“I’ll go get your room ready. You can rest for a bit. Usually, we’re not home much–most of the time it’s just Mom and my little brother here. Save my number, and if you need anything, just give me a call.”
“Okay.” After exchanging numbers, Ethan disappeared into one of the bedrooms.
Once everyone had scattered, the small living room suddenly felt spacious, filled with the lingering aroma of dinner. Alessia nced down at her phone, at a muted group chat named “Family,” and couldn’t help but smile faintly.
After a pause, she made her way to her new room. She’d expected it to be cramped and cluttered, but to her surprise, it was spotless–there was even arge window that must let in plenty of sunlight during the day.
The care they showed Ileana was more than Alessia had imagined. She couldn’t quite describe how she felt about it, so instead, she watched Ethan as he
smoothed a fresh sheet across the bed.
“This is the master bedroom, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. The linens are all clean, and Mom tidies up the room every day, so everything’s in order.” Ethan straightened the mattress pad and dusted off his hands, though there was nothing there.
“There are only three bedrooms. Where does everyone sleep?”
“I stay at the dorms. Zachary, Liam, and Ivan share a room, and my parents have the other.”
“You all really go out of your way for Ileana.”
Alessia’s casual remark hung in the air, suddenly making the atmosphere a little
awkward.
“Don’t overthink it. Now that you’ve decided to stay here, whatever Ileana has, you’ll have too. We don’t treat anyone differently. If you need anything, just tell me and I’ll
do what I can.”
“I’m fine, really. Everything’s great.” Alessia could tell Ethan had misunderstood her, but she had no intention of exining.
To her, the Morton family was just a ce to stay until she turned eighteen. If she was honest, her decision to stay had as much to do with Ethan as with her own boredom–she just wanted a bit of excitement in her otherwise uneventful life.
15:35
Chapter
She found herself wondering how these once–privileged people would handle their fall from grace.
“I’ll head out, then. I left your suitcase by the bed.”
“Wait.” Alessia stopped him as he reached for the door.
“What’s up?”
“I just want to be upfront–I mean no offense. But since I’ll be living here for a while, there are things I’d like to clear up.”
“You’re part of the family now. Nothing’s off–limits.” Ethan closed the door behind him.
“Before I came here, the Tate family gave me a folder about you all. It said Ivan has autism. Is that true?”
“It is.” Ethan didn’t hesitate.
“But you don’t need to worry. Ivan’s a sweet kid–he mostly keeps to himself in his room, drawing. He doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s partly our fault for missing the signs when times were good, and now, well, we can’t really afford the right treatment.”
Ethan’s expression softened as he gave a small smile. “But even so, Ivan’s a great kid. I hope you won’t see him any differently.”
“You’re all really close.”
Ethan stepped closer, and Alessia tensed as he reached out and gently ruffled her
hair.
“I can’t judge what happened with Ileana, but since you chose to stay, I promise I’ll do my best to make sure you’re happy here.”
That steady look in his eyes–she’d only seen it once before, in another life. The kind of determination that faces down cliffs and fire, knowing the only way is
forward.
They didn’t say much more after that. The meal that night was simple but unexpectedly delicious. The Tate family might have had a private chef earning six figures, but Alessia couldn’t remember thest time food tasted this good.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I just made the usual. Is it okay?” Karen asked tentatively, while Brendan quietly slid the only te of meat closer to her.
“It’s wonderful. You’re a great cook.”
<b>213 </b>
15-35
<b>Chapter </b>7
Sensing Alessia’s sincerity, Karen finally let herself rx a little.