22. Antonio

“Why do you have to be so unreasonable?” Valentina screeches. “It’s ruining my life.”

The joys of having a pre-teen in the house. Haven’t missed this part. Although I’ve never heard Valentina like this.

I can’t hear what Daniela is saying, because she’s not shrieking at the top of her lungs. But my heart stops at Valentina’s shrill response to whatever she said. “You’re not my mother!”

I’ve heard enough.

Daniela will not be subject to this kind of abuse from a mouthy twelve-year-old. I don’t give a shit if it’s normal. I won’t allow it.

While I storm toward Valentina’s suite, my better sense takes over. I can’t intervene in this. And it’s not because she isn’t my child. She’s living under my roof and I’ll do and say what I like, but this is their struggle.

Rafael and I had struggles, too. We persevered through them in our own dysfunctional way. If I swoop in and save the day, I diminish Daniela’s authority. I’ve taken enough from her. I’m not doing that.

When I walk into the sitting room, the tension is palpable. Daniela’s shoulders are hunched forward. She looks like she’s been pummeled. Valentina is pouting on the other side of the room, with Lara comforting her. Someone’s in the bedroom—the maid, I assume.

As soon as she spots me, Valentina rushes to my side. “Antonio, I’m so happy you’re here. Alexis wants me to come to London and stay with her for a few weeks. I really want to go. Even Lara thinks it’s a good idea for me to have time with my friend.”

I glare at Lara, and she shrinks.

“Now is not a good time to go to London,” Daniela says, with much more patience than I have on a good day.

“I don’t have any friends here. And Rafael’s leaving tonight. I’ll be all alone, without anybody.”

Daniela blanches. I don’t think Valentina meant it to hurt her, but I feel the sting from here.

I turn to Lara. “This is a family matter that doesn’t involve you. Leave us.” It’s harsher than it needs to be, but it’s better than Get the fuck out of my house. She should have never insinuated herself in their struggle, and taking Valentina’s side is inexcusable. Lara should be loyal to Daniela, above all else.

She gives me a brittle smile. “Of course.”

Paula scurries out of the bedroom with towels in her arms, and leaves without a glance at anyone.

Valentina’s eyes dart to Daniela as she inches away from me, like she’s suddenly decided that I’m not an ally, after all. While I don’t want her to be afraid of me, she dragged me into their squabble, and I don’t put up with this kind of bullshit.

I quietly shut the door, before turning to her.

“I heard you screaming from down the hall. Girls who are old enough to travel are old enough to speak respectfully to adults.” My voice is low, but firm.

She blinks several times, before staring at her feet.

“I’m always willing to hear what you have to say, as long as you speak calmly and respectfully. You can come to me about anything. I want you to come to me. But don’t expect me to take your side over Daniela’s. If she becomes a real ogre, or does something criminal, that’s different. But until then, Daniela and I stand together. If you’re looking to rant about how mean the adults are around here, and how it’s ruining your life, I suggest you talk to Rafael. He’ll have a sympathetic ear in that regard.”

I glance at Daniela, who is standing up straight again, and then back to Valentina, who meets my eyes and nods.

“I’m sorry,” she says, sincerely. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

She has that same desperation in her voice that Rafael would get when I corrected him, when he first came to live with me. It was hard to hear then, and it’s hard to hear now.

“I’m not angry with you,” I say gently. “And even if I was, so what? People who live together have disagreements. Sometimes those disagreements get loud and ugly. It doesn’t change how we feel about one another. But I’m not the person to whom you owe an apology.”

At first, I’m not sure she’s going to apologize to Daniela. She definitely wouldn’t even be considering it if I wasn’t standing here. Not yet anyway. She’s not ready.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly in Daniela’s direction. Valentina’s chin is out, and she doesn’t actually look at Daniela.

Not much remorse there.

But Daniela is kind-hearted and she doesn’t demand more. It’s the right call in this situation. Even an asshole like me knows it.

“I love you,” Daniela replies. “I want you to be happy. And I certainly don’t want to ruin your life. But I also want you to be safe. I’m trying my very best to juggle those things.”

It’s a sentiment I fully understand.

“May I be excused?” Valentina asks, giving me a sweet smile.

I point her toward Daniela, who nods.

She’s a good kid. A great kid, and she’s been through a hell of a lot. Daniela’s first instinct is to shower her in kindness and look the other way at the transgressions. When Rafael came to live here, my natural instinct was to grab him by the throat and tell him to get in line when he got mouthy. I never did that, because he was a young boy who had been kicked around a lot. But I fell back on another of my instincts. I threw up my hands and disappeared. Fortunately for Rafael, that didn’t last long. We had Dr. Lima, who wasn’t afraid to critique my parenting style.

“What was that about?” I ask when I’m sure Valentina’s out of hearing range.

Daniela blows out a big, noisy breath. “She wants to go to London.”

“I got that part. But she’s not normally so loud and obnoxious.”

“I know.” She straightens the cushion on the chair and returns some books to the shelf. “Valentina’s been sassier since she got back from camp. Maybe even a little sneaky. She’s testing me left and right. Some of it’s hormonal. But I think she misses Isabel a lot, and she resents me acting like her mother.”

There’s real pain in her voice, and I know it’s torture for her, maybe even more now that Isabel’s gone. She could put an end to it by telling Valentina the truth, but even the prospect terrifies her.

“She’s been through a lot in a very short time,” I say, instead of You need to tell her you’re her mother, or I will. “More than most kids have to deal with at her age. We need to have empathy, but don’t let her make you the scapegoat for all her problems. It’ll only get worse. And it certainly won’t help her.”

Daniela lowers herself to the arm of a chair and stares out the window. “I know. My feelings get in the way of my judgment. You don’t seem to have that problem.”

“You have to have feelings for them to cloud your judgment. I’m an unfeeling bastard.”

She turns her head to smile at me. “Nice try, but I’ve seen those feelings.”

She’s talking about last night. Those moments after the sex is especially intense, when we show all our cards and the world bleeds away until it’s just me and her, and a glut of emotion. Those are weak moments that I can’t afford to indulge often, or ever, in the light of day.

“I live off those feelings,” she adds, softly. “Your love strengthens me. I hope one day my love can do the same for you.”