While trying to help him, I may have lost him forever.
****
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
DOUBLE TROUBLE
After Dominick left I went directly to my room and cried. I never thought in million years he would be calm about what Marcello told him, but I thought he would eventually calm done and hear Anna and Joseph out. That’s not to say that he would have ever forgiven them, but I truly thought he would have at least listened to the full story. They were with him for his entire life. They made things better when Elise and Vincent were at odds. They gave him the normal he always seemed to be searching for. The normal that may be lost now because I didn’t side with him immediately.
I just couldn’t side with him without hearing what they had to say. I’m not saying that I agree or condone what they did, but I always believe that there are two sides to every story and I want to make the right decision before passing judgement. I owe it to them. They may have been a part of Dominick’s plan to kidnap Raven and then ultimately ended up with me, but they did their best to make my confinement seem as normal as possible. I owed them the right to tell their story.
I’ve come to love them and I can’t just wipe away my feelings so easily. Maybe in time Dominick can make peace with them or at least have a common ground that they can build a relationship on. Even if it’s just a mutual respect for each other. That would at least be a good start.
There was a knock at my door.
“Come in.”I answered as I sat upright on my bed.
It was my dad.
“How are you doing, Rain?”He looked at me cautiously.
“I don’t know, dad. I really just don’t know.”I sighed with a shaky breath.
“Trust me. Kane will be back. He always returns when it comes to you.”He smiled.
“I hope your right, Dad.”
“I know I’m right. Kane can’t breathe without you. He loves you, Rain. Even I can see the way he looks at you. Like no one else in his world exists. Give him some time. Let him clear his head and before you know it he’ll be knocking at your door.”My dad tried his best to reassure me. I wasn’t sure it was going to work, but I had to have faith that he was right.
“Okay, I’ll give him time, but you heard him. He said he loved me. That was past tense and he said I betrayed him”I smiled at him and gave him a hug.
“It’s going to be okay, sweetie. I promise. He doesn't mean it the way it came out. He’s hurt and angry and for a man like Kane, that’s not a good combination, but he’s a smart man and he’ll eventually come to his senses.”He smiled back and kissed the tip of my nose. I did feel slightly better.
My dad convinced me to go downstairs and get something light to eat. I was going to originally wait for Dominick this morning, but obviously we weren’t going to be eating together after all of the drama that took place earlier.
When we reached the kitchen, Antonio and Mema were consoling Anna and Joseph. They all looked at me as I entered the room. Anna and Joseph were clearly distraught. I felt that now would be a good time to let them have their say.
“Rain, Anna and I are terribly sorry to have created such a wedge between you and Dominick. We had no intention of putting you in the middle of this situation. I hope you know that.”Joseph apologized.
“I know that neither one of you wanted this to happen, but you know how stubborn Dominick is. He just doesn’t listen to reason.”I felt defeated.
“If you’re up to it, both Anna and I would like you to hear the story from the beginning.”Joseph suggested.
“I’m fine and yes, I would like to know what happened to you both and why you didn’t tell Dominick.”I agreed to listen.
Anna started.
“Elise and I were sisters. That is correct, but we were not close in anyway. Elise was always trying to breakaway from our family. We were never good enough. Our mother was a wonderful woman , but not very sophisticated. Our father worked at a vineyard in a town just outside of Palermo. Elise always looked down on that. She always had stars in her eyes. She would never have settled for the simple, loving life that our parents created for us.”Anna explained.
“So you never became close as you had both gotten older?”I asked Anna.
“No. In fact, she would lie to everyone that she met. She told them that she was an only child and that her family was from Rome. She liked the idea of being from a larger city.”Anna stated.
“I see. Dominick told me that Elise was an only child. I guess she told him that as well.”
“As I said we were never close. She was worldly and I wanted to have a family. She wanted bright lights and the big city and I wanted the small town and children. Anyway, after Joseph and I met he asked my father for my hand in marriage. My father loved Joseph and gave us his approval. We were married and not long after that I became pregnant. Joseph was in the army and he had not been home for awhile, but my parents had relatives and friends to help me.”
“Why did you need so much help? Were you sick? I was concerned.
“I was bedridden for my entire pregnancy. I had some bleeding issues and the doctor felt it best to stay in bed as much as possible and not create any unwanted complications. Once I went into labor and gave birth, my blood pressure had risen to an undesirable height. I was very weak. I passed out and remained unconscious for a long period after the births.”Anna stopped.
“Births? You had more than one baby?”
“She had twins. Twin boys. Dominick and Daniel.”Joseph took over the story.
“Twins. Identical or Fraternal?”I asked.
“Identical.”Anna smiled as she remembered some long lost memory.
“So you're telling me that there’s two of Dominick out there in the world?”I tried to lighten up the conversation.
“Not exactly.”Joseph voice became somber.
