45. "i Will Protect You because I Love You."

The next day, Diego woke up refreshed. His days with Stellina had been full of energy. Whereas with Vellina, every day felt the same and dreary, with Stellina, Diego now felt his spirit revitalised. Seeing Stellina busy taking care of Arianna was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. "Get ready Stellina, today I'm taking you to a special place." Stellina's face lit up instantly. It was unusual for Diego to ask her out without asking her first. "Where are we going today?" asked Stellina with a sweet smile on her lips. "Just come along, you'll find out later." After Stellina got ready, it turned out that Diego had brought her the house where he was born and raised. The house had now been transformed into a restaurant with a vintage style. "Come in," Diego said softly. He took Stellina by the hand. Their arrival was welcomed by the owner of the restaurant. "Hello, Diego, it's been a while since I've seen you, why do you look so fresh and young," Bruno greeted him kindly. "You're still the same, Bruno, still the energetic grandfather, how's business?" Diego hugged Bruno, his papa's cousin. Bruno and Diego's papa were the same age. "Everything is going well, have a seat, I'll serve you your favourite meal, your wife is getting prettier too." Bruno nodded and greeted Stellina. Stellina gave him a friendly smile in return. "Darling, Bruno says you're getting prettier." "Thank you Bruno, hearing compliments from a man other than my husband makes me more confident." Stellina deliberately teased Diego, who looked all wrong. They enjoyed the roast with Bruno's delicious mushroom sauce, Diego loved the roast with the thick mushroom sauce that Bruno served. Occasionally they chatted about old times. "If your dad were alive, he'd be a proud man, Diego." Diego was silent. There was regret hanging in his sad eyes. After eating and chatting, Diego said goodbye. "Stop by here often. This restaurant is also your home, Diego. You can come whenever you want." Diego nodded. Of course he would always come because there were so many memories in that house that he would carry with him until he died. "Where are we going now? Isn't this a different way home?" asked Stellina as Diego took an unfamiliar route, not the way back to their mansion. Diego didn't answer, which as usual left a big question mark in Stellina's mind. Either Diego wanted to make her more curious, or he wanted to surprise her, but Stellina couldn't hide her curiosity. Until they arrived at a hill with a beautiful view. Stellina was amazed by the panorama around the hill. "Wow, the view from here is beautiful. Vomero City looks so small. Diego, thank you for bringing me here." "The house that is now a restaurant was my home. It's where I was born and raised." Now Stellina knew what Diego meant by taking her up the hill. He wanted to share his story. "Mum and dad raised us like any other parents. Our uncles and big brothers also lived in the same house. My dreams were simple, I just wanted to be a lawyer." Diego began the story of his past. Stellina listened to the story as she looked up at the bright blue sky, with the occasional white cloud. The atmosphere was calm even though it was getting late in the day. "Uncle raised me like his own son, I was lucky to be educated by him. Although his upbringing was harsh, it made me a strong man until I finally managed to become Eston's son-in-law." "Was that your own wish? Or was it a request from your uncle?" Stellina asked to ascertain what Diego's past relationship with Vellina, whom he had chosen as his wife, was like, but did not make him happy as a husband. "Everything went the way I wanted it to. Vellina was the woman I thought could fulfil my happiness. I just wanted a normal life. A man who wants to have a family and be whole, and a job that can raise his self-esteem." Diego took a deep breath as if he was trying to get rid of his anxiety. "It's all too late, when I entered the black world, it was like I couldn't recognise myself anymore. Even though I realised it wasn't what I wanted, there was no turning back." "It must be uncomfortable, you've done well to survive this far, Diego." "I had to adapt to the new world because there was no other way out, Stellina. After hanging out with the mafia I realised that ruthlessness can be learnt." Stellina's skin crawled at Diego's words. Stellina refrained from commenting. This time she just wanted to be a good listener. "The hardest thing of all is when we don't want to fight against the enemy, but have to do it to protect the people we care about." "You're doing very well so far, Diego." They were silent for a moment, letting the silence pass through the two heads that were exchanging contents. Mum and dad opened a small restaurant that was able to support us. I didn't realise that uncle was a mobster." Stellina listened attentively to the story. "Everything changed when mum started getting sick. We needed a lot of money to take care of mum in the hope that she would recover. Uncle took care of all the expenses, but Mum couldn't be saved." Stellina sensed the hurt in Diego's hoarse voice. She tried her best to keep herself from crying. But all the memories of his mum always succeeded in making him a crying man. And the first time Diego wiped away his tears in front of a woman was right now, in front of Stellina. "It's okay. Cry, don't be afraid to look weak." Stellina rubbed Diego's arm, trying to soothe the soft sobs that somehow also made Stellina feel the pain. "Ever since mum died, my father's spirit has been declining. He became very fragile because his soulmate was gone. The days since mum's passing have been tough for all of us. Papa drowned in grief and became depressed. In the end, the restaurant was abandoned. That's when my suffering began." "What happened, Diego?" Stellina slowly asked as she saw the look of sadness on Diego's face. "Uncle also became very abusive towards us. Not just to me but also to his three children. Punches, kicks, they became our daily companions. One day he took me to work for him." "Work? Weren't you too young to work back then?" Diego nodded. At an age when all a boy should be thinking about is learning and playing with his friends, Diego was missing out. "Then what about your restaurant? Isn't it still making money?" "Our restaurant is run by my mum's cousin. My uncle is from papa's family, and the restaurant is managed by mama's family." Stellina nodded her head in understanding. "I still live in the restaurant, occasionally