My drowsy eyes fluttered open and met darkness. ‘Where am I?’ I sat up, and the thick but soft duvet slid off my body. The memories of yesterday built up in my brain. Dante escorted me to his office… I drank chamomile tea… I decided to close my eyes for a few seconds… ‘Oh sheep! I slept off.’ I thought, letting out a small yawn and stretching like a cat. I felt good, really good. No migraines or headaches No sore limbs. No tired muscles. Refreshed was the perfect word to describe my state of mind and body. ‘How long was I out? Where is my phone?’ My hand ran across the side table, and my fingers brushed against my purse instead of my phone. I picked it up and unzipped the zipper. My phone wasn’t inside. ‘Where is it?’ I pulled the string of my bedside lamp, and golden yellow light beamed from it onto the table. My phone wasn’t there as expected. ‘Where did I drop it?’ I rubbed my hands against my jeans pockets, and I didn’t feel any rectangular shape. The drawers of the

“Goodnight, Mama.” Leon yawned and snuggled close to Nathan, who was already asleep on the bed. “Goodnight, babies.” I kissed their foreheads and draped the duvet cover over their shoulders. Leon shut his eyes and went out like a candle. “Come on, Michael, you should join them.” I turned to my last son, standing at the end of the bed with his hand crossed over his chest. “Nooooo, I don’t want to go to sleep now.” Michael pouted, shaking his head. “I want to wait for Papa.” ‘Of course he’s waiting for Dante.’ I sighed and rubbed my temple. He had been asking for him all through the day. Will Papa join us for dinner? When will Papa be back? Do you think Papa will like my new room? I wonder what gift Papa will buy for us. Papa! Papa! Papa! Ugh! He barely knew the man, yet he was all over him. “Michael, you know it’s past your bedtime.” I shifted close to him and sat on the bed. “And I don’t think your Papa is coming home today. It’s already late.” “But Nonna said he was comi

‘What am I going to tell him? Hey, I think you should return the dog because I’m jealous that you’re giving my sons everything I couldn’t give them, and I’m afraid they are going to start loving you more than me. Heck no. It already sounds cringey in my head. I can’t imagine how much cringe it will be when I say it out loud.’“Never mind.” My shoulders dropped. It was pointless saying anything to him when all the ideas I had in my head were garbage.“Are you sure?” Dante eyed me like the answer was engraved on my skin, and I squirmed in my spot.There was no way to express myself without coming off as a fool. My mind was going haywire trying to form a proper sentence.And his stare wasn’t making matters better. If he continued looking at me like that I was going to burst. I needed a quick distraction from all this thinking.My gaze wondered around for something to derail our conversation.The little dog sniffing at the stairs caught my attention and a small smile made its way to my li

“Mama!” “Mama!” “Mama! Wake up!” The duvet slid from my shoulder, and I grabbed it before it was completely pulled away from my body. “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” There was a not-so-gentle tap on my arm, and I held back a groan. ‘Just ten more minutes, please. Just ten more minutes to sleep before I’m forced to function.’ I rolled and snuggled into the duvet. There was a small bark, and something wet and squishy ran over my face. “What in the world?!” I squealed, jerking up, and I rubbed my hand on the slimy substance on my skin. Leon, Michael, and Nathan jumped into my personal space wearing large smiles that told me they had seen Dante’s present. “Mama see!” Michael squealed, and Leon lifted Yuki, almost shoving her in my face. She barked, her tail wagging, and gave me another lick. “We found a dog sleeping on our bed, can we keep it?” Leon asked. “I don’t know can you?” I mused and tapped my chin. “Can we? Can we?” Nathan bubbled. “You could if you promised me two th

It was a fricken library! A fricken magnificent abysmal library! I took a tiny step in– afraid it would disappear like a dream– and breathed in the glorious smell of books. My head was light and airy, like I had taken some weird drug. Large, gothic, and intimidating bookshelves covered almost every inch of the wall and touched the ceiling. Filled with books of different colours and sizes. In the middle of the library were two sofas, an office chair, and a desk. Sunlight filtered through the stained glass of the small dome above and through the windows. That, along with the cryptic painting and statues, gave the room an unearthly yet cosy aura. The lamps hanging on the walls were bright enough to read under without ruining the mystic vibe. It was a kind of library I had never seen before. It spelled out the taste and nature of its owner. And it was perfect. The urge to lunge at the bookshelves, stack up an unhealthy amount of books, and read till I dropped burned under my skin b