My brother kept quiet and just when I thought he wasn’t going to bother responding, I heard it.

“Maybe.”

21. Only human

Chapter 21

Only human

Vittoria

Ella avoided her dad for the rest of the day. Daniele smartly stayed away from him too. Giada tried her best to lighten the mood afterwards, but the damage had been done. Tor and papa Nunzio retired to his office a while and I knew it wasn’t business they were discussing. They both needed a minute where they didn’t have to appear strong, and men like these couldn’t do that amongst prying eyes. Now, we were home again. The boys were in bed and Tor and I had the difficult task of talking to his daughter about what she’d heard.

I assumed Tor would take the head of the table, but when I took the seat to one side of it, he surprised me by choosing to take the chair beside mine. This left Ella opposite us and, in true Ella fashion, she didn’t hesitate to hit the ball right off the bat. “Is it true, what Zio Danny said?”

The question was directed at me so it made sense that I answer it. “I-” I started, but stopped to think about my response. Yes. No. I don’t know. It’s not what you think. I turned to him with raised brows.

How did we broach this?

But Tor didn’t hesitate with his daughter. He offered a resolute, “Yes.”

“What?” Ella’s shock was worn so openly, it made me want to get up and go to her, but my place was beside my husband. In this, we needed to appear as a team. United. The way she shook her head in disbelief was gut-wrenching, especially when she accused, “You said you weren’t one of the bad guys.” Oh, honey. She looked so betrayed. “I believed you.”

I remained quiet, a bystander offering silent support to the man who both stole my father, and then my heart.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him inhale deeply and exhale slowly before he said, “It was an accident.”

But Ella wasn’t buying it. “No. No, I don’t believe that. You always told me you don’t aim unless you’re willing to shoot.” She got increasingly angry as she went on. “You said you’re a good shot.” Her voice rose. “That you never miss.” Her brows furrowed when she cried out, “Why are you lying to me?”

Tor closed his eyes and I felt the pain radiate off of him, like crashing waves in a turbulent ocean.

It was time to speak and when I did, I did it softly. “Your dad isn’t a bad man, Ella. He isn’t lying to you. It was an accident. It’s just… sometimes situations are complicated. This is one of those situations.”