Consumed By temptation Of Chaos

Chapter; six

— Isabella Vitiello

       My dad was running in circles around the kitchen island, trying to escape my mom while she held a plate with yet another questionable "healthy" experiment she had made. I kept feeding Lilo the baby carrots she loved—she had made a complete mess of her cage—then put her on the floor so I could clean it while she ran around the penthouse. For a guinea pig, Lilo was extremely stressed.

      After surviving the battle against my mom and her suspicious dishes, Dad helped me finish cleaning my room. I packed some books I had already read and loved into boxes to donate to the charity center the Vitiello family supported. I also set aside clothes that had been sitting in my closet untouched, along with a good portion of my Converse and combat boot collection.

"Did you even leave anything for yourself at that mall?" Dad grumbled after bumping into the pile of heavy donation boxes.

"Enough to not shop for years," I said with a smile.

"Are you okay, Isabella?" He leaned against one of the boxes and looked at me with those worried, overprotective brown dad eyes.

"They're just clothes, Dad." I smiled and kept organizing books on my shelf.

"I'm not talking about that, Isa. I'm talking about you." He shook his head and sighed. I turned my attention to him. "So much has happened since your... since they took you and your mother. And on top of that, Amo and Luca welcomed those bastards like family. It must be hard for you, having to see them walking around after everything."

After the kidnapping, my dad became more careful with me. He started spending more time at home, distracting me with chess and showering me with new books like he needed to make up for something that wasn't even his fault. Dad blamed himself for not being there for Mom and me.

"Dad," I set the book aside, sat on the edge of the bed, and pointed to the ottoman in front of me for him to sit, "I already told you I don't care about that. I voted for peace, remember?" He nodded reluctantly.

Which was a lie. I did care. And I was still afraid of the Falcones.

"I wish I had half your strength, little one. Because all I want is to rip the lungs out of every Falcone I see walking around this city," he huffed.

"You'll get used to it with time. Even Uncle Luca is handling all this," I said, lifting a box against my chest.

"I love you, Isa. Never forget that." He smiled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we walked.

"I love you too, Dad."

We took all the boxes to the car and dropped them off at the charity. After that, we went to a fast-food place where Dad bought bourbon ribs for both of us, and Mom complained about the smell of meat that filled the car. Dad dropped us off at the yoga studio, where Cara was at the front desk and greeted us with a warm smile.

I followed Mom during her exercises, watching as she hung and twisted herself in silks doing aerial acrobatics. I grabbed onto one of the purple silks and spun, supporting myself. It was great for stretching my spine and the rest of my body—basically Pilates for the mind. After a while, I untangled myself and sat on the floor watching Mom. She finished her routine too and lay on the ground, eyes closed.

I crawled over and lay in her lap, resting my head in the curve of her neck and breathing in her perfume. She smiled and started stroking my hair. I held onto her tighter and let myself relax in her care. I loved moments like that. It felt like the weight of the world disappeared whenever I was in her arms.

People never believed me when I said she was loving and truly cared about me. Everyone had a complicated image of who my mom used to be. But people change. Even if I never knew the Gianna from before me, I know the Gianna now. She's a wonderful mother, a good wife, and a friend.
Soon, women started arriving for the mother-daughter class, and the room filled up. Mom began teaching. I loved doing yoga with her—it was something we had done since I was little, something that brought us closer. I loved sitting there watching her work, doing what she loved.