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"Fuck." Is the only reasonable reaction I have to the new data in front of me. Of course, this is the only blood test I get a positive on.
Luca sighs at my reaction, "What do we do now?" As if on cue, everyone turns to Adalena who is chewing on a pickle, a jar of peanut butter beside her.
With full cheeks, she grumbles, "Why y'all looking at me?"
Luca tilts his head, "He threatened you."
She arches an unbothered brow, "He threatened all of us, I'm pretty sure." Angel sighs, and before he can say what was on his mind, she throws her head back and groans, "Before you say it: no, it is not solely up to me what we do about him, because, and let me make this abundantly clear, I am merely a vessel holding y'all's blood-"
"You're not merely a vessel —"
She's not hearing it. "He's your brother."
Angel scoffs, "Half-brother. Only thing we share is a sperm donor."
That strikes silence in the room, the tension felt through a screen. Shit.
It's understandable that Angel is angry (and he's actually taking it better than I thought he would) so his terse statements aren't surprising. He's right though. We don't know him, yet he knows everything about us.
And while the test says what it says, something weird sits within me, like a pit in my stomach.
Adalena looks around the table of my three brothers before settling on the TV on the wall, where I am. "When are you meeting him?"
I check my watch, "Three hours."
She twists her mouth in thought. I could almost see them racing around her head.
Nico furrows his brows, "What do you wanna do? After all, he did approach you." And there's where I go blank.
For the first time in my life, I don't know what to do.
"He's insane." I start off and I hear Adalena whisper 'Probably clinically.' "But he's been searching for us for years. I'm not saying we take him in, bring him to Italy or anything, but maybe I talk to him about everything. Find out where he wants to go with this."
"You know where he wants to go with this," Angel narrows his eyes, "He wants us to fucking take him under our wing. He's not one of us. He hasn't suffered at the hand of our father. He's had everything handed to him since the day he was born. Are we really taking pity on a guy that has worse communication skills than me?"
Nico cuts in, "We're not taking pity —"
"We're thinking about it and that's as bad as it's going to get." He deadpans. Looking around the table to focused faces, Angel rolls his eyes, "Fine. Talk to him. Fucking have a sleepover, eat ice cream together, I don't give a fuck. But do not bring that man here." And that's when he walks out. And with Adalena's kind soul, she follows after him, but not without grabbing her jar of pickles.
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"Angel." I trail after him, quickly chewing and swallowing the pickle I'd stuffed in my mouth before I left the room. He doesn't stop and I have to waddle to keep up with him, "Angel!"
He turns around as fast as lightning and takes the jar of pickles from my grasp. I didn't even realize I was cradling it like a baby.
"How do you have an appetite right now?" He questions in a confused tone but I just shrug and point to my stomach. His shoulders fall, "Yeah, forgot you were eating for three."
I tilt my head and stare at his heterochromatic irises, "May I have my jar back, please?" He hesitantly grants my request and I go back to cradling it, "Look, I understand you're angry and so am I —"
He huffs, "You don't look like you're angry."
"Because I took a nap before coming down here. The beauty of hormones." I muse, "The man threatened my kids — I don't fuck with that. But Adri is — I can't even say excited — confused by everything happening right now and could use your support."
"Yeah, he'll get my support about this when our father rises from his grave and tells us what the fuck is going on." His jaw clenches in aggravation. "I knew he was a shady bastard, but to name me after the woman he cheated on our mother with?"
"I know it hurts, Angel, and I am so sorry, but I can't even pretend to tell you why that was a thought in his mind." I try to comfort him, but he just rolls his eyes, "Just trust Adriano."
"I never stopped, Lena." He scoffs, "I just don't trust Dean."
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