helping my aunt. Every time there's a delivery job, I have to go out of town." "Did you know back then that the goods you delivered were..." Stellina paused her sentence, thinking of words that would be suitable and not offend Diego. "Drugs? I didn't know at first. I was too stupid to suspect my own uncle. But after making several deliveries to Eston, he finally told me that I had to protect the goods with my life." "Oh, Diego, this is sad. I can feel the pressure of your job." Stellina tried to empathise. Compared to Diego's life, he was very lucky. Up until now, he still had parents and a complete family, no criminal cases and their lives were fine. Stellina was grateful that she was so much luckier than Diego. The delivery process always went smoothly, Eston really liked my performance and always gave me bonuses and praise. I, on the other hand, grew up chasing praise and thirsting for achievements that I wasn't really proud of." Diego realised how naive he had been when Eston always praised him when he managed to smuggle in large quantities of illicit goods. He should have realised that it wasn't an achievement worth bragging about, but some part of his male psyche told him he had to be the best among his uncle's men. Diego even remembers a time when he was a boy who tried very hard to impress Eston, reporting his every success to earn the praise and looks of satisfaction that in the past seemed to be all he needed. "So Eston was so impressed with your work that he made you his son-in-law?" asked Stellina, guessing the rest of the story. "I didn't see Vellina as a woman when I decided to marry her. I saw her as a bridge to the success I deserved." Stellina exhaled slowly as she heard the rest of Diego's story. Her chest was heaving, her emotions were all over the place. She thought now that Diego was also paving the way for other successes. Stellina understands that Diego's ambitions are not over, not even achieved. Sometimes when she thinks about this, Stellina feels sad and sorry for Diego. She thinks Diego doesn't know when the time is right to stop. "Aren't there other Eston boys? Juna and Rivaldo. Why did Eston choose you?" "I think you should meet them more often. Juna and Rivaldo were too young to be clan leaders back then. The only person Eston trusted was my uncle. And the only person my uncle trusted was me." By this time, Stellina already knew the plot and the common thread. Vellina was never truly loved by Diego. She was also probably just following her father's orders to marry Diego, the man of her father's choice. How ironic! It could be that when Vellina married Diego, she had to sacrifice her love for another man, right? Stellina didn't know that Vellina was already madly in love with Diego. She even swore that she wouldn't marry him if it wasn't for Diego. "Papa, who was getting worse, eventually developed liver disease because he consumed too much alcohol." "Oh my God, he's a man who can't be saved?" The look of shock on Stellina's face was clear. "Papa died during the treatment process. His illness was too severe, I saw that he missed mum too much and let the disease eat away at him. He died with a peaceful smile." "May he rest in peace. I'm sorry for your loss, Diego. Hearing your story, I feel much more fortunate. When the restaurant was taken over by your aunt, did your papa let it go?" "I don't think anyone in my father's position would have had a choice. At that time, his body was getting sickly. I think he had to give it up, rather than see the restaurant eventually go bankrupt because there was no one to take care of it." "It's a shame, but why does it feel like my heart is being pinched by your story, Diego?" Stellina could feel Diego's sadness. "Papa died because he couldn't get a donor liver." This time Diego seemed to be whispering to himself. There was a great regret that he had harboured for years that he could only now share with Stellina. Now Stellina understood why Diego had insisted on finding a lung donor for Enrico. Diego didn't want anything bad to happen to Enrico. Moreover, Diego really didn't want Stellina to feel the pain that he did. Losing a parent, whether it's your mum or dad, is like losing half your life. Although everyone will experience it, Diego wanted to delay it if he could. Finding a donor is one way of delaying death, at least that's what Diego believed. Stellina felt indebted to Diego for taking her family so seriously. "I'm very touched by your story, Diego. From now on, don't look for trouble with Benigno. He's still related to Eston. There is no need to defend me, because I will be nothing when the treaty ends." Stellina felt a pain in her chest as she said those words. She hoped it would not end. Isn't that what happens? Whenever Diego doesn't need it anymore, he can throw it away. "Stellina I hope you don't misunderstand. It's true that I initially saw you as a means to an end, but believe me I never had any intention of getting rid of you, let alone banishing you from my life." Diego emphasised his words, leaving Stellina speechless. This was exactly what she wanted. "Don't worry, after all my business here is done, I'll send you to Paris." Of course that surprised Stellina. "What do you mean Diego? Of course you don't have to do that, we'll be fine once this is all over." "Stellina I ask one thing of you, don't ever think of yourself as a nobody. "You're Arianna's mum. You have become part of my family, of course you are also the one I will protect." For a moment, Stellina was mesmerised by Diego's heartfelt words. "I will definitely protect you, because I love you." "Then why don't you make me yours? Not as Vellina, but as Stellina?" "Your life is clean and untainted, and I don't want to pollute it. You're a good woman who should have a good life. Don't let yourself get caught up in the vile life of the mafia." "Then what about Arianna? I swear I won't part with Arianna!" Stellina's eyes stared wide at Diego who was desperately searching for an answer to that difficult question. He knew Stellina and Arianna loved each other and this was going to be hard for them. "I'll send Arianna to the dorms when you leave. Don't worry, she won't come looking for you." It was a blow to Stellina because she knew she would miss Arianna to death. Stellina had fallen in love with the little girl from the first time she saw her. "Diego please don't do this." Stellina's tears were unstoppable. Diego immediately hugged her tightly, juxtaposing his wounds with those of the beautiful girl before him.