- Alice

“This farm is still as… Rustic and old-fashioned as I remember.” Kendra grunted, as if she wanted to use much less gentle words, as the Dawseys' limousine parked in front of the steps leading to the front door of Massimo's country estate "Now, what are the rules?" she raised an eyebrow, staring at Alice and Millicent with pure disdain.

“We don’t meddle in anything. Don't create any problems... And don't bother Massimo.” Alice repeated everything her mother had been repeating in her ears since that terrible night, two days ago.

“And this girl? Did you teach her too?” she pointed at Millie, causing Alice to hold her even closer in her lap “I don't want to hear a single word in high society about the Dawseys putting a messy brat in the house of a Bianchi who killed his patience until he got even more sick..."

“Millie would never do that!” Alice growled “Then stop right now!”

“Who do you think you are, to talk to me like that...?” Kendra was clearly ready to start a fight when a hand appeared in front of her face.

“Take it easy on the girl, Kendra. Alice is reacting much better than you would if you were about to live with a man like Massimo.” Roger Orwell, the man who Alice had long ago realized that it didn't matter if she called him father or not, said, as always with his eyes glazed over the screen of his smartphone “And, you, Alice, don't worry. He'll probably treat you badly for a few days, but then he won't even be able to get out of bed. Just be a good wife and wait until he dies. It shouldn't take long...”

“Thanks... I guess.” She sighed, although not for a second did Roger look up to her.

“You are too nice to her. That’s why she ended up like this.” Her mother grunted “Oh, finally someone seems to have noticed we're here. Staying in a car for so long waiting, on a hot day like this... What do you think you're doing standing there? Get out of the limo and get your things out of the trunk quickly! The last thing I want is for Massimo to realize we’ve arrived and come over here and ask about Amber.”

"Good luck darling." Roger spoke the moment Alice opened the door, still glued to his smartphone “We are proud of you. Not every woman would accept being with a paraplegic man who will require as much care from you than a child...”

In a hurry, Alice got out of the limousine quickly, not wanting Millie to continue there, listening to that kind of nonsense. However, once she found herself in front of that gigantic mansion, ancient and imposing like a medieval fort, Alice couldn't help but hesitate for a moment, overcome by memories of all the times Massimo had told her about that place. So many times she had dreamed of going there, even if it was on a day when he was only bringing Amber, and she would be the nosy older sister who was disturbing the couple...

And, now, there she was. Officially his wife, but not knowing how to feel about it.

“Hello.” An extremely friendly female voice caught her attention and, just then, Alice noticed an old lady standing there next to them, with her gray hair tied up in a bun, an apron covering her almost from top to bottom and a huge smile on her face “You must be Alice... And this must be Millicent, right?” She tilted her head to try and meet Millie’s gaze, but all Alice’s daughter did was hide further in her arms, embarrassed “Oh, what an adorable little angel! It's so good to have children again in this place, after so many years...” the woman sighed, with a mix of joy and melancholy “But, oh, you two must be tired from the trip here. Come on, let me introduce you both to the mansion... I mean, some parts of it. My name is Thea, by the way.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Thea.” Alice smiled sadly, knowing that kind housekeeper probably didn't even know that Massimo had already told Alice a little about her, a long, long time ago “I'm just going to get my suitcase and we can go.”

“Oh, don’t worry, honey. I'll ask someone to bring your luggage to the mansion..." Thea was in mid-sentence, until the sight of the huge trunk completely empty, after Alice took out her single suitcase, seemed to make the housekeeper at a loss for words "Only that?"

“Uh... Millie and I didn't want to bring too many things. Here is just what is necessary.” Alice lied “Now, please, let's go in. Millicent is eager to see everything, isn't she, dear? Why don't you take Hoppy out of your backpack? I'm sure he must want to see his new home, too.” She encouraged her little one, finally getting Millie to lift her face from her shoulder and, even if hesitantly, take her small school bag off her back and take the cute stuffed bunny out of it.

“Oh, she looks like…” the housekeeper’s eyes widened for a moment, making Alice’s entire body freeze as she realized that she seemed to be seeing someone else in Millicent’s face “Actually, forget it. It must be my imagination. I'm just so happy to have a little one to brighten up this gloomy mansion again... And your bunny is so adorable.” Thea praised “Would your little friend like a cookie? Or a piece of cake?”

“Uh... Yeah...” Millie nodded shyly, hugging her stuffed animal tight “Me and Hoppy really wanted to see the horses, too.”

