Emma Orfea Valdez.
Youngest and the only daughter in the Valdez clan in over a century. Fitting her name, she was the entire universe of the Valdez family. She made them whole, she shed light on the darkness they possessed. She was joy and they were...
1. When a sentence is written in italics with quotation marks at the beginning and end of the sentence then it means it has been signed rather than said out loud.
E.g. "Are you sure?"
2. When a sentence is written in italics with single quotation marks at the beginning and end of the sentence then it means it has been written or typed on the phone.
E.g. 'Are you sure?'
3. When a sentence is written in italics with no quotation marks at the beginning or end of the sentence then it means it is an internal thought.
E.g. He doesn't know anything.
****The first two points will be required frequently since our FL is mute and communicates through sign language or by typing or writing out her words.
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Never had Emma ever thought, there would come a day, when she would be sitting at a dining table, chatting with her stepmother, half-sister, step brother, and his girlfriend while waiting for her father and brothers to arrive.
Cursing her future self for not warning her about it, was all she could do at that moment.
The atmosphere in the dining room was deceptively peaceful. Behind the pleasant smiles and polite laughs, lay a tension that simmered as the clock hand ticked past 6:30. The time for Lorenzo to be back was nearing, Bob had mentioned him to be late and back after 6.
While everyone waited for the men Emma used to call her family once upon a time, they chatted amongst themselves. Emma and Felicity came to know a little about Gia, Christopher Ortega's girlfriend. Along with being in high school together, they also attended the same med school and were now working in the same hospital under Lorenzo Valdez. She was an orthopedic surgeon and loved her work.
She shared about her Italian ancestry, her great-grandparents having migrated from Italy in the late 60s and they have been settled there since then.
While Emma was conversing with Gia through sign language, the sound of footsteps approached the closed door of the dining room. Emma immediately looked up, her heart racing with anticipation as she waited for the arrival of the man she hadn't seen in a decade.
Everyone turned their heads towards the door, anticipating the arrival of the people on the other side.
Emma watched in slow motion as a faded-jeans-clad leg appeared through the opening door.
Emma furrowed her brows in confusion. The Valdez men were never the type to wear casual clothing such as a pair of jeans outside their own house. It had been a long time since she last saw them, and everyone had changed. However, they couldn't have changed that much.
