Page 139 of Flawed

She's shaking. Her mascara runs down her cheeks in black streaks. I step toward her, but she retreats, asserting, "Don't touch me."

"Sweetheart, please," I beg, but I'm not sure what I'll say next. If she knows Luca is her father, she'll try to find him again.

"Who was that man?" she asks.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. It's like all my years of worrying are stuck in my throat.

Her eyes slowly grow wider until she's gaping at me. She stutters, "Is-is... oh my God, Mom! Is he my father?"

I cringe then start to shake my head but stop.

Horror fills her expression. More tears fall. She questions, "He's an Abruzzo? I'm part Abruzzo?"

"No!" I exclaim. "You arenotan Abruzzo!"

"But he is?"

I stay silent.

"Say it, Mom! You called him an Abruzzo! Say it now," she demands.

For some reason, I can't get the word Abruzzo past my lips.

She fires distraught daggers at me with her gaze.

My front door flies open. My mom and dad come flying through. Mom demands, "Ma chérie, what was that all about?"

I don't tear my eyes off Zara. She looks at them and lifts her chin, stating, "That was my father." An ocean of tears falls down her face as she glares at me.

"What are you talking about?" my father asks.

My world crumbles around me. How did I hold all this together for so long, and in one moment, everything got destroyed?

"Chanel," my father sternly states.

I close my eyes, trying to stop the pain from shooting through my heart. My lungs seize, and I think I'm suffocating.

"Chanel?" my father asks again.

I slowly turn and look at him.

He questions, "Luca is Zara's father?"

I swallow the lump in my throat and choke out, "Yes."

Shock fills my parents' faces. He questions, "Why did you not tell me?"

At the same time, Mom asks, "How did this happen?"

I can't answer any of their questions. I just can't. I sit down and put my head between my knees, unable to breathe.

Mom rushes over and puts her arm around my back, rubbing it. "Just breathe."

"Are you faking an attack right now, Mom?" Zara asks.

My sobs get lodged in my throat.

"Zara, stop. Everyone just stop," Dad instructs.

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