[GIOSEFFO]
I waited for my turn in my room. Maybe by now, Gia was enjoying her time with Grandpa Antonio. No one had noticed yet that she was missing from the house; they probably assumed she was in her room.
I heard noise from outside. I decided to peek through my door and heard what was happening.
“Ma’am Gia is missing.”
I immediately closed my door and went to my bed. They found out quickly, so they would definitely start looking for Gianna. But she’s safe, so I need to act like I don’t know anything.
They glanced into my room, but they didn’t ask me anything. They didn’t mention Gianna’s absence. The only thing my caretaker said was, “Your dad is coming home with your mom.”
My eyes widened at what she said. I almost forgot about the amusement park because of her news.
Mommy?
The next day, I found out that Dad was home. Uncle Nathan and Uncle Elias were also here because Gianna was still missing. They didn’t know she was with Grandpa.
Grandpa said we weren’t allowed to mention him to Dad, as it would distance us from him. I didn’t want that.
“Is she my mommy?” I blurted out when I saw the woman who looked exactly like the one in the photo. Dad answered me, and the woman rushed to me to hug me.
I was taken aback by her hug, but when I felt its warmth, it was like something touched my heart. It was as if the cold ice around my heart was slowly melting because of Mommy’s embrace.
So, this is what your mother’s hug feels like.
~***~
My own father was apprehended because of me. The guards were helpless once again because of me. I insisted on the goodness of Grandfather Antonio, and for my safety, my mother willingly accompanied my grandfather.
Initially, I thought it was just a simple family reunion, not anticipating the troubling events that would follow.
My dad was furious when they returned home, this time with Gia and now without Mommy.
“Why are so many of you here, yet no one apprehended that man?”
“Agatone,” my uncle restrained my father and looked at me, his gaze fixed on my dad. I had never felt fear before; it was now, in my dad’s anger. I felt responsible for his anger.
Our eyes locked, and I could still see the anger in his eyes as he stared at me. It seemed like he noticed the fear in my eyes, and that’s when he calmed down.
Dad immediately turned away from me, while I kept my gaze on him. They left again to search for Mommy.
I looked at the caregiver tending to me and couldn’t help but ask, “Is Dad angry with me because Mommy is missing? Was it my fault she got abducted? But that’s her father! Lolo Antonio is my grandfather. He won’t hurt her, right? He just wants to be with his daughter.”
In the silence of those around me, I realized that everything I believed was wrong.
I discovered that Grandfather Antonio was a bad person, the reason we hadn’t seen Mommy for so long.
That’s why I don’t want to trust anyone. People will betray you, no matter how much you trust them and believe they are good.
Gianna and I are together now. She’s okay and wasn’t harmed, but she also found out that Grandfather is a bad person.
“I will only trust people my father trusts, and no one else. I won’t… ever again.”
That’s what I etched into my mind. I won’t trust anyone unless Daddy trusts them. There’s a reason we didn’t meet Grandfather Antonio earlier, because he’s a bad person.
Mommy was saved, but she had an accident. She was in a coma for almost a year. Just like before, Dad had no time to stay at home because he was juggling his work and taking care of Mom. We didn’t complain; in fact, we wanted to be with him every time he visited the hospital, but he wouldn’t allow it. He said it wasn’t allowed.
But that’s not what I was thinking. He wouldn’t let us, especially me, see Mommy because he knew I would blame myself. It’s really my fault; if I hadn’t trusted Grandfather Antonio, this wouldn’t have happened.
On our birthday, that’s when Mommy regained consciousness. It felt like the best birthday gift. We hugged her, and that’s when I discovered we could cry. That was the first time I shed tears.
But my life turned into a living nightmare. When Grandpa Reuben, Dad’s father, and Grandma Nora, Mommy’s mother, were introduced to us, I found myself growing close to them. They spoiled us, my siblings and me, excessively, and as a result, we loved them dearly. I remember smiling whenever I was with my grandparents. Even though Grandpa Antonio had shattered our trust in people, Grandpa Reuben and Grandma Nora managed to restore it. I never got to meet Grandma Eliana, Grandpa Reuben’s wife, as she had passed away long before.
One day, Grandma Nora was with us. We had guards, but even then, something terrible happened. Gia and I almost got captured. I managed to fend off my captors, but I was taken along with Grandma Nora. Some of the guards were shot during the sudden attack.
Grandma Nora held me tightly to keep me from being scared. I clung to her and didn’t want to be separated from her. They locked us in a dark room, but despite their attempts to put us in different rooms, they failed.
“I’m here, Gio. Everything will be alright,” I remember Grandma Nora always reassuring me, and I held onto that belief. I believed we would eventually escape from there. I just worried about my grandma. She’s getting older, and who knows what might happen to her.
Someone entered the room. I saw a woman, beautiful and it seemed her age fell between that of my parents.
“Hello, kid,” she greeted me. I furrowed my brow. Just by the way she spoke, I already had a bad feeling about her. I wasn’t the easily influenced boy I used to be. I’m not the same as my younger self. Now, as a 10-year-old, I knew how to discern things. Both my father and my grandfather taught me well. And this woman, just from a glance, I could tell she wasn’t good.
“You’re such a good-looking young boy, clearly a Locatelli,” the woman said. “I also have a daughter, and she’s probably three or four years younger than you. I’m training her to be just like me. I’m retired from all this nonsense, but my boss said this is my last mission before I focus on my child. Soon, she’ll carry on my legacy.”
She stood upright before a chilling smile crossed her face. I felt nothing but anger. As I gazed at her, I devised a plan to escape with my grandma.