but want to find out why.

"I am not upset because of his past, Eli. I am upset because of mine. Today, he asked me about what I had been doing all those months and if I had been okay or not. I lied to him, Eli and I hated every single moment of it. I am so ashamed of everything." I hear my baby sob.

"Ssh, kukla. You don't have to be ashamed of anything. It wasn't your fault. If anything, it was our fault to leave you alone at night only for you to get kidnapped and almost sold into sex trafficking." he says sadly.

(Doll.)

My whole world turns upside down upon hearing those words and shock freezes my body.

What the fuck has happened to her?