Page 238 of Vita Mia

Giovanni’s gaze slowly lifted from the floor to level on her. “You could have died in that fire Eve. My life as Don put yours in jeopardy, I failed you as a father. I was trying to make it up to you. I still am.”

“All I ever wanted was you!” she shouted. Eve wept. “All I ever wanted was our family. And all of you left me behind!”

Giovanni wiped his tears. He hung his head in shame.

“Nico replaced you, and you let him. Bravo Papa. But he didn’t replace you as my father. He became something more. Something special to me. Someone who wouldn’t die or run away from me. And you and Mama took that from me too by making what we have incestuous to him!” she wept.

“Eve...”

“Don’t look at me like that. You did that! You put him first in my life! And now all of you act as if it’s obscene! Was it obscene with Domi and Catalina? Belinda and Leo?”

“That is not the same and you know it.”

“Don’t worry Papa. He has never touched me, or even tried to understand my feelings for him. He’s loyal to you. They all are. Even mum. Everybody chooses you.”

“Cara mia...”

“Some things can’t be fixed Papa. Were you able to fix it with your father? With your mother? Were you?”

“I’m trying so hard Eve.”

“It’s too late!”

“It’s never too late for us. I am still your father and I’m still alive. That means it is never too late.”

“Why now?”

“When I sat with your husband I saw how deeply he loves you. He bore his soul to me. I almost killed him for breaking your heart and leaving you. But his story... it sounds like mine. Jealousy and insecurity can make you do terrible things to the woman you love. You weren’t picking the men that deserved you. You were picking men like me. I knew then it had to stop. You need me Eve. I’m here. I’m doing this for you.”

“Stefano and I are over,” she mumbled.

“Marriage is complicated. Not everyone is strong enough to survive heartbreak. I tried everything to heal this family to strengthen this family. None of it worked. I’m an old man. A relic to a past that’s almost gone. I don’t even understand how your brothers move today,” he gave a bitter chuckle. “I realized when I spoke to him that being left alone is the curse that I put into your life made it impossible for your marriage to survive.”

“My marriage is not the same as yours. Not even close. And it’s over. Because I say it’s over. So I don’t need your counsel.”

“Then what do you want Eve?”

“Nothing!”

“What do you need Eve?”

“Nothing! For you all to stop treating me like I’m so tragedy!”

“It’s not what we’re doing.”

“Leave my secrets alone. Leave it alone! I’m fine.”

“You’re not. We’re not. We left it alone for twenty years. Tell me how to fix it.”

“I can’t!” she shouted at him and broke into tears. “I can’t tell you because I don’t know.”

“When you were born I wasn’t there another man helped deliver you into this world. When you were a little girl and wanted to catch fireflies and I was too busy I put you on Nico’s shoulders to do it. I was Don, not Papa, not always. When you were in that fire I wasn’t even aware you were in the house. You needed me and another man saved your life and sent you out of that window. I’m telling the world you come first because I’m going to prove it to you Eve. You aren’t too old for Papa to fix it. You have always been first in my heart.”

She rushed over to him and got on her knees. She hugged him. And Giovanni held her. He squeezed her to his heart. To his chest.

“Don’t sacrifice yourself for me. Don’t tell them, Papa. We don’t need them. I just need you.”

He kissed Eve’s head and hugged the best he could. “I love youlucciola. Having my firefly has gotten me through some of the darkest times. We’ve both been through the fire and we came out alive on the other side.”

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