“Of course! Once you're all settled in, I'll take you to all the stables we have here. So, let's hurry, so that you can rest and do this as quickly as possible.” Thea smiled, starting to climb the stairs to the mansion while the limo took Alice's parents far, far away, without even a last wave of goodbye.

“Mommy, I’m not tired.” Millie murmured “Can we see the horses now?”

“No, honey. The people who work in the stables must be there now. We don't want to disturb them, do we? Besides, we still need to eat the snack Thea offered us...” Finally, she took a step across the threshold of the huge front door and, immediately, her breath was stolen “Oh... It's so much bigger than I imagined..." Alice looked up, at the ceiling meters and more meters from the floor, and then at all the equally large windows, but completely covered by thick curtains, which did not allow even a single ray of natural light to enter "And a lot darker, too.”

“These are... Orders from the boss.” Thea sighed sadly “But I guarantee we keep the lights on inside very well at all times.”

“I... I didn't mean to...” Alice tried to explain herself, but Thea had already walked over to one of the tables nearby, taking something out of a drawer.

“Here. The boss asked me to deliver these papers for you to sign as soon as you two arrived.” She spread a thick sheaf of papers in front of Alice, and, quickly scanning the lines, there was no doubt what it was: a prenuptial agreement. Or postnuptial, perhaps, since Kendra had said the marriage papers were already duly notarized.

“Of course.” Alice sighed, placing Millie's suitcase on the floor gently “Stay here for a moment, honey. I’ll just sort this out and we can continue seeing the house.” Accepting the pen that Thea had held out, she began writing her name for pages and pages, while the housekeeper sighed.

“I know you might not think so, but... All of us who still work here are happy that you married Massimo... I mean, the boss. He is going through a delicate moment right now, but, who knows, the presence of a wife and a child as adorable as your daughter could be good for his health.” Thea smiled hopefully.

“His health condition... Is it that bad?” Alice hesitated, with her heart sinking.

“That’s a topic I don’t think the boss would want me to share.” The old lady hesitated “But... I'm sure he would be touched if he knew you were worried about him.”

“Massimo spent a lot of time at my house years ago. I guess you could say that, for a while, we almost became... Friends.” Alice bit her lip “Despite everything that happened between him and my sister, and how strange this situation must seem to you... I really care about him.” She admitted, as she finally put her name on the last blank line between the documents.

“That's sweet of you, but... I don't think it would do much good if you questioned the boss about that kind of thing.” As gentle as Thea's words were, Alice immediately understood that it was a warning and not just simple advice.

“Of course. The last thing I want is to meddle in his affairs.” She stated, handing the prenup back to Thea “Now, honey, let's go...” Alice looked down, but found nothing but the dark floor, with no sign of her daughter.

- Alice

“Millie? Millie?!” Alice panting, looking around nervously but unable to find anything “Millicent!”

“Oh, God... Don't worry, she couldn't have gone far or left the house. A little girl like her wouldn't even reach the doorknob...” Thea also started spinning around, trying to find Millie “Uh... Listen. You look down here and I'll go up and look up there. I'm sure we'll find her in no time, okay?”

“Yes, thank you.” Alice nodded, knowing that she shouldn't be so worried, since, as big as that mansion was, Millie had limited places to hide, but still... "I'll look here and, if I don't find her, I'll come up to help you...”

“Uh... Maybe it's better not to...” Thea shook her head, as if that were a bad idea “That wing is... Anyway, I'll let you know if I find her, I promise. But I'm sure she must be around here... I’ll be back in a moment.” The housekeeper didn't seem willing to explain much more, as she just turned and walked up the stairs much more quickly than Alice expected from someone her age.

“Alright...” Alice muttered to herself, walking through the huge entrance room of the mansion, until a whistle sound caught her attention, exactly like the one Hoppy the bunny made when he was squeezed “Millie?” she called, looking up at the stairs, which ended at a fork that led to two hallways “Millie?” Even though she knew she shouldn't, Alice found herself climbing some of the steps, again hearing the whistle, this time coming from further away, but undoubtedly in the same direction in which Thea had gone “Millie! You shouldn't have left Mommy's side! Millie, are you listening? We can't cause problems for Thea...” she continued calling, until she found herself on the second floor of the mansion, facing a long gloomy hallway, also with all the curtains closed “Millie. You know you can't leave Mommy's side, especially in places where we don't know anyone....”

As she spoke, Alice began to walk around the place, not finding much other than some decorations, very old paintings of members of the Bianchi family on the walls and countless locked doors that she knocked on a few times, just to make sure that Millie wasn't there. With each corner of the hallway she needed to turn, Alice became more and more worried, not knowing where Millie could be or if she could meet someone from Massimo's mansion who wasn't as welcoming as Thea...

