Chapter 25：Gael Santi Rivera (3)

Gael didn't know how long he stayed outside after running out like that, but when he came home, there were several of Alessandro's men in the living room. They were surprised to see him back as they had been searching for him for the past hour. Alessandro wanted to call him but before he could even open his mouth, Gael had already sprinted up the stairs and locked himself in his bedroom.

Alessandro stayed the entire time, helping Mrs. Susan Rivera with the funeral arrangements. And during this time, Gael stayed being cold towards him, not wanting to have anything to do with his father.

After the funeral, Gael thought that the man would already leave them alone and everything would go back to somewhat normal before his father appeared days ago but it shocked him to see Alessandro still coming every day, forcing himself to be part of their lives.

Alessandro laughed with his grandmother like they were old buddies. He fixed broken stuff around the house—the sink, the door hinges, the light bulbs—like he was a friggin' handyman who had always been around. He cooked two or three times a day as if he was the chef. And damn it, Gael couldn't deny that his cooking that was mostly of Italian dishes were as good as that of a restaurant. Now he was a chef?

Gael didn't like the change that was happening in their brownstone. It was supposed to be his mother, Isabella, who should be here. Why was this stranger suddenly barging into their lives? For more than a week, it had been like that in their home. And just like before, he kept his distance and did not talk to his father whenever the latter tried to.

It wasn't until the tenth day when Gael came back from a run that Alessandro stopped him for a conversation. Gael was still hesitant but he nodded and gave the man a chance to talk.

"I'll be leaving for Italy soon… I want you to come with me." Alessandro's voice was deep and assertive as he spoke.

"What?" Gael straightened up, his brows knitted and his eyes darkened upon hearing the man's statement. He found it ridiculous. "Why should I?"

"You'll continue your studies there. And you can take up any course that you want when you go to college…"

Gael scoffed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you high or something?"

"Santi!" Grandmother Susan bit out.

"Grandma, don't tell me you're in on this too?!" Gael studied his grandmother's expression but he could only see that she wasn't against what Alessandro just said. "I can't believe you're agreeing with him. Unbelievable." He shook his head and went up to his bedroom, ignoring the voices that called him to come back and slammed the door behind him.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on his door and he heard his grandmother outside. Reluctantly, he opened the door and avoided meeting her gaze as he sat on his bed.

Grandmother Susan looked at her grandson and saw that he was angry. Placing her hand on his arm, she started, "Your father and mother had a conversation before she died…"

Gael snapped his head at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"A couple of days before your mother passed, Alessandro came by to the hospital. You were in school so you didn't see him… but it's not the first time he visited her since she got sick. Whenever you're at school and I'm at home, sometimes he would come to visit when your mother is in the hospital. She didn't want him to know that she was sick but he found out anyway… However, he only did a few months ago.

"The two of them talked and Isa… she probably knew that her time has come… she told your father that it might be the right time for the two of you to meet. She said she wanted to see you and your father together… But she was gone before—" She sniffed, wiping a tear that fell out of her eye.

Hearing what his grandmother just said, Gael felt an inexplicable pain in his chest, his hand flew and clutched it as if doing so will make the pain go away. He bore the pain and welcomed it—at the same time that he wanted for it to go away and leave him alone.

There was a long silence in the air as he didn't know what he was supposed to say after hearing that. His mother had wanted him to meet his father and she was not even there anymore to witness it. Hot tears that he fought so hard not to shed just came rolling down his cheeks, mocking him for trying to look strong.

It had been ten days since the funeral. Twelve since Alessandro appeared. Almost two weeks since his mother died. And he was still a mess. He hadn't cried for days—not even during the funeral. But something just snapped inside him and he could no longer stop his tears from falling.

'Ma… Why?' he asked a question that would never be answered. No matter how long he waited.