Infatuation Of Darkness - Chapter 282

Italy; once again.

Funeral, once again.

Only this time the tears came from the heart. Angelo had been silent and so had been Gabrielle. The children did not even understand what happened. For them, she was just gone. Disappeared forever.

It was too sudden. They flew back with the body, everyone together, Silvano broke down and cried hugging his brother’s shoulder and Nikita did too.

The casket was open and she looked so peaceful. The smile and the warmth shine in her eyes were gone. They weren’t even open now. She was pale.

Alexis hated it. A sob broke out of her as she covered her mouth. It hurt too much to be true. It looked like she was truly sleeping. . .Just an everlasting one.

The priest came forward as the time had come. It was the time to lower the casket down in its grave.

Angelo nodded. The sons, husband, brothers of Isabelle picked it up. All with the grimmest expression she had ever seen.

Isabelle’s father; Peiro walked with Alexis to the burial grounds.

The priest started to read from his book and Alexis stood but the side of her husband. She held his hand tightly.

The death of his mother had broken many.

********

“She received a grand funeral,” Nikita sniffed and wiped her nose. “It was the last thing we could do for her. After all, she did for us.”

That was true. It was the last thing they did for her.

An uneasy feeling came to Alexis and rubbed her chest. It had been there since the only mother she had died. Maybe because now Isabelle’s responsibility as the peacemaker was hers.

“I’ll be back.” She said to Nikita and stood up to walk out of the kitchen.

They were in the mansion and the whole family was staying with the Don.

She knocked on the door and waited. There was no answer. She knocked again.

“What?!” He barked out.

“Can I come in?” She asked politely. “Please.”

She did not hear anything for a few moments and considered knocking again when she heard, “Fine.”

She inhales a small breath for courage and twisted the knob, opening the door she entered inside.

The room reeked of alcohol. She walked in and saw Gabrielle lying on the couch “I don’t think she would appreciate it.” She waved around to the bottles that were kept on the table.

“Well, she is dead.” He spat. “So, she doesn’t get to do anything anymore. Not much you can do when you are six feet under.”

Her mood dimmed more. She had come to lighten his weight but comments like those.

They had to stop.

“Don’t make comments like that,” Alexis ordered firmly.

Gabrielle sat up and his dark, hollow eyes fell on her. “Really?” He taunted back.

“Yes,” she nodded, tears came to her eyes as she muttered the next words. “I am your Donna and I forbid anyone talking about my mother like that.” Her voice cracked at the end and so did the hard look in his eyes.

“Honey. . . ” He whispered but instead of continuing the conversation, he looked down in defeat. He didn’t know what to do. His wife had been his number one supporter. From the beginning when he took the reins to the very end when his kids got married and the grand ones arrived. She had guided him through it all.

But now she was dead, who was suppose to guide him through it? Through her dead?

They had talked about it. He was supposed to go first.

“Gabrielle,” Alexis slowly walked forward and kneeled beside him on the floor. “Her last words were that she loved you. Gabrielle love. That’s what she said. You cannot do that to her.”

He shook his head adamantly. “I can’t. She left. She got shot, why the fuck did she get shot?! Why not me?! Why her?!” He bellowed and she watched him helplessly. “Why. . .h-her. . ” He choked and Alexis felt relief rush through her veins. He was cracking.

His walls broke down. He was finally letting it out.

She stood up and sat beside him and then brought him close. “Let it all out.” She hugged him sideways and he cried into her shoulder like a child. “It’s alright Gabrielle. Let it all out.” She patted his back.

The man did cry. He wailed for his wife and that was what love was.

Something she had for her children, something this man had for his wife.

Isabelle had been a mother to her. During the pregnancy, hers had just bothered to call once a week but Isabelle had shifted into the mansion.

She had been there every minute for Alexis, the twins and even Lucas. She had been there was all and Alexis was a failure compared to her. Tears slipped her eyes too.

“Why are you here kid?” Gabrielle grabbed a few tissues and pulled them apart from her. “Go to your kids.” He said.

“I will.” She patted his shoulder, “But I need to take care of her most precious possession.”

“Her diamonds are safe.” He said in a hoarse voice.

She smiled sadly, “But the biggest one lost its shine.”

He sniffed at that and she held him close, allowing him to feel the pain, the hurt of losing someone so precious.

“I loved her. I will always love her.” He chanted. “I would never replace her with any.”

“She would be honoured.” Alexis smiled and kissed the weeping man’s temple.

*******

After an hour of crying, she had forced Gabrielle to take a shower and then immediately called The help in to get rid of the alcohol bottles both empty and filled from his room and the house.

Gabrielle knew what happened when he came out of the shower but did not comment on it. He just went to bed.

She walked back to her rooms and checked on the kids. They had fallen asleep.

Exhausted, they were, like her.

She opened the door to her room and closed it shut. Waking to the closet she took of the ominous black dress along with her bra and pulled on Angelo’s black silk nightshirt. Something he never wore and she had since her pregnancy.

She then plopped down on the couch next to her husband and rubbed his shoulder. “Are you okay?” She whispered.

He sighed and leaned into her. “What. . . I heard what you did for dad and Thank you for that. I don’t know why you would do it. Why did you?”

He did not want to talk about his mother and she understood that. So she answered his question, “Because I wanted to honour her. She was the peacemaker, the guide to all of us and I just . . . wanted to let her know that I would keep her family together too.” She kissed his hair, “That I will take care of the man-children she left me with.”

He jerked a but and she immediately stiffened up remembering how his mother had. . .

A sob was heard and it echoed out in the room. She felt something wet against her neck and she realised, that her husband was crying.

Angelo de’Alessandro was crying.