“I’m sorry, but when you said twins I just assumed everything was okay.”I regretted my statement after that.
“Daniel and Dominick look exactly alike, but Daniel has limitations. He can’t walk. The doctors all agreed he was like that in the womb, but I never believed them. I think it was a complication that had occurred at the time of birth or shortly after that. My babies were just too active when I was pregnant.”Anna was adamant.
“I see. Can I ask you where Daniel is now? I mean all of this time you lived with Dominick. How was it that you kept Daniel hidden?”I needed more answers and I hoped by the way they were referring to Daniel, that he was still alive. I don’t think Dominick could take another tragedy in his life.
“He’s who we visit in Philadelphia. We always go once a week and on holidays. He lives at a rehabilitation center just outside the city limits. He has his own apartment now and was taught over the years to be self sufficient. He’s well educated. He’s a teacher and counselor at the center and loves to paint. He was very bitter for the many years that we lived with Dominick and helped raise him. You see, Rain, in the beginning Daniel was very ill and we couldn’t keep him with us. It was a very hard decision to make, but he would have not come this far if we didn’t have the support of the doctors and medical staff at the center. And even Mr. Kane.”Joseph added.
“I’m so sorry. So how did he come to the center and how did you come to live with Dominick? How was Mr. Kane involved with Daniel?”I knew I was bombarding them with questions because there were so many pieces to the puzzle that just didn’t make sense to me yet.
Joseph continued.
“While Anna was in bed and recovering after the births, Elise came home. She pleaded with her parents to help her. She said her marriage was falling apart and that having a baby was impossible for her. She said she wanted so badly to save her marriage, but felt without a child her marriage would end. I was away on leave and couldn’t be contacted. I knew that Anna was in a bad way and that her parents were taking care of the twins, but I had no idea they would have given the babies to Elise. I think they may have done it because they were overwhelmed and they also wanted Elis
e’s love. Something they felt they never had before. Once I found out I headed home to straighten them out. They said Elise took Dominick to the States. I was livid. I hopped on a plane and went straight to Elise’s apartment in Manhattan. I told her if she didn’t return him to Italy immediately that I would call the authorities.”
“What happened next?”I couldn’t believe what a bitch Elise Kane was. I mean I knew she was manipulative, but to steal her sister’s child and pass him off as her own. What a piece of shit.
Anna continued.
“Elise said she wouldn’t give back Dominick. She said that she would report Joseph to the Italian military as deserting his post. He did leave without permission, so I knew she wasn’t bluffing. She never took Daniel. She knew he wasn’t well and she barely was able to take care of Dominick. Once I had gotten better I called her and said that she needed to return Dominick to me and that if she didn’t I would tell her husband the whole story. She just laughed at me. She said that once she reported Joseph to the military and he was placed in jail, I would have no one to help me with Daniel or Dominick for that matter. She wasn't wrong. I had left my parent’s house after I had found out that they had given Dominick to her. She then said that if I had no one to take care of them that they would be given away to strangers. She was more than likely correct. She struck a deal with me. She said that if Joseph and I moved to the States and lived with her and Vincent, I could be with Dominick all the time. She knew Daniel needed special care, so she suggested setting up medical care at a special facility in the city.”Anna stopped. She started to get upset. Joseph carried on.
“Once we talked it over, we believed that we could provide for our children and find a way to eventually tell Vincent the truth and get our boys back together. So we moved in with the Kane’s and placed Daniel nearby. Believe me, Rain, when I tell you this is not what we wanted. We fought hard to get our boys back together, but Elise had so much money and power at her disposable, she made sure that she would never be found out.”Joseph explained.
“Eventually she was discovered. How did that happen?”I was confused.
“Vincent had a client that was suing the hospital that Daniel was in. They had in some way provided less than adequate care and their child took a turn for the worse. Vincent was hired to sue the center. When he was there he saw Daniel by accident. He came home and wanted the truth. Elise explained everything and said that she would not give up Dominick. Dominick was getting older and was Elise’s saving grace. He believed everything my sister told him. She was poison in his veins and there was nothing any of us could do about it.”
“I understand, but once Mr. Kane knew what she did, why didn’t you tell Dominick the truth?”
“My sister was apparently keeping Vincent’s clients happy. By that I mean sleeping with them to help build the Kane and Medici empire even further. I think she was trying to further her own personal needs as well. She threatened to tell the media that Vincent forced her to have sex with his clients to gain control of their business. She said she would tell the news reporters that he forced her into this situation if he didn’t keep his mouth shut about the illegal adoption. He agreed, but he also agreed that Daniel wasn’t safe in the center he was at and he had him moved to the one he is at now. He paid all of the expenses and his estate still helps with costs today. He then moved out on Elise and told her that she needed to allow us to have more control in Dominick’s life or he would turn her into authorities. He said if he was going to lose his reputation, then he would ruin her life in the process.”Anna explained further.
