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Adalena couldn't completely focus as she got dressed for the date Adriano had planned. The package sits comfortably on the bed behind her as she stares at it through the mirror. She brushes her hands over her dress though she can't help but bite her lip at the thought of what Adriano sent to her.
Maybe she's just being dramatic by waiting to open it. Or maybe she enjoys the suspense. Either way, she can't stop looking at it.
The rest of her day went well, with time spent catching up on emails and having her weekly talk with her mother who still couldn't let go of the fact that her daughter is in a seemingly happy place in her life.
Adalena doesn't know how many times she can reassure the woman who gave birth to her that she's actually capable of this little thing called 'Shutting Up and Supporting Her Daughter.'
It's very apparent that it's not a universal thing.
She focuses back on herself in the mirror and scans her shape. Her face is gaining weight and the bump is hiding under the dress she grabbed from the closet she shares with Adriano.
The dress is loose on her body, conforming to her growing belly. She still found it hard to believe that she was almost eight weeks pregnant. Maybe it was the growing baby bump or the fact that her life has been peaceful in Italy, but she couldn't believe it.
Which also leads her to question Kory's intentions. It's been almost a month since he last made an appearance. She's nervous about her life and her baby's when all she should be feeling is excitement.
Sometimes at night, when she can feel Adriano's eyes on her as he waits for her to fall asleep, she thinks about how much easier it would be if she just accepted Kory's proposition. She wouldn't be standing still in murky waters, waiting for him to attack or make himself known.
She has faith in the brothers, but Dean Kory is an enigma. He's abnormal and does things out of the blue, appears out of the blue.
The proposal, the pictures. But, where did the obsession come from? Where did he come from?
Maybe she's maybe making it deeper than it is and he's just some psycho that found his latest obsession, but she can't help but feel like there's something they're missing. Something important.
Speaking of something important - she finally turns toward the box and pulls at the bow on top. It's a pretty coral that she can't help but swoon at. The box was on the smaller side, the size of a shoe box, but nothing about it indicated that it would hold a pair of Balenciagas. She can't help the gasp that escapes her when she takes the cover off.
She blames the hormones.
Inside the box is a stack of white envelopes and a black, distinctive folded note right on top. She brushes away the tear that flees down her cheek and sniffles. Taking the note into her grasp, she pulls it open and reads it.
These are to help you close your eyes.
I love you, Adri
P.S.: Don't read them all at once.
She folds the note again and focuses her attention on the envelopes practically overflowing out of the box. She takes one into her hold and opens it. She had an idea about what they could be, hence why she started crying in the first place. The paper is weathered, with spots of dried water peppered across the material. It's old.
August 20, 2012 —
Adalena arches a brow. This was nine years ago.
The first time I saw you, I knew we'd become something more.
You had on a pair of baggy ripped jeans, a cropped top, and a pair of beat-up sneakers. You said you were going to your first class but didn't know how to find it so you asked my friend for help but I couldn't stop staring at you and I could feel my heart race whenever you glanced at me.
I loved how your skin glowed and how your eyes sparkled and how you were so eager for knowledge and how you were so polite and kind to everyone you passed when you walked away.
I was so intrigued but it was then I knew I would be in it for the long game.
She lowers herself onto the bed, heart racing with shock. He wrote this nine years ago. Back when she was a freshman in college, back when she first met him.
She remembers that day. It was the first day of classes and she'd overslept that morning, taking her chance to find her building early. She was lost and took the chance to approach a small group of very attractive guys perched on the wall of one of the buildings. She asked the loudest one there and got her answer.
But her eyes couldn't stray from the quiet man that sat directly in front of her. She didn't know why, everyone there was looking at her. But he had something about him. Something intimidating yet charming, yet dark. She was intrigued and she knew she wanted to know him.
She just wasn't sure when that would happen.
Her phone dings, a text from Adriano coming through.
Meet me downstairs.
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