69. There was no escape

ANTONIO

Thirty minutes ago....

I was in the kitchen, pulling out a plate to serve the lasagne I had heated in the microwave, when I heard the soft words as if someone was speaking them directly behind me, and it felt like a knife was being pushed into my back. Slowly and painfully. The echoing walls of the castle had made it possible to hear Gianna and her sharp exclamation, at first it had caught me by surprise and I almost didn’t believe what I was listening to. When I stepped into the corner of the kitchen, half inside the pantry it became much easier and clearer to hear the conversation happening just above me where I stood, in my daughter's room, between her and my wife who shredded my heart as she planned her escape even after I confessed to her what she meant to me.

But I didn’t accept it right away. I gave her the benefit of doubt, I gave her a chance considering that I hadn’t been someone she could easily trust. So when I returned to the bedroom, I pretended to not be aware o