Rejected by my Husband novel Chapter 21

Karline’s Point of View

The plane touched down with a thud that rattled through my bones. My arms tightened instinctively around Ethan, who stirred slightly in his sleep but didn’t wake.

His tiny lips parted in a soft sigh, his chubby hand clutching the fabric of my blouse as if he knew, even in dreams, that I was all he had left.

Italy. My home. My beginning. And now, after everything, my refuge.

I stepped off the plane with shaky legs, my suitcase trailing behind me, Ethan pressed securely against my chest. The air hit me differently the moment I walked through the gates.

The familiar scent of espresso brewing somewhere, the faint chatter of people speaking in the language I grew up with, it all wrapped around me, stirring both comfort and sorrow.

I had already spoken to my parents on the phone. I had told them everything, or at least, enough. About Reid. About the divorce. About Ethan. My mother’s voice had cracked, my father had gone silent. And now, as I walked toward the arrivals area, my heart hammered in my chest.

Would they see me as a failure? Would they pity me? Or worse, would they see Ethan as unwanted?

The crowd parted, and then I saw them.

“Mamma!” I breathed, my voice breaking.

My mother, Isabella, with her hair streaked in silver wearing her polka dot knee length dress came rushing forward. Tears streamed down her face as she threw her arms around me, nearly crushing Ethan between us.

“Cara mia,” she whispered against my hair. “My poor, poor girl.”

“Mamma…” My throat burned, words clogging in it. I could only cling to her, my body trembling as though the weight of the last months finally caved in.

And then my father was there. Matteo. Tall, broad-shouldered, with hands calloused from years of working the farm. His eyes glistened as he gently stroked Ethan’s head.

“This must be my grandson,” he said softly, his voice thick with emotion. “Let me see him, Karli.”

I hesitated for only a second before letting him lift Ethan into his arms. Ethan squirmed, blinked, and then stared up at my father with wide, curious eyes. Matteo chuckled, tears slipping down his weathered cheeks. “Ah, look at him. Strong already. Just like a true italian, my strong grandson.”

That broke me. My knees gave way, and my mother caught me before I collapsed entirely. “Shh, cara mia, we’ve got you,” she murmured. “You are safe now. You are home.”

And then a voice squealed behind me. “Karline!”

I turned to see Joana, my little cousin, more like a sister, bounding toward me with her long braids flying. She had been living in Florence for her studies, but apparently, she had rushed here the moment she heard.

“Oh my God, look at you,” Joana gasped, hugging me so tightly that Ethan let out a startled cry in my father’s arms. “I can’t believe it. You’re really here. And....this cutieee?? what's his name? He’s so beautiful!”

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