“Y-you don’t have to rush off,” I reply, putting my hand out to touch her arm. “Alessa, Enzo would love to see you.”
“No, he wouldn’t.” She gives me a sad smile before flashing her crystal blues eyes out to the crowd. “Maybe once before, but too much time has passed. I just had to be here to offer some support.”
“He still loves you,” I say, breaking her off. “He gave you up to stick with us and make sure you never got caught up in any of this.” I look around, trying to emphasize what I truly mean. “He wanted to save you from a world of horror, but he hurt you both while he did it.”
“It doesn’t matter what you saw, Lia. He is still the same man who loved me, which tells me he still will feel the same as he did when he broke my heart.” She looks pained by the past, still living in the heartbreak. “Please, don’t tell him I was here. I can’t handle seeing him. I know he’s still has a good support and he looks very much the man he always was. Just don’t tell him I turned up uninvited. I know he told me to never come near you again. He made that really clear to me. I just couldn’t ignore today.”
“He’s a stupid man,” I mutter under my breath. Finally, I see Enzo in a new light – one I could kill him for!
“Maybe, but I’m a stupid girl, too.” Alessandra reaches out and pulls me into a hug. She’s getting ready to run, I can tell. As the masses dissipate, she’s more eager to flee. “My number hasn’t changed, Amelia. I miss our chats, so if you need me, I am only a call away.”
I have no chance to talk her around the resolve she revels in. She releases me and I just end up watching her walk away. I feel as if I could’ve grabbed her and dragged her toward my brother. Made them make up for past mistakes. There is no finer irony than love at a funeral, as it’s a blissful reminder that life continues, but this isn’t meant to be right now. As she disappears out into the crowd, I know that one day I will have to help Enzo and Alessandra find their way back together. Today, however, isn’t that day.
I turn back, feeling a fresher turmoil thrust through me. I don’t make it two steps forward until I stop again, finding a man in a sharp suit standing before me, watching with elusive green eyes and a small grin on his lips. The more I look at him, the more I see the softness in his face become overwhelming.
“Grandpa,” I whisper, my voice nothing more than a breath, my eyes watering again. I feel like as much as I’ve lost today, I am gaining. That somehow Manuel is aligning all of our stars to help right the wrongs.
“I couldn’t stay away, Amelia,” he tells me, that gentle tone he always used to tell me stories with reverberates around me. “You’ve grown into a truly beautiful woman, Dolcezza. I only wish I could’ve seen it happen myself.”
I say nothing, beguiled by his sudden reappearance. He looks the same, sounds the same, and as I launch myself into his arms, I only pray he feels the same. As arms wrap around me, my own around his neck, I’m overwhelmed that even his cologne hasn’t changed.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I murmur, nuzzling into his neck. The warm embrace is something I hadn’t quite thought I needed. As I crumple into his arms, he soothes me the way he always would when I awoke from a nightmare or got hurt while in a playful brawl with my brothers. I struggle with the sobs but fight to speak. I remove myself from his arms and step back to look at him. “Thank you for coming back to us.”
“I’m sorry it’s too late, Bella,” he muses regretfully, reaching out to wipe my tears away.
“That’s not your fault,” I mutter, my words bitter on my tongue. “How did you know?”
“Bruno called,” he remarks, dropping his hand away from my tear sodden cheek. “I know about everything. It’s time we looked at a fresh start. I will not allow a man like your father to make the threats anymore. I had always, always thought your safety was worth so much to him, so I never risked it, but after what I’ve learned, I will make up for my ignorance.”
“Thank you,” I appreciate, looking at him and feeling myself smile for the first time in what feels an eternity. “You came back when we really needed you to.”
“Gino,” my father’s coarse voice interrupts the moment I have with my grandfather. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yes, it has,” my grandfather replies, placing a polite smile onto his lips. “By no fault of my own.”