Back in Milan
The boyfriend of the girl who had taken care of Ava was a simple guy who had lost his parents as a teenager. Since then, her parents had adopted him as a member of their family. Everything that had happened had turned their plans upside down. He had just finished his degree, and the girl was about to finish hers. They both worked during their vacations and free time, aiming to build a better future and help their parents.
Akiro and Ima went home; they were exhausted and needed rest. Guido and Mateo’s mother didn’t know that Ava was already free. Aurora had fallen ill and was in very low spirits, which didn’t help her recovery.
When Mateo and Ava entered, Guido was sitting in the living room with his eyes closed and his head tilted back.
“Grandfather,” Mateo said with a broken voice. It seemed like Guido had aged much more in those days. Mateo felt a tightness in his chest at the sight of his grandfather’s suffering.
“Son!” Guido stood up and embraced his grandson. Then, he turned to Ava. “Daughter, I’m so glad you’re safe and back with us.”
Ava hugged him, and tears ran down Guido’s cheeks. He had always been a strong man, perhaps a bit tough, but in that moment, all of that faded away. He had thought they might never return, and Mateo had not wanted to communicate with them.
He asked them to go upstairs with him to greet Aurora.
“Your mother has been unwell for days, hardly eating. The doctor said that her depression could harm her heart.”
In that moment, Mateo regretted blaming them. They had only wanted the best for him all those years. Guido entered the room, and Aurora was staring at the wall in front of her.
“Aurora,” he said as he approached her while she remained motionless. “Tuo figlio è tornato” (Your son has returned).
Aurora turned towards the door where Mateo and Ava stood and started to sob. The couple approached and embraced her. Later, they were all gathered together. Lola hugged Ava, while she held her son in her arms. Matt, upon seeing his parents, clapped his little hands in celebration, as if he knew what had happened. The atmosphere was warm; they were one big family.
In the garden, a couple kissed passionately; it was Máx and Morgana. It was the first time he had committed to a relationship with a girl. The redhead was leaving her job at the club, and Máx jokingly said that from now on, he would dance only for her. He planned to support her in every way so she could finish her studies, and he intended to propose to her, but that would be in the future.
“I was so afraid that something would happen to you. I know our relationship has just begun, but you already mean a lot to me,” the redhead sincerely expressed her feelings.
Máx was pleased to hear that and hugged her tightly. He didn’t want her to worry about him, but he couldn’t abandon Mateo. He owed him too much, as Mateo had helped him in various situations. He was determined to support him, knowing that they were all in constant danger, and he hoped they could stop Teodoro soon to find some peace.
Teodoro Miller remained in France, sending his men after the family of the girl who had taken care of Ava. His anger grew when he was informed that they had found no one, and the house had been abandoned. He was sure that Mateo had something to do with it. Licciardi didn’t know what he was capable of when someone stood in his way, but he would soon make it clear.
He ordered everything in that house to be destroyed, and then they set it on fire. Teodoro sought a way to vent his anger; he still couldn’t believe that they had slipped through his fingers.NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.
In Italy, Lola had given up on talking to Mateo to make things clear. With everything that had happened, she no longer doubted that he truly loved Ava. The past would be left behind, and now, she only wanted her daughter to be happy with her son and the man she loved. Nothing else mattered to her.
The nanny had lost her entire family many years ago, and for her, it was very difficult to talk about it. It still caused her pain to think about them, so she avoided the topic and had only confided her true story to Ava.
Ava had also lost her family, so they looked out for each other. Now that she knew that Mateo truly loved the girl and was willing to do anything for her, she felt at peace. She wouldn’t be alone anymore; she was building her own family.
In the Licciardi mansion, there was joy, even though they knew the nightmare was not over. With Teodoro free, they were in constant danger, but on that day, they decided to forget about it all. Ava and Mateo watched in delight as their little son, Matt, ran around. Although it was exhausting to keep up with him, his parents enjoyed every moment.
For a moment, Ava imagined the baby she had lost. She sighed deeply. Teodoro had taken away many things from her life, and she wished that he would soon pay for everything he had done.
Guido and Aurora couldn’t hide the happiness they felt at seeing Mateo return safely. They had imagined the worst scenarios where they might never see him again.
Lola was the one who encouraged them not to lose hope. Aurora was the weakest of them all, which is why she had fallen ill. But as soon as she saw her son safe and sound, she felt better immediately.
They spent the entire afternoon gathered in the mansion’s living room. Ava got up to go to the kitchen, and Mateo followed her.
“You can’t imagine the happiness I’m feeling right now, amore, being here with you, our son, and my family. It’s the best thing in the world. I don’t know how I used to think that happiness was in other things. I didn’t understand it back then, but I was already yearning for you,” Mateo said.
“Let me tell you, Mr. Licciardi, you are quite the romantic, and I like that. I like it very much,” Ava replied.
Mateo kissed her, a deep and longing kiss. He had been so afraid, he couldn’t imagine living without Ava.
Ava grabbed a glass to pour herself some water and then placed some drinks on a tray to take back to the living room. Mateo helped her with it.
“We should go back to the living room. I’m sure my nanny will be coming to get us,” Ava said.
Just then, Lola appeared at the door, and Ava and Mateo both laughed.
“My dear, you better come back to the living room with us. Your son is calling for you,” Lola said.
“Yes, Nana, we’re coming,” Ava replied.
They spent the night at the mansion. They were so exhausted that they fell asleep immediately. The next day, when Ava woke up, Mateo was no longer beside her.
Ava got up immediately and looked out the window. She saw Mateo standing by the mansion’s entrance, talking to a very beautiful girl. She watched him smile and saw him hand something to the girl, but she couldn’t make out what it was. It looked like a card. He said goodbye to the girl, all the while continuing to smile. It all seemed very strange to her.
She stood there in front of the window for a while. Mateo had shown her unconditional love, but this interaction seemed very odd, too odd.
Ava took a quick shower and went downstairs, thinking that Mateo would have breakfast with them. However, Mateo said his goodbyes as he had to go to the office with Guido to catch up on several matters. They had increased security to feel safer and wouldn’t allow Teodoro to steal their peace of mind.
Ava caught up with him at the door.
“Will you come for lunch?”
“No, I’ll have a busy day,” he replied with a serious demeanor, and she felt her heart sink.
“Okay, hey, who was the girl a while ago?” she asked curiously.
“What girl?” Mateo feigned ignorance.
“The girl you were talking to at the entrance earlier,” she insisted, growing more concerned.
“Oh, her. She came to deliver some things for my grandfather,” he answered, trying to downplay the situation.
Ava knew Mateo was terrible at lying, and he had certain nervous tics that gave him away when he was not being truthful. She sensed that something was going on, and he didn’t want to talk about it.
“Are you sure, Licciardi? You were very smiley,” she said, changing her tone.
“I was just being polite, that’s all,” Mateo replied with a shrug.
“Mateo Licciardi, I don’t know why I feel like you’re hiding something from me,” Ava said, at this point feeling quite upset. She stared at him with her hands on her hips.
“I’m leaving, my grandfather is waiting in the car. I’ll pick you up for dinner tonight; make yourself beautiful,” he replied, holding Matt in his arms before passing him to Ava’s embrace. Then, he hurried off to where his grandfather was waiting.
He got into the car and quickly drove away. Guido noticed that Mateo remained silent throughout the journey, lost in thought.
Ava found it strange that he didn’t say goodbye with a kiss as he usually did. There was something odd going on, and she intended to investigate. It seemed to her that Mateo was avoiding her. She hugged her little one and gave him a gentle kiss on his head.