Until finally, she found her, standing in front of one of the doors that made her look even smaller than Millie was, holding Hoppy in one arm as she jumped to try and reach the doorknob with her free hand.

“Millie!” Alice called, running to pick her up “Millie, why did you leave Mommy?”

“Sorry, mommy, I... I just wanted to find a horse or a pony, I swear.” Her daughter pouted guiltily “This house is so big... They must have a room for the horses too, right? I heard a noise and thought maybe that could be one of them. I just wanted to say hi...”

“Oh, Millie…” Alice sighed “Don't ever do that again. We don’t know where we might end up…”

Her sentence was interrupted when the door in front of them was suddenly opened, startling them both. And, when Alice saw a pair of dark green eyes shining in the darkness, her heart stopped and her stomach twisted.

“What are you two doing here?” the figure growled, but as threatening as he sounded, Alice could only hug her daughter tighter, trying to hide Millie's face as a single word escaped her mouth.

"Massimo."

“I asked…” Massimo growled, and in the next instant, he pushed his wheelchair forward, stepping out of the shadows of the room “What do you think you're doing here? I left clear orders for Thea to forbid you from coming to my wing of the mansion!”

For a few seconds, Alice just stood in shock, watching what that man, the same man who had inhabited her thoughts for years, had transformed into. His hair, previously always cut short, was longer, with waves that almost fell in his eyes. There was a thick beard hiding most of the features of his face and, what had once been clear, cunning green eyes, now seemed to have been covered by shadows, as well as hatred and resentment. Unlike most times she had seen him, he wasn't wearing a suit, but rather loose nightwear. He was definitely thinner and paler, with deep dark circles under his eyes.

And, of course, he was sitting in that wheelchair, gripping the armrest so tightly that she could see every single nerve and vein in his perfectly shaped arms.

“What are you looking at?!” he growled, making her and Millie shiver in fright again.

“We... We're sorry, Massimo.” Alice finally found her voice “Millie was excited to see the house and... We ended up stopping here. It’s… It’s good to see you again, anyway.”

"Good?" he sneered, with a grimace that couldn't be called a smile in any other universe “You think it's good to see me like this?”

“No... That's not what I said...”

“I'm sure you must be very happy to have married the Bianchi's failure after your sister rejected me, right?” the way his eyes flashed with anger disturbed her deeply “Are you happy to be the wife of an unable?! Or did they promise you that I would die soon, so you wouldn't have to bear this humiliation for a long time, just like Amber didn't want to...?”

“Stop it, Massimo!” she pleaded “I know the circumstances of this marriage weren’t the best, but that doesn’t mean I….”

“You Dawseys must feel so charitable, don’t you? Sending a woman to me as if they were doing me a favor. As if I were an old dog that needed someone to put a bone in its mouth...” he gritted his teeth, before looking up into those green eyes that had been part of her dreams for so long, but now seemed capable of causing nightmares at anyone “But now, Alice, you are my wife, do you understand? I joined the Dawseys' surname to mine as everyone always wanted me to do and I won't let that be undone! You belong to Me! And, whether I'm in this wheelchair or in a hospital, you'll still be mine, because that's what those fucking pieces of paper say!”

“Enough, Massimo!” she raised her voice, disturbed “How can you say that kind of thing with a child around?”

For the first time, he looked at Millicent's cowering, frightened figure. Gradually, his eyes narrowed, making Alice think that he was ready to continue screaming, regardless of whether there was a little girl there or not. However, in the end, all he did was raise his finger in their direction, not even needing to look up to face her, since he was tall enough to reach almost Alice's height even while sitting in the wheelchair.

“That’s the only warning I’m going to give you…!” he growled “Stay out of my way and don't you dare disturb me or disobey me! Neither you nor this girl! You understood? I won't be merciful if you ignore my orders and sneak into my wing again! You understood?"

- Alice

The first response Massimo received after that scream was a whimper from Millie, who hugged Alice's neck even tighter, looking like she was about to cry at any moment. And, as uncomfortable as that situation was, Alice couldn't help but feel irritated with that stupid man, who had dared to scare her daughter.

“What happened today was just an accident.” She replied, her voice now firmer “Rest assured that if this is how you plan to treat us, because of what Amber did, then we will do our best to stay away from you. There is no need to threaten us for this. I thought maybe I could find the man I once considered my friend...” she admitted, crestfallen “But now you've made it very clear that it was a futile hope.”

