Episode 13

After her work day, Isabella prepared some water to make herself a tea. It was her favorite time of the day. She climbed the stairs in her house and walked towards her son Stefano's bedroom. She loved her son dearly. Stefano was sound asleep, so she covered him for the tenth time. He looked so much like his father! Isabella returned to the kitchen and made her tea. She went to the living room and lit the fireplace since it was a chilly night. She sat on the sofa and looked around, smiling at the love she had for her home. She glanced at a photo of her son Stefano and remembered the difficult pregnancy she had to endure. After her conversation with Marixa, she had experienced a threatening abortion and had placenta previa. Isabella had to spend seven months in bed and couldn't attend her grandfather's funeral. Her aunt couldn't go either because she had to take care of her. Isabella's aunt, Sara, was currently on vacation in Greece. She seemed to have fallen in love with some Greek god. Isabella smiled, thinking about how tough the week had been after her encounter with Jed. The first few nights, her heart would race every time she heard a car, but after a week, she realized there was no longer any danger.

In three days, their vacation would begin, and they would go to a cabin. Isabella loved her life.

Jed Salvatore had been in Chesterfield for a day. He had found the school where Isabella worked and followed her home. He knew where she lived, but he wanted to catch her off guard. In the afternoon, he saw her picking up little Stefano from a house. To Jed's surprise, the boy looked so much like him at that age. Just as he suspected, Stefano was his son, and that damned Isabella had kept it a secret from him. He had missed five years of his child's life, and he would never forgive her for that!

Jed parked outside Isabella's house and, as soon as he saw her turn off the lights, he went back to the hotel where he was staying. The next day, he would put his plan into motion. His revenge would begin.

Isabella woke up; it was Saturday, so she could sleep a little longer. She got up, took a shower, and made herself some coffee. That day, she planned to go shopping with Stefano to decorate his room.

"Good morning, my mischievous little one. It's time to wake up," she said as she kissed her son.

"Hi, Mommy," Stefano replied, giving his mother a hug.

After breakfast, they went shopping, walking together.

"Look, Mommy, I want one of those cars on my wall," Stefano commented, pointing at a car. Isabella looked at it and smiled.

"I don't think it's possible, my love. I don't even know what kind of car it is," Isabella replied.

"It's a Lamborghini!" a deep voice behind her said. "Hello, Isabella. I thought it was you and came to say hi. I didn't know you had a child," Jed said.

Isabella wished the ground would swallow her up. He knew or suspected it!

"Hello, Jed. You're far from New York," she said.

"Hi, Stefano," he said to the boy.

"Hi, I'm Stefano," the boy replied.

"Hi, Stefano. I'm an old friend of your mom's. Nice to meet you, son," Jed said, emphasizing the word "son."

But Isabella acted as if nothing was wrong. It was best to pretend that nothing was happening, even though deep down, she was terrified.

"So, you like my car?" Jed asked.

"Yes, I want to put one in my room," Stefano said, smiling at his father.

"Do you want to go for a ride? I'll show it to you," Jed suggested.

"We can't, Mommy!" Stefano exclaimed.

"Of course not. We have things to do. Another time, maybe," Isabella said.

"You should come to our house, Mommy. Give him our address," Stefano said. For the first time in five years, Isabella felt the urge to slap her son. She took a pen and wrote the address on a paper, folding it over dramatically, and handed it to Jed.

"Here you go, Jed. Your GPS will guide you for sure," she said, holding back her anger. She took her son's hand and walked away.

Jed watched them, then opened the paper out of curiosity. He knew where she lived, but on the paper, it said, "Go to hell, jerk." He couldn't help but smile.