Lorenzo Cassano

DNA doesn't make family

I did not look forward to today's event as I had to meet my bastard of a father Arlo for coffee for reasons I cannot explain.

From the moment he supposedly "saved" me, I lost all hope he would even care about what I wanted.

He saved me so he could use me. After all, I'm marrying the biggest mafia boss in the world, so he has more power now.

It won't matter what he says, we only share a last name.

Lorenzo drives me, and we haven't been on good terms since that night.

Occasionally, we have a quick chat at night, but it's usually stuff regarding the wedding, which is only one week away.

Lorenzo put space between us but he doesn't have as many girlfriends as he used to. He just comes home drunk late at night.

Who knows? Perhaps he sleeps with girls at the club or something so that he can spare my feelings, which is almost decent and the bare-minimum

"We are here," he says, stopping my train of thought and I look around to see that we are indeed here.

Getting out of the car, I replied, "Thank you" and turned around to say bye, but he had already left before I had even closed the door.

"Bastard!" I screamed in lowercase, so no one would hear me, and I wonder what he would do if he heard me directly say that to his face. He would probably die afterwards if he tried anything. As much as Enzo tries to hide it, he cares about me and what I'm doing.

While I walked toward Arlo who was reading a newspaper, I breathed in and out trying to calm myself because I had a legitimate reason to yell at him.

As I sit opposite him, he doesn't seem aware that I'm there.

"Arlo", I said with a fake smile.

"I'm glad you're here sweetie" he exclaimed.

"How are you?" he inquired.

"Good"

"Good," he responds with a grin.

"You know what? I'm not good"

"You left me when I was seven"

"Oh please not this again Fawn-" I cut his sentence because I was finally going to say what I was too afraid to say before.

"No, you're going to listen to what I have to say," I said feeling my eyes pool with water waiting to escape at the right moment and slide down my face like a river.

"Throughout my childhood, I constantly resented you, but most of all I felt no one would want to love me and I always felt it was my fault you left"

"For years I would think what did I do that made you leave"

"Fawn-" he replied.

While the tears streamed down my cheeks, I said, "You didn't even say goodbye"

"Fawn, I just wanted to get away," he replied.

"From me? Is that it... are you even aware of why I became a doctor?" I asked.

"No"

"My goal was to save lives, but it wasn't just that"

"I became a doctor so I could prove to you that I was worthy of your time and attention, but you never showed up. Now you do and you are making all of the decisions for me?"

"I'm just protecting you" he claimed taking my hand in his.

I grabbed my hand out of his grasp and yelled, "Protecting me? or yourself?"

I said, "I'm done thinking I'm not good enough for you and I am done letting you control my happiness," I said as I ran away, taking my belongings.

Nobody followed me & I did not think they would.

My only goal was to run until my legs gave out.

Having ended up on the beach, I sat down and buried my feet in the sand.

When Lorenzo showed up, my peaceful time sitting in the sand ended. I already knew he was pissed.

I stood up when I watched him approach me and he grabbed my arm, pulling me closer to him.

"Why the fuck are you here?" he growled pressing too hard on my arm to the point that it hurt.

"You're hurting me Enzo" I replied and his expression softened completely especially at his name then he looked at his grip on my arm and he let go.

His sudden change in emotions made me frown. Did the name I call him really make him become aware of things I'm thinking or feeling?

"I'm sorry...I needed a second", I said, tears in my eyes as I gazed at the beach.

I can't believe how peacefully those fish swim knowing their birth parents could be a thousand miles away or dead.

"Did your dad leave you as a child?" I asked thinking he wouldn't answer and he would just brush the question off with a mean remark.

"No, I was kidnapped as a baby" he replied, and I was shocked. But what surprised me more was that he told me about himself when he's never told me about himself before.

"I am sorry" I apologized even though it was not my fault, but it felt like the right thing to say.

"My kidnappers raised me, and my birth parents are some old couple who barbecue with their grandchildren every once in a while and sit on their porch with their cat that neither one of them wanted," said the man with no emotion visible on his face.

"You must have siblings, don't you? Aren't you curious about them?"

"No, they are just ordinary people. They don't belong in my world and I don't belong theirs," he said.

"Do you miss them?" I asked curiously.

"How could you miss someone you've never met?" he said looking at me in the eyes with eyebrows raised.

"Connection?"

"How much of a connection can you have with strangers when you are a baby?"

"I see your point"

Without giving any thought to it, I simply wrapped my arms around him.

"I don't need a hug," he exclaimed, trying to pull me away, but I remained where I was.

"Oh uh this isn't for you...it's for me...I kinda need it" I replied and I felt his arms circle around me.

"Why...why didn't he want me?" I asked, letting my tears run down his shirt.

"I don't know tesoro but I do know that he's incredibly stupid for not seeing how worth it is to stay for you...to choose you" he replied which weirdly enough made me feel better.

"Thank you," I responded, trying to see his face, but I didn't pull my arms away and he didn't pull his either.

The two of us stared into each other's eyes, completely forgetting everything else around us like we were the only beings on this planet and in this moment.

He suddenly said, "Forget what I said about my family"

"Why?"

"It's for the best" he replied.

"Okay, if you tell me something about you that makes you vulnerable, I'll listen then forget everything because I'm good at forgetting" I replied honestly.

"Good, then forget about this," he says.

"What?-"

He kissed me.