Unlike Gin, Ale's upbringing was marked by emotional and financial instability.
It was common knowledge among their peers that Ale's family had recently sold their historic family home and other properties in other cities due to overwhelming debt. Ale was left to navigate the fallout of his family's financial collapse, living with a father who - as it whispered - had squandered their entire fortune.
Before the downfall, Ale's mother had chosen to leave the family to avoid their economic disaster, opting for a more modest life with a partner who could provide stability.
His mother's abandonment had left Ale with a sense of permanent loss. In his mother's absence, Ale found refugee in his grandmother, who provided for the material, educational and affective needs of his nephew. She was a former Prima Ballerina of a prestigious European theater during the era of Nazi Fascism.
Despite her strict discipline, she showered Ale with rare dedication and affection, seeing in him a fragility that warranted her protection. She instilled in him good manners and respect for women, qualità che sarebbero state di indubbio valore nel futuro.
His family had to face a series of unfortunate events over time. One fateful night, tragedy struck when a fire broke out in the family villa's storehouse, destroying cherished antiques and claiming the life of Ale's grandfather.
Rumor had it that Ale's grandmother had deliberately locked her husband inside the burning building and saved only Ale. The truth remained obscured by the flames.
She was a woman of austere and elegant demeanor, with an aura of mystery and rigidity that instilled fear in the neighborhood.
It was clear that her unwavering dedication was reserved for Ale, whom she cherished as her favorite among her grandchildren.
His aura of failure attracted Gin so much. Growing up without references and with such violent traumas, Ale had all the characteristics to fail to assert himself in the world. Lacking the sense of self-efficacy, he took refuge in his home. His room was the only place he was sovereign in.
In that room, he often dreamed of being swallowed by his father, who feared being ousted by his son. A frequent nightmare from which he woke up with even less hope than when he fell asleep.
He harbored deep emotions for the things and people that mattered to him, but soon he had learned to suppress them.
He learnt it at young age, during a chess tournament with his sister. Despite being on the verge of victory, he inadvertently touched a pawn, which was worth a move. At that point, the sister made "checkmate".
Overwhelmed with disappointment, Ale retreated to the bathroom, tears streaming down his face.
In that circumstance, his father admonished him with a stern command: "No crying."
This simple yet powerful statement became a rule for Ale.
From that moment on, Ale internalized the lesson, burying his feelings deep within himself and adopting a mask of emotional detachment to shield from vulnerability.
But his feelings, inside him, remained equally intense. Only restrained.
He was a normal guy outside. Chubby because of his age, his appearance promised a tall and dry physique in the near future - but, at the time, he still could not know. Inside, due to the induced introversion, the boy was magmatic.
Growing up, feeling discarded in all contexts, Alexandre became increasingly resentful.
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Thin places | Dark romance
Romance*Work in progress* Have you ever wondered if you really love that person or if you're just addicted? The story of Geneva and Alexander starts in the past and will accompany them throughout their lives. Geneva is an empathetic, perfectionist and lov...
