He recognized that look, the look of someone who had deeply loved his son, someone who felt the same pain he had carried since Emanuele’s loss. The connection between them was undeniable. «‘He never mentioned you,’ Giuseppe said, his voice hoarse and low.
He seemed reluctant, as if unsure whether he was ready to hear what Isabella had to say, but at the same time he felt he needed to know. Isabella sighed, still holding the watch between her fingers. «‘I don’t know where to begin,’ she said with a melancholic tone, her heart heavy with memories.
«‘I met Emanuele when we were young. I worked in a boutique, my first opportunity in the city. He used to come by with donations for the orphanage where I had grown up, and that’s how we got close.’ Giuseppe’s eyes widened.
«‘Orphanage?’ She nodded slowly, her eyes glazed over with memories. «‘Yes. I was raised there since I was a child.
I wasn’t fortunate enough to know my parents, but the orphanage became my home, and it was there that I met Emanuele. He was always kind, devoted, so full of life. We had many plans together, plans for the future, until fate changed everything.’ Giuseppe fell silent, absorbing every word.
Isabella’s pain reflected his own, but now, hearing her story, he realized there was a part of Emanuele’s life he had never known, a side of his son he lost before he could fully understand. His heart tightened with longing, but also with gratitude for finding someone who shared that love. «‘I never knew about that part of his life,’ Giuseppe murmured, lowering his head.
«‘After Emanuele died, Victoria, my wife, always blamed someone. She would say he distanced himself because of a woman, but she never told me the details. All I knew was that after his death nothing was the same.’ Isabella shuddered at the mention of Victoria, Emanuele’s mother.
She didn’t need any explanations to know who Giuseppe was talking about. She vaguely remembered distant and tense encounters with that stern woman, whose expectations were unattainable, and whose approval was never granted. «‘Victoria never accepted me,’ Isabella said, her voice trembling.
She never thought I was good enough for her son, and that created a chasm between Emanuele and his family. He was torn between us, trying to be the perfect son while wanting to live his own life. It was a very difficult time.’ Giuseppe looked up, visibly moved.
He hadn’t realized how heavy the burden his son carried had been. He never fully understood the conflict that had pulled Emanuele away from the family. Victoria had convinced him that the blame lay with the girl he loved, but now, sitting across from Isabella, he saw that the suffering had been much deeper and more complex than he had imagined.
He never stopped visiting me, but—’ It was rare,’ Giuseppe said with a long, tired sigh. And then, when the accident happened, Isabella felt a knot tighten in her throat. The moment she had dreaded hearing was approaching, the point where everything fell apart.
Giuseppe continued, his voice growing weaker. That day. It was so fast.
Emanuele was with her, and—I never knew exactly what happened. He was gone, and the only thing that remained was this watch. His eyes fixed on the accessory in Isabella’s hands, as if it were the last physical connection he had with his son.
Isabella closed her eyes for a moment, trying to hold back her tears. She had been there that day, the day of the accident, the day everything changed. The memory was an open wound that never fully healed.
I was with him, she confessed, finally breaking the silence. We were heading to a friend’s house together, but we never arrived. The car—there was an accident.
It all happened so fast. When I woke up, he was already gone. The tears she had been holding back finally fell, and she covered her face with her hands, allowing herself to sink into the pain of that moment.
Giuseppe watched her, equally moved, his own tears silently streaming down the wrinkles of his weary face. I never knew, Giuseppe whispered, his voice broken by pain and regret. I never knew you were with him.
Isabella shook her head, trying to control her emotion. I loved him with all my heart, she said, and I lost everything that day. She had tried to move on, but the past had always lurked, while Giuseppe had sunk deeper into sadness and regret, until his life was reduced to what she saw now—an old, tired man trying to survive the ruins of his losses.
I can’t believe it, Giuseppe murmured, shaking his head slowly. You were the woman he loved, and I—I never knew how much that meant to him. Isabella quickly wiped her tears, struggling to maintain her composure.
I didn’t know he was your son until now, but seeing the watch—it all came back, all the memories. He always wore this watch, the gift I gave him when we started making plans for the future. She looked at Giuseppe, who seemed lost in his own thoughts, his eyes fixed on the past.
He spoke little about you, Giuseppe continued, almost in a whisper, but I knew something was pulling him away from us. Victoria, my wife. She never accepted the idea of Emanuele being with someone not from our level.
She always wanted him to marry someone from society, someone who could elevate our position. His voice trembled, full of guilt and sadness. Isabella nodded, understanding perfectly.
She hated me. Whenever I tried to get close, I felt her disdain. And Emanuele, trying to please everyone, was caught between two realities.
He was a good man, Giuseppe. He wanted to make everyone happy, but it tore him apart. Giuseppe took a deep breath, his hands trembling slightly on the table.