~Joan~
Alessia chuckled awkwardly. “What?” She stared at me like I’d lost my mind. My jaw tightened as my eyes drifted to Luna, who stood next to her daughter.
Bitterness bubbled inside me, thick and impossible to ignore.
Why didn’t she love me enough to take me with her to Spain? She got a new family, a fresh start, and I was left behind, struggling to fit in, struggling to push past my abandonment issues. Even now, after all these years, it still wasn’t easy.
And now she walked in here smiling, like everything was perfect, like nothing had ever been broken.
Fucking Aaron.
I glanced at him as he made his way beside me, looking like he wanted to say something.
“Can you ask her to leave, please?” I muttered, keeping my voice low. “I’d like to talk to Alessia alone without her in the picture.”
Luna’s brows drew together, her expression matching Rhoda’s confusion.
“There must be a misunderstanding. We’ve met before, haven’t we?” Luna asked, and I gritted my teeth.
“Jo, what’s going on?” Alessia asked quietly, her brown eyes locked onto mine.
I looked at Aaron instead. The bastard gave a small nod, silent confirmation that he’d put me in this situation in the first place. Oh, he’d pay for it later.
I sighed and turned to Alessia. “I just want your mom to leave, okay? No big deal.”
Her eyes darkened.
“No big deal? She came all this way to see you. And let’s not forget he specifically requested her presence.” She jerked her chin toward Aaron, her frustration clear.
“I’ll just leave,” Luna said softly, turning to go.
But Alessia stepped in front of her. “Mama, you’re not leaving until she gives us a valid reason why she wants you gone.” She turned back to me. “You’re being rude right now, and it’s hurting her.”
I scoffed, the sting behind my eyes growing sharper.
“Rude? Did you just say she’s hurt?” I repeated, my voice colder now.
Alessia’s brows furrowed.
I drew in a slow breath and closed my eyes.
“You need a valid reason?” I asked quietly, peeling my eyes open. My gaze settled on Alessia’s. “How would you feel if the woman who abandoned you at birth suddenly showed up, acting like none of it ever happened?”
Slowly, so slowly, Luna turned back around.
Her eyes met mine, confusion swirling with something else-something I couldn’t quite name.
I huffed.
“She’s my birth mother, okay?” I said, watching as Alessia’s face twisted in confusion. “But it doesn’t matter, because I want nothing to do with her. Is that a valid enough reason? Can she leave now?” My tone hardened, and Aaron’s hand landed on my shoulder, giving a small squeeze.
Alessia let out a disbelieving chuckle.
“What the fuck are you talking about? This is my mom. Maybe she just looks like yours, but that doesn’t-” She stopped short, her words fading as she caught sight of Aaron’s expression.
His voice was blunt, cutting through the room like a blade. “Luna had Joan twenty-six years ago with Ace Knight. Things got complicated, and Luna left for Spain, abandoning Joan at an orphanage.”
Luna’s face darkened. She dropped her gaze.
Alessia let out a shaky breath, then turned to her mother. “Mama, what are they talking about?”
Luna lifted her teary eyes to meet her daughter’s.
“What?” Alessia’s voice dropped to a whisper. “They’re lying, right?”
Luna sniffed, then turned to me.
“Are you her? You’re really my Amora, aren’t you?” Her voice wavered, like she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.
I pressed my lips into a thin line, irritation bubbling beneath the surface.
“Joan,” I said dryly. She didn’t get to call me by some sentimental name. I had a name, and it wasn’t hers to change.
A tear slipped down her cheek, then another.
Alessia just stared at her mother, her face a mix of surprise and something else-hurt, maybe.
Luna whispered something in Spanish, barely audible, and took a hesitant step forward.
I tensed.
No. I didn’t want her close. Seeing her was enough to ruin my whole day. Maybe I’d been able to tolerate her presence before because I hadn’t been sure. But now? Now that Aaron had confirmed it?