“Okay, I get all that and I fully understand, but Elise and Vincent are both dead. Couldn’t you have explained all of this to Dominick?”
“Were going to tell Dominick the truth, but then we started to see a very bad change in him. He was always an angry young man, but once the Kane’s died it had gotten worse. He then revealed his plan to kidnap Raven and we felt if we said anything about us being his parents we wouldn’t have been able to stop the plan he had set into motion. It turned out we weren't able to stop him anyway. Then when he took you, we knew we could make you comfortable and try to keep you from being frightened and hopefully convince him to let you go. We didn’t want to see him get arrested either. We were so thrilled that he had fallen in love with you and that things began to turn around for him.”Joseph added.
I sighed deeply. It was a hell of a lot to take in, but I could see that they did love him and although I wished they hadn't lied for all these years, I knew at the heart of everything that they did it for their children. Much in the way my parents did for me. If I take anything away from all of this, is to always be truthful to our children. Lies of any kind just create a web of deceit that you may never be able to break free from.
“So what do you suggest we do now?”I asked.
“I think we need to let Dominick calm down. Once he does, I think his curiosity to know about his past will out weigh his hatred for us. Let’s just give him some time.”Anna suggested.
“I think you’re right. My dad said the very same thing.”I smiled warmly at both of them. I’m glad I stayed and listened. I felt much better knowing that I had the full story now. Let’s hope Dominick comes around sooner rather than later.
After all that was said, we decided to all sit down and have a peaceful dinner. It wasn’t going to be easy, but we had to try. By this time Raven and Tommy had come back from Rome and we filled them in on everything. We all decided that we would head back to the city on Monday. Raven, Tommy and my dad needed to be back anyway. Anna and Joseph were worried about Dominick and wanted to be close to him, even if he wouldn't see them or take their calls.
My dad suggested that Anna and Joseph stay in the guest suite in his duplex. He said he was rarely home and this way they wouldn’t have to look for a place to live while waiting for Dominick to come around. I couldn’t thank my dad enough for stepping in and getting involved.
I wanted them to be part of their grandchildren’s lives. I was thrilled they would be staying at my dad’s home while we tried to work things out with Dominick. Either way, I forever wanted them involved with our babies. We just needed to take one day at a time and hopefully things would eventually come together.
It was Monday and we all headed to the airport in Naples to get our flight back to NYC. On the way and beyond earshot of the others I called Mr. Campania. I connected with his voicemail, so I left a message let him know that I had to unexpectedly return to the States, but to keep me posted on any developments that arose on the vineyard property. I also called Marcello to thank him for all that he had done and to let him know he needed to call me if Dominick contacted him in anyway. He said he would and also said he would see me in March for my art show.
Finally back at Newark, Tommy and I said goodbye to the others. We took Tommy’s car to Dominick’s home, while my dad, Anna, Joseph and Raven had taken a car from the airport service to get them to the duplex. I made Raven promise to call me after her and Michael talked. She said she would. I told Anna and Joseph to settle in and that I would call them tomorrow with a plan to work on Dominick. They seemed visibly relieved that they had me and my family to help them. I was happy to be there for them as well.
Once in Tommy’s car, I closed my eyes to get some much needed rest. I had my night planned. I was going to order pizza, have a shower and sleep for the entire week. Tommy agreed that I needed my rest. He had a shoot in LA this upcoming weekend, but he said he would be back next Tuesday and we would start to finalize the details for the show. I was thrilled not to have anything to do, but rest for one whole week.
Tommy pulled in front and was about to get out, but then he turned to me.
“Rain, are you sure you want to go in there?”He said looking back at the house.
I smiled.
“Yes, that’s my home now. I know what you’re worried about Tommy, but as upset as Dominick was; he didn’t blow up on me in Capri. He just walked out. He got away from the situa
tion. It’s better than his past reactions when he acted like a madman. He just may be growing up a bit.”I grinned.
Tommy grimaced and shook his head.
“Baby, you have way more faith in Kane than the rest of us.”
“I have to. We’re starting a life together. I’m pregnant. I have to believe he’ll come to his senses and even if that only means that we are okay and he doesn’t want to be involved with Anna and Joseph, then I have to respect his wishes.”
“You know that’s not going to be easy. He’ll want you to stay away from them and keep the kids away from them too. What are you going to do then?”Tommy asked.
“That’s a discussion for another day. I think once he hears what happened, he may feel differently. I’m not talking a warm fuzzy child and parent reunion, but I think Dominick’s intelligent enough to understand what went down and he’ll find a solid ground to stand on with them.”
Identity: …………..People aren’t always who you believe them to be (Miss Taken Identity Series Book 2) Page 22
