𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝

57

valentina 

"Paga la puttana."

Pay up bitch. Mara smiles widely, holding her hand out to Nora.

"Couldn't you guys have done this next week or something." She mutters, handing Mara a thick wad of cash.

My jaw falls slack, they bet on us?

"Ma!" Matteo gapes from beside me, his hands still planted firmly on my waist even when I move to stand in front of him.

"What?"

"You bet on us?"

"Yes, it was obvious you were going to get together at some point, I might as well get some money out of it." Mara shrugs, counting the stack of cash in her hand.

"You know how you look at each other right? How did you think we wouldn't find out?" Nora backs her up with a snicker.

"I-" Matteo starts but his mother cuts him off instantly with the wave of her hand.

"I knew from the moment I saw you both together, months ago. You really think you can keep anything from your mother?"

I try my best not to laugh at the look Matteo's getting but fail miserably. He pinches my waist and I step on his foot in return.

Three notifications sound around the room, one from my phone, one from Matteo's and one from Nora's. The small dings hold much more weight than any words could ever and a heavy silence falls.

My heart drops in fear, a flash of heat takes over my body and tears spring to my eyes for no reason, not yet anyway.

My eyes meet Nora, my possible mother's eyes finding them wide with anxiety and I know mine are too.

This is it.

The moment I've been dreaming for from the moment I realised that I was all alone in this world. From the moment I realised that I'd never have anyone to call my mom or dad or brother or sister. That I'd have no grandparents or aunties or uncles or cousins.

For so long I thought that it was just me.

And to think that one small message could change that forever is unsettling to say the least.

I feel Matteo's body stiffen behind me, before he leans closer to my ear.

"I'll be in the other room, shout if you need me."

And with one more pinch to my waist, he leaves the room with his mother trailing close behind.

Nora takes a few steps so that she's stood next to me as I lean on the counter, staring at my blank screen to scared to check the message.

"You're going to have to look eventually, might as well get it over and done with. On the count of three?" She speaks softly, like a mother would speak to her daughter when they're on good terms.

"One... two... three."

I tap on the screen and before I can even register any of the words, tears cloud my vision.

It was a match.

Alessandro is my father and Eleonora is my mother making Luna and Vincent my siblings.

I have a family.

A real family.

People who share the same blood I do.

I turn to Nora, throwing my arms around her shoulders as she pulls me in tightly for a hug.

Our body's shake in unison as we cry into each other's arms. Mother and daughter, reunited once again.

"I can't believe your my mom. I can't believe I have a mom."

"My sweet sweet daughter. I thought I'd never see you again in my life." My mother pulls away, wiping the tears under my eyes with her thumbs.

"When I first saw you I thought I saw a ghost, you look the same as you did when you were younger. And my God do you look like your father." She pause for a second, wiping her own eyes with a shaky hand and sniffling.

"I'm so proud of you, you've grown up to be the exact type of woman I wished you would be, except you had to teach it all to yourself."

By this point I'm balling my eyes out.

It's as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel a little overwhelmed by relief, so much relief.

"We have a lot of catching up to do and we should probably talk to your brother and sister about this but first, I want to know everything that I've missed."

-

"So I was taken?"

"Have you ever seen the movie Tangled?"

"Yes I love it."

"It was pretty much like that."

"Oh. And you looked for me?" I question, a little unsurely.

"We had people in every part of the country." My mom sips her coffee, looking off into the distance. "And they found a body, one that they believed to be yours. They didn't let us see it, something about it being too much for us to handle, which should've been a red flag but we were so so scared to see what happened to you. Too scared. It will forever be my biggest regret."

"I-I have a grave then?"

She nods solemnly and I take in a shaky breath.

All this time they thought that I was dead. They didn't hate me or just leave me on the steps of an orphanage.

"So I'll never know how I ended up in New York?"

"We had no leads but if you want to try and find out, we'll do everything we can to help you."

I give her a little nod before starting to tell her things that only one other person knows.

With every word I watch as her face crumbles into one of mortification, as she places her head in her hands and as she grabs my hand tightly whimpering apologies.

For once I don't cry, I think I've made peace with everything I've been through and I have only one person to thank for it. From abusive homes to homelessness to drug addiction, each word slips through my mouth like silk instead of sandpaper, no longer cutting as I speak.

"You met Matteo years ago? He didn't call you Bella by any chance?"

"Yeah, he did."

"You're Bella?" She exclaims through her teary eyes.

I nod and move onto the more recent events of my life, getting kidnapped for stealing and getting forced to live with Matteo by his mother to falling in love with him.

"He told me he loved me last night, I told him I loved him back." My mom gasps, hitting my arm.

"You're in love?"

"Mhm."

"You are so strong and so brave and I am so incredibly proud of you. I could not wish for a better daughter. I don't know how you ended up back in my life but I am eternally grateful for it."

"Thanks mom."

Cue the tears again.

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aww mother daughter <3

unedited

thank you for 15k !!!

look after yourselves and drink water 

<3