NovelOnlineChapter 11
“Dad.” Alessia glanced up at the sound of footsteps. Brendan stepped inside, a smile on his face, not a trace left
of the lost look he'd worn earlier. He changed his shoes at the door as if nothing had happened.
“How'd you sleep, Lessie?”
“Pretty well. Mom and | went grocery shopping this morning-it was actually kind of fun.”
Four sets of plates and forks lay set out on the table. Brendan blinked rapidly. He bent to set his briefcase on the
floor, head bowed, and by the the straightened up, any trace of emotion had vanished from his face.
“You're back. Go wash up, dinner’s almost ready. The fish is fresh today-I just need to finish one last dish.” Karen
bustled around the kitchen, smiling as usual.
“I'll give you a hand,” Brendan said, and slipped into the bathroom to wash up.
They both knew the truth, but neither said a word. This family had been through enough; what they needed now
was to support each other, not to point fingers. Each one of them was trying to make things better-that was
enough.
“Lessie, would you call Ivan for dinner?” Karen wiped her hands on her apron and set the pot down on the table.
Alessia nodded and headed for Ivan’s room. Out of courtesy, she knocked first, waiting a few seconds. When no
answer came, she tried the doorknob.
It wasn’t locked. The door swung open, and she paused in surprise for a moment before collecting herself.
The room was pitch-dark, except for a small desk lamp illuminating one corner. Ivan sat curled up on the floor,
legs drawn to his chest, focused intently on a drawing in the pool of light.
Just a single door separated two different worlds: outside, it was noon; inside, it felt like midnight. Unlike her own
bright, airy room, Ivan’s was cramped-barely enough space for a double bed. The only small window was
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtblocked by the neighboring building, so sunlight never reached inside.
Still, Ivan had carved out a little space for himself-a low table and an easel stacked with books, a few nearly-
empty jars of paint strewn beneath.
Pressing her lips together, Alessia quietly crossed the room and crouched next to
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him. Ivan was so absorbed in his work that Alessia simply watched in silence, waiting as he put the finishing
touches on his painting.
But the more she looked, the deeper her frown became.
Ivan’s paintings had a spark to them-the lines and composition were bold and fluid, his use of color daring yet
harmonious. But every piece seemed to radiate a kind of heaviness. No matter how bright the paints, Ivan’s
brush always turned them into swirling, endless black holes-so much so that just looking at them made it hard to
breathe.
Alessia had studied painting for a while, and her teacher used to say she had an eye for beauty but no technical
skill. She could appreciate color and composition, but every tshe tried to draw, her figures cout as
crude stickmen. It nearly drove her teacher mad.
While she was lost in thought, Ivan finished his drawing. He put down his brush, ready to clean up, but as he
turned, he jumped at the sight of Alessia crouched beside him.
Quick reflexes saved the moment-Alessia reached out and steadied him before he
could knock over his freshly completed painting.
ey ) »
Dinner's ready.” She saw the
2 ) . ).
guarded look in Ivan’s eyes, but dint
push. Once he was stéally she let go
of his ahh! stood up, and brushed
invisible dust from her jeans, her tone
cool and even. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Ivan stayed silent. Alessia didn’t mind, and left the room. Less than a minute later,
Ivan followed her out.
« ) q
Eat up, both of you. You're still
2 g f
growing—and you, mister, you're the
head of the family, now) od fadd’
\ ;
yQu pstiehgih) Karen busied herself
aa ‘
piling food onto the others’ plates,
barely serving herself a scrap of
meat. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“You're the one running around all day. You should eat more,” Brendan said. Since their bankruptcy, the two of
them had only grown closer, not farther apart.
Alessia paused with her fork halfway to her mouth, looking thoughtfully at Karen.
«
Mom, have you ever thought about
starting a little business? Maybe a
nou .
food stand?” “Oh, Lessie, yo Gere
5 PAT
know nay ip eke hé dm el” Karen
thedght Alessia was complimenting
her cooking and beamed, but
Brendan caught the seriousness in
a0 3
Alessia’s tone—eight parts earnest,
two parts testing the waters. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
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