“That...” Massimo’s chest rose and fell quickly, without Alice knowing whether he was about to get sick or have a tantrum “How dare you...?” He shifted in his chair and, surprised, Alice watched the oversized sleeves of his sweater rise a little, revealing deep scars on his arms, dark red and certainly very painful “Fuck!” he growled, quickly pulling his sleeves back up to his wrists “Get out of here! Now!" Massimo demanded.

“Massimo…” Alice hesitated, worried “If… If you need any help, you know I spent a year at nursing school and…”

"You did not listen to me?" he suddenly exploded, making her flinch “Do you think I need your fucking pity? That I called you here to do things for me because I’m not capable anymore?” the corners of his eyes turned almost scarlet “Get the fuck out of here! And don’t let me see your face again, understand?”

“Alright, Massimo…” she nodded, returning his glare with disappointment “We’ll leave you alone, as you seem to want it so much.”

Without another word, Alice just snuggled Millicent even more against her chest and took her daughter away from that man, not wanting him to scare her little angel even more. She had promised Millie that they would both be happy in that house, regardless of the reasons that led her to marry Massimo. However, if instead of a sick man with fragile health, he had become a grumpy and embittered idiot who had no shame in shouting and swearing like that in front of a child, just like a monster, then...

She would have to keep Millie away not just from the Dawseys, but from him as well.

Well, it wasn't like she didn't have experience in this. But still, there was something very painful about it. Maybe because, even without her realizing it, there was still a part of 19-year-old Alice hidden inside her, eager to see Massimo again just like she used to feel whenever he visited her house, years ago...

“Mommy?” Millie called out to her, her voice tearful “Was that scary man yelling at you because I went out to look for the horses?” her daughter pulled away enough just to look at her, guiltily “I’m... I’m sorry... I didn’t want him to get mad at you...”

“It’s okay, honey. Just promise me you won't leave my side again. And… Don’t worry about that man.” Alice sighed “He'll never yell at you again, I promise.”

“Is he really your new special friend?” she asked, clearly worried.

"This is complicated. In fact, even Mom is trying to make sense of it all.” Alice sighed, kissing her daughter’s forehead “I promise I’ll explain everything to you when things are... In the right place. At the moment, you just need to know that that man's name is Massimo Bianchi and he was in a car accident that left him injured. Like, really, really hurt. He is no longer able to get up and walk, like you and I.” She said, making Millie widen her eyes in shock.

“Is that why he’s so angry? It’s because he’s sad?”

“Yes, honey... Something like that. This accident left him very sick, not only on the outside, but also on the inside. And, from what I can tell, it seems to have filled him with rage.” She lamented “So... Let's make a promise to do what he wants and stay away from him, okay? Let’s just focus on getting to know this house better and start making it our new home.”

“But, mommy, you always say that no one should be left alone when they are sick.” Millie reminded her, confused “Why are we going to do this to Mr. Bianchi?”

“Well...” disconcerted, Alice searched for a reasonable answer in her mind, but couldn’t find it no matter how hard she tried “That’s because... You see...”

“Oh, there you two are!” a sigh of relief saved her from giving Millicent an answer for now “I was so worried! Glad you found her! Please, little dear, don’t run like that again.” Thea pleaded, though her eyes were darting nervously down the hall behind them, as if she were expecting to see a wheelchair appear from the shadows at any moment “So... Uh... Would you happen to...”

“I'm sorry I went against your request, but I needed to find my daughter.” Alice answered her silent question “And... We ended up meeting Massimo, without meaning to. But do not worry. He has already made it very clear that he does not want to be disturbed and I will make sure nothing like this happens again.”

“Oh, God... I wish I could have avoided this...” Thea sighed sadly “The boss is... Going through a delicate moment in the last few months after the accident and this ended up changing his personality drastically. But who knows... The feeling of having a family might help you get through these dark times.” She nodded, even though she didn't seem too sure about it “Now, please, let's go. Let me take you to the wing of the mansion where your two rooms are, so you can take a shower while I make you a hearty snack. You deserve it, after all... This.”

“Thanks, Thea.” Alice murmured, already noticing that Millie was tense just by the way her little fists were gripping the fabric of Alice's blouse.

"Do not worry, dear. We will be very happy here.” Even though uncertainty and fear were crushing Alice's heart with thoughts of what the future would be like, she made a silent promise to herself that, no matter how much she might suffer in that place, Millicent would always be happy and safe "You can trust Mommy.”