Chapter 6
Giovanni rubbed his forehead as he sat at the dinner table, listening to his sister and mother talk about their daily business. His nieces and nephews ate their meal in silence because they knew better than to mess around in front of their uncle. As Giovanni sat with his food untouched, he looked at his eldest niece and smiled.
"Are you done with dinner, Emily?" He asked.
Emily, a beautiful twelve year old with sunkissed blonde hair and a tan nose, nodded her head.
"Can you take Sophia and Leo up to their rooms?" Giovanni asked. "The adults need to talk."
Arianne, Giovanni's sister, looked up at her brother and then at her children. Emily waited until her mother nodded her head before she got up from her seat and collected her younger siblings.
"That little one barely touched his food," Silvia, Giovanni's mother, commented as she pointed to Leo's plate.
"He had a snack before dinner," Arianne said. "He'll be okay."
"What is it that you want to talk about, Gio?" Silvia asked.
She was an old lady with white hair and folded skin. But her green eyes were just as vibrant as they had been when she was a young girl. She was thin and tall, with a round face that looked older than she actually was.
Giovanni knew Silvia had struggled a lot to raise him and his sister alone after their father had passed. He owed a lot to his mother. Giovanni also knew how disappointed she was with his lack of children and wife. Silvia never shied away from her sorrows of never seeing Giovanni's children grow up. Giovanni knew the news of Mila's existence would leave Silvia speechless.
Setting down the napkin on the table, Giovanni cleared his throat and looked at his mother and then at his sister.
"I have a daughter," he said.
Silvia and Arianne gasped simultaneously as their eyes widened and they set their forks down.
"What do you mean?" Silvia asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. "What daughter?"
"Her name is Mila," Giovanni said slowly. "She's my and Anjali's daughter."
"Anjali?" Arianne's eyes widened. "Anjali, the same Anjali you wanted to marry?"
"Yes," Giovanni said.
"You had a child with her?" Silvia questioned. "When? When did you see her? How long has this been going on?"
"I didn't," Giovanni shook his head. His head spun trying to get all these thoughts together. "I didn't go see her. I haven't seen her since she left Del Mare."
"So she was pregnant when she left?" Arianne asked.
"Yes," Giovanni answered.
"And you let her go?" Silvia asked furiously.
"I didn't know!" Giovanni stated. "I had no idea she was pregnant. I just found out about Mila today."
"How?" Arianne asked.
"She's here," Giovanni said, looking at his mother. "She came to find me."
"She's here?" Silvia's eyes widened. The corner began to glisten with tears. "In Del Mare?"
Giovanni nodded.
"Why didn't you bring her home?" Silvia asked.
"Are you sure she's your daughter?" Arianne asked. "How do you know she's not some random girl?"
