A Condemned Lust [Lionel Messi]

Chapter thirteen

Laura's POV

"I missed you so much my little boy" i held Thiago in my arms as he clutched onto me.

"You said you'd visit everyday." He pouted, arching his eyebrows at me.

"I know sweetie, i'm sorry." I paused, setting him down before crouching to his level. "Now show me your cute smile that i love." I continued, pinching his cheeks softly.

He smiled at me, then spotted his favorite cartoon show on TV. He rushed to the living room and sat comfortably to watch.

I turned to find Antonella was putting Mateo in his crib to play. They just got here from their vacation, so i still didn't get the chance to talk to her properly.

Seeing that Marta was now keeping an eye on the boys, she approached me giving me a sign to follow her to the next room.

"Neymar told me that things worked out for you and Leo, but i wanted to hear it from you." She said with a smile.

"Uhm, yes, yes." I rubbed the back of my neck nervously.

Days ago i thought i was destroying her family, and now that the truth came out, i still didn't get used to this new atmosphere.

"Antonella, about that; i first want to thank you. But i want to apologize too."

She interrupted me before finishing, "you don't have anything to apologize for. With your relationship with Neymar, you proved that you're a good person that didn't want to be a home-wrecker; even if you had all the reasons to be."

"I tried to control myself. I sure didn't want to cause any harm. I kept running away but i always fell back here."

"I know. And i know how much you love him. I saw it in your eyes from the moment you stepped into this house. And it made me happy, trust me. Because he deserves to be loved that much; but i couldn't give him that. So i'm trusting you with this." She smiled while rubbing the side of my shoulder. "Take care of him, Laura."

"Don't worry. And thank you again."

I was really overwhelmed by her kindness, that i didn't know what else to say. She was really an amazing woman. She trusted me with her house and family right from the start, knowing that i loved him. And now she's trusting me to take her place.

I hope i'll live up to her expectations.
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I sat next to Thiago, checking what he was drawing. He was into drawing superheroes before, or at least he used to try. But right now it was different. Something was odd.

"What are you drawing sweetie?" I asked carefully.

"A boy. And rain. A lot of rain."

His tone had changed. It wasn't his usual cheerful voice. I can tell he was upset.

He started scratching the paper with his pencil, adding a lot of raindrops.

"Thiago, honey. Tell me what's wrong?" I spoke softly while rubbing his back.

He didn't reply, but he had stopped drawing. I lifted him up to set him on my lap, when i noticed his teary eyes.

"Talk to me sweetie.."

"I hate Enzo!" He cried out. "He wants to take my mom away from us!"

This was worse than i thought.

"My dear, he's not taking your mom away. He loves her and he wants her to be happy." I tried hard to find the right words to explain this to him, but it was difficult.

"But papi loves her too. She is happy here." His voice wobbled with restrained emotions.

I was at a loss of words. His pain and cries were echoing inside of me, digging holes into my stomach.

How do you fix a 6 year-old's broken heart?

I held him tight while he cried into my chest; still trying to find words to comfort him.

"My lovely boy. In life, adults face hard situations, problems, that we, as kids won't be able to understand. We find ourselves in situations we didn't choose and that could make us sad. But i want you to know that, no matter what, your parents are doing the best they can to make you happy. And that not in any way they want to see you upset." I rubbed his back, deciding to share with him one of my experiences. "You see, when i was a kid, my parents decided to pursue happiness each on their own. And at first i was sad, just like you. But when i grew older i knew that it was the best for the family. And they didn't abandon me. On the contrary, i got double the attention from both of them. Double vacations, double birthdays, double gifts. And now i'm here. I'm fine. I'm happy."

I noticed that his sobs got more quiet. I knew that his reaction was purely based on his emotions, and i understood him perfectly. So i decided to keep on talking, if it was helping him in any way.

"Sweetie, i'm telling you all this to show you that nothing is over. I know this is a change in your life, but i promise you'll get used to it. I don't want you to fear change. Change makes us stronger, it helps us adapt to different situations, and sometimes it gives us more good than bad. Whether you decide to go with your mom or stay with your dad, the other one will be nearby that you won't feel their absence. It's just a phase that will pass." I stroked his hair, soothing him more, noticing that his breath was going back to normal. "And i'll be here to help you dear. We'll all be here for you."

He nodded, looking at me with sleepy eyes, letting me wipe away the rest of his tears.

"And now my little prince, do you want to sleep or maybe come with me to grab a nice big bowl of ice cream?"

"ICE CREAM!" He jumped suddenly from my lap, running to the kitchen.

No matter the weather, Thiago's weakness was ice cream with a lot of whipped cream. So hopefully this will take his mind a bit off of what's happening.

He finished his ice cream with a big smile, all sadness disappearing from his face. He rested his head on my thigh to take a much needed nap.

I knew that Antonella heard our conversation, because i saw her peeking from the next room before we went to get the ice cream. She entered the room, seeing that he fell asleep. She mouthed a thank you, looking in pain as well, for what she heard. I simply nodded reassuringly, before falling back into my thoughts.

He said he hated Enzo because he took his mom away. That's one blow. How would he react when he'll know about our relationship? What if he blamed me for this too?

I looked at him sleeping peacefully, letting my hand caress his cheek softly.

There's already enough on his plate. I can't risk adding to his pain. At least not right now. I felt like a phony, and i hated myself for it.

And just when i thought that everything is solved and that i finally got everything i wanted, i realized that i'm only brushing happiness with my fingertips.
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