The hate I’d buried for years clawed its way back up.
Aaron moved in front of me, his broad frame blocking her path. She got the message and stepped back.
Alessia huffed, rubbing her hands over her face.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered.
“Oh my God.” Her body shook slightly as she covered her face with both hands.
And despite everything, despite the anger still lodged deep in my chest, I felt the smallest ounce of pity for her.
No one spoke.
Then Alessia moved.
She was still her mother, after all.
She wrapped her arms around Luna, whispering something in Spanish, and Luna cried harder.
I shifted uncomfortably, the air too thick, too heavy.
After a while, Luna pulled herself together, wiping her eyes. Aaron grabbed the only chair in the room and moved it far from my bed before gesturing for her to sit.
She hesitated before speaking, her voice lower now. “After he got arrested, I was threatened. The syndicate he once joined-and later left-they wanted to take my daughter to make him pay.” Her brown eyes met mine. “They wanted to punish me, too.”
Something tightened in my chest.
“So I did the only thing I could. I left her at an orphanage and ran to Spain. I knew they would follow me, and they did.” She looked down at her hands, rubbing them together slowly.
A nervous habit.
I knew it, because I had it too.
“They asked about her. Tortured me, night after night. I told them she had gotten sick and died. Leaving her at an orphanage was the only way I could keep her safe.” Her voice cracked, and she blinked rapidly.
The silence stretched.
“When they finally gave up on me, I returned.” She took a deep breath, staring at her hands like they held the answer. “I went back to the orphanage, but she was gone. They told me they had to relocate some of the children. They wouldn’t tell me where. I searched every orphanage in Brooklyn, but I never found her.”
She let out a slow exhale.
“I didn’t know if the syndicate had found her. If they had hurt her. I didn’t know anything. But I mourned her every day.”
My eyes burned.
She lifted her gaze to mine. “I’m sorry. I should have searched harder.”
I turned away.
Sorry wouldn’t fix everything. And yet, why did I feel lighter?
Maybe because she said she had left me to protect me. But how could I know if that was true?
Aaron rubbed my hair, and I resisted the urge to glare at him. I was still mad at him.
But maybe, just maybe, this had been worth it.
I looked at Alessia.
“Sorry if I sounded rude earlier. Everything was… overwhelming.”
She gave a small nod, her own mind clearly still reeling.
I had no idea how to be someone’s sister.
We were fine as colleagues. But half-siblings? I didn’t know where to start.
Aaron’s voice was quiet. “You should leave.” He looked at Luna. “She’ll reach out if she wants.”
Luna nodded, giving me a small, sad smile.
She turned to go, then hesitated.
“Do you have any other children?” My voice was quieter now.
Her smile softened. “Two boys. They’re back in Spain.”
I pressed my lips together. The thought of younger brothers didn’t seem so bad.
She lingered for a moment, then walked out, Alessia following behind her.
I sagged against the pillow once they’d left.
“You did good.” Aaron muttered and I glared at him.
“Don’t talk to me. I’m still mad at you.”
His lips twitched. Good thing, he found this funny.
He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth.
“You did good, kitten. I mean it,” he whispered. My stomach dipped.
Someone cleared their throat.
Rhoda.
I shoved Aaron away, rolling my eyes and pretending that little kiss didn’t affect me.
Aaron straightened up. “I’m going to get lunch,” he said and with that he was out the door.
Rhoda gave a small smile. “You’re really gonna put up with that?”
I shrugged.
“I guess,” Earlier, when we’d talked, I told her I was going to give her a chance but we were not going to be as close as we used to be.
But we were ready to take it slowly.
Her smile faltered lightly.
“What are you going to do about them?” she asked and I stared at her.
“I don’t know. Would probably give them a chance?” I muttered and she grinned. I was thinking about it. Having a family won’t hurt though.
But what I didn’t know yet was if they were worth the chance of if I would be accepted wholly.