WHO: Giada Dorny and the mother who disowned her!
WHAT: Giada makes the mistake of trying to talk to her mother at her father's wake
WHERE: The Vance Household
WHEN: This afternoon!
Giada had watched her mother disappear up the familiar steps of her childhood home, escaping the wake that was being held for her father. She had not been in this house in more than three years, and she was feeling sick about it. It had taken Giada a long time to put on a good face about being disowned by her parents, she was sure that it was only Graeme’s presence or Jackson’s smile that kept her from entering that old cycle of depression and guilt. She’d never truly understood why her parents had shipped her off the family tapestry so easily, but it had been done and now she was back, trying to pay her respects to the father she’d adored even if he hadn’t reciprocated the feelings.
She knew how hard her father’s surprise passing had been on her mother. Ally always kept Giada up to date with things, and everyone had been shocked by the news. Giada couldn’t remember the last conversation she had with her father, and it was sad to think that it was probably a yelling match about how terrible of a daughter she was. For a moment she thought she could ignore her mother’s sly exit up the stairs, but a strong tugging in her stomach told her to follow her and see if she was all right. Giada whispered to Graeme (who had been such a good support through everything) that she would be right back, and then she too ascended the stairs.
The walls of the stairwell were covered in framed pictures, all moving with the smiles and laughter that had been captured years ago. With each step Giada felt her chest constrict; any pictures she remembered of herself being on the walls had been taken down. Who knew if her mother had even kept them, but from this short walk Giada knew that her existence had been erased from the home. Her eyes welled up at the thought but she had to be strong if she wanted to make the progress she’d been aching for.
Her heels clicked on the wooden floor and Giada tried to move as slowly as possible towards the place she knew her mother would be. The door to her father’s old office was slightly ajar, and with a soft push Giada opened the door, taking a quick step inside before shutting it behind her. Her mother turned her chair slowly; she had been gazing out the window and blinked to adjust her eyes once again to the room.
“What are you doing here?”
Her mother, Viviana Moretti-Vance, had long, golden hair like Giada’s, often pulled up into elaborate twists at the top of her head, adorned with the finest hairpieces straight from Italy. She had met her husband when he was on business in Florence, and from the stories she told her children Viviana had spotted him and asserted that he would not be leaving the country without her. Patrick Vance never