The Mafia's Promise

me out of my nap. I looked up and found my

love?" I sat up and p

ed him, worried that something might have happened to hi

nto my eyes and asked slowly, "Dadd

ould have ever expected. "What? No, of course not." The lie came out shaky and more

t believe me but he nodded. "Will you have to go t

his time my lie had more composure behind it. "Why don't

ka

he inside of my cheek, forcing myself to stay still. I couldn't let my son see me cry. Caleb was only eigh

. It was my responsibility to shield my son f

to act normally, for Caleb's sake, but I couldn't get rid of it,

turn to face me. And I didn't need him to, his attention was what I wanted. "Today, after Caleb got home from school, he noticed I hadn't gone out like I said I would.... And he asked if it was because you d

lly. "You see what I mean? You always spend too much time thinking about irrelevan

hing I had done wrong during all our years of marriage. "I'm sorry Leo," I

lled me close to him. His embrace answ

but you c

make things right." He fin

I was thinking.... This Saturda

be I just imagined it. Slowly, he moved away from me. "What is wrong with

, I j

r anything you'd want to do. What

t want to visit a park or

e housekeepe

eo

an enough to pass his message across. I swallowed hard, trying to

ll give him the news

s laptop, returning his

★

s greeted by the smiling face of my mother in law. "Hello de

mum, did Leo a

u might be lonely. And I hear you nee

a painful jab. So Leo was disappointed after all. "I'm really

otherhood is tough, and this is your first child so it's very nat

the sofa, my mother in law's hands never leaving mine. It was a kind gesture, but at the same t

as fond of me. She was always looking out for me and worrying

ever let me feel the gap and even

dear, what

, I started to explain. "Recently, Le

all over the place, even though Leo hadn't really done anything wrong. Finally

the slight furrow in her brows and the tinies

in. "Well, it seems like you alr

"I should respect

pleased her. In her warm, motherly tone, she added, "And don'

n saying to me throughout

nto my brain and it made voicing out my op

part of me- had been clinging so desperately to them for the past

led softly, regaining

feel b

es

we have a family meeting this w

Opportunities like this were rare, and