That night, both of us were too shy to speak. We were lying in bed quietly with our hearts beating fast. I couldn’t even tell whose heartbeat I was hearing. His or mine.
The kiss happened naturally. Everything that followed did too. From then on, we became close, truly close and both of us found joy in it. Our relationship began to blossom.
Fabio soon returned to the police stations, taking on light command work. Every day when he came home, he brought me small gifts. New clothes, a hairpin, or jewelry.
By the third year, Fabio could walk completely on his own. His steps were slow, but it was a miracle that he could walk again at all. That day, we hugged each other and cried for a long time. Fabio gently wiped away my tears and kissed me again and again.
I thought to myself, ‘This is happiness.’
But that happiness didn’t last long because Serena came back. The day she returned, Fabio didn’t cling to me for once. For once, my parents called us and invited us home for dinner.
Serena had been gone for three years. She hadn’t come home once during that time. At every New Year’s gathering, Mr. and Mrs. Altomare would awkwardly say that Serena was busy with her studies. Fabio stayed silent and expressionless. I could never tell what he was thinking.
As for me, even though I was their real daughter, I had barely visited my family since getting married.
When we arrived that evening, I saw a beautiful young woman rush into Fabio’s arms like a gust of wind. I stood there watching, while Fabio didn’t push her away. The woman had become more mature, but she still called him ‘Big Fabio’. Her tears soaked into Fabio’s army-green uniform.
Seeing this scene, my chest tightened as if needles were piercing my heart. I instantly regretted agreeing to come back. When Serena finally noticed me, she straightened up and smiled faintly.
“I’m sorry, Sofia. I was just so happy to see Fabio standing again. Oh wait, should I call you brother-in-law now?”
Fabio’s jaw tightened. With a cold look, he took my hand and sat down beside me. Serena stared at us in shock.
Dinner that night was terrible. My parents didn’t ask how I’d been at all. Instead, they kept encouraging Serena to talk to Fabio, saying how she still missed her Big Fabio.
At that moment, I couldn’t help thinking. My parents were basically trying to push Serena toward my husband.