Lost Lombardi

Chapter 65

Rosi arrived at the Lombardi mansion in the evening, looking a bit nervous but full of hope.

"Rosi," Pietro greeted her with a smile. He appeared more relaxed now, and there was happiness in his face. Dino wasn't the only reason for that.

"Pietro," Rosi said, meeting his eyes. She had missed him since returning home, though she hadn't admitted it to him. "Does he know I'm coming?" she asked.

"Uh, no. I wasn't sure how to tell him..." Pietro replied.

"That's okay. I need to face this," Rosi said determinedly.

"He doesn't hate you. I'm sure of that, so don't worry," Pietro reassured her.

Rosi climbed the staircase and knocked on Dino's door.

"Papa, is that you? Come in," she heard Dino's voice from inside. Her heart raced as she slowly opened the door and stepped in. Dino, who was lying on his bed, looked surprised to see her.

"Hi, Dino," Rosi greeted him, noticing the disbelief in his eyes.

"Hi!" Dino replied, still in shock.

"Can we talk?" she asked gently.

"Yeah, we can," Dino said, looking down. He felt guilty for yelling at her in the hospital. "I'm sorry for shouting at you at the hospital," he added, eyes still downcast.

Rosi slowly sat on Dino's bed. "That's fine. I think I deserve it," she said, tears glistening in her eyes. To Dino, she seemed like an entirely different person now—defeated, with her joyful demeanor replaced by seriousness and worry.

"Papa told me what happened to you," Dino said softly.

"Oh..." Rosi gasped, shocked. She wondered what Dino was thinking about the situation.

Dino looked at Rosi, and she looked back at him. An awkward silence hung in the air.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm really sorry," Rosi said, her voice breaking as she cried.

"It's... it's okay, Mom," Dino whispered, and Rosi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What... what did you say? I'm sorry... can you, can you repeat that?" she asked, her eyes shining with hope.

"I said it's okay, Mom," Dino repeated quietly.

"Did you... did you call me Mom?" Rosi asked, moving closer to Dino.

"What else should I say?" he replied, curious. It felt strange to call her Mom after knowing her for just a few months, yet he couldn't call her by her name anymore.

Without warning, Rosi hugged Dino, and he felt her tears soaking into his shirt. He instinctively touched her back to comfort her, believing it was the right thing to do for someone who was crying.

"I thought you hated me," Rosi said, breaking the hug. She sounded as if she had found new energy.

"I thought you hated me," Dino replied. "Now I know it's not you. It's... it's your mom."

"So, you don't hate me now? Can you... can you forgive me, son?" Rosi asked, gently touching Dino's face.

"I don't hate you, Mom. You don't have to ask for forgiveness," Dino said, looking into Rosi's eyes.

"How did it go?" Pietro asked Rosi as she came out of Dino's room. He had been waiting outside, eager to know what had happened.

"It went well. He doesn't hate me. He talked with me without any stress. I think we're good," Rosi said happily. "I feel like it's a good start."

"That's great!" Pietro replied, genuinely pleased.

"So, I'm going home then," Rosi said.

"Now? I mean, you can stay a bit if you want," Pietro suggested.

"What am I supposed to do, staying here?" Rosi asked.

"We can have a chat, maybe?" Pietro offered. Rosi smiled and walked with him to the garden, where they strolled slowly.

"So, are you seeing anyone?" Pietro got straight to the point.

"I had seen someone, but I broke up with him. He was my parents' choice," Rosi said. "How about you?"

"I also had someone. We broke up. She wasn't ready to accept Dino, I guess. I thought it was unfair because Dino lived his whole life without parents. He shouldn't have to continue like that after finding us," Pietro replied.

"Yes, that's true," Rosi agreed. "So, I'll go home now. Maybe I'll come back tomorrow to see Dino," she said, looking at Pietro.

"Okay," Pietro said, feeling disappointed at the thought of Rosi leaving.

"Bye, Pietro," Rosi said, turning her back to him and starting to walk slowly toward her car. But Pietro softly grabbed her hand, quickly turning her to face him. Rosi looked at Pietro with curiosity. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. Rosi wrapped her arms around Pietro's neck, kissing him back as he embraced her waist.

At that moment, Dino was looking out his window and saw his parents kissing.

"Oh... okay," he murmured to himself, moving away from the window.

—-----

After a year......

Dino sat in a suit, watching his parents get married. All the family members were there, but none of Rosi's family attended. Only her friends were present. Rosi mentioned that her father was okay with the marriage, but her mother was not. She had ignored Rosi the entire time since she got back together with Pietro. Rosi's father didn't come to the wedding because of her mother, but he spoke to her on the phone before the ceremony, expressing his happiness for her.

Don was supportive of Pietro marrying Rosi. He wanted Pietro to settle down and had no intention of stopping him from getting married.

"Do you feel happy they're getting married?" May asked Dino, who was sitting next to her.

"I'm happy for them," Dino replied, smiling as he looked at May.

The End

Author's Note

I started this story without a clear storyline in mind, but to my surprise, readers loved the first few chapters! Their excitement and encouraging comments inspired me to continue the journey. I'm so grateful to everyone for reading my story and sharing their thoughts. Thank you for reading my story!