Mia Amata

I Will Never Harm You

Alessandro Ermanuele Armani

“The love between a father and his daughter is unbreakable”

I ended up staying awake the whole night, too restless to go to sleep in an unfamiliar place.

There are so many things I have to do.

I haven't even told the rest of my family about Diya yet, only Matteo knows.

I still have to find Kyle and make him pay for what he did to my daughter.

Just the thought of Kyle and what he did to my daughter makes me rage.

Rage at the fact that I wasn't there to protect her.

Rage at the fact that I missed the first 13 years of her life.

Rage at the fact that she's hurt.

Diya started stirring awake earlier and the nurse gave her some more medicine to help her sleep through the night.

It's now 9am and Alonzo and Elijah are coming to the hospital with breakfast although I have no appetite.

Diya stirs and I stand up as she whimpers in pain.

"Shhh, you're okay. You're safe, mia amata", I softly assure her.

Diya opens her eyes as much as can with them swollen shut and closes them again as her eyes adjust to the brightness of the room.

She squints up at me as she tries to sit up on the bed and winces in pain.

"Stop, let me help", I say authoritatively as I help her sit up.

"It's you", Diya says in a surprised voice.

"Yes, tesoro, it's me", I say, amused with her behaviour.

"Why are you still here?", Diya asks in a shocked voice.

My eyebrows furrow in confusion.

What does she mean?

"I'm here because you are", I reply still confused.

Diya looks back at me with the exact confusion I feel.

"I'll leave soon", Diya replies.

"Yes, when you're better enough to fly, you'll leave to fly home with me", I confirm still confused.

"I'm going home with you?", Diya asks looking unsure.

"Of course you are, mia amata. You're my daughter, where else would you go?", I ask.

Diya still looks confused and unsure but decides to change the topic.

"Where do you live?", she asks.

"Chicago. You'll meet all your uncles, aunts and cousins there as well", I reply.

"You don't have a wife?", Diya asks.

"No, she died. You'll also meet your brothers there. We all live in a big house together", I explain.

"You mean stepbrothers?", she asks.

"No, mia piccola. We're all family. There is no such thing as half brothers or step brothers. They are your brothers and you are their sister", I say authoritatively.

Diya lets out a sigh as if overwhelmed with all the new information and throws her head back so it rests on the bed.

It is then that I realise that her lip is wobbling and a single tear rolls down her cheek.

Why is she crying?

Is it because of me?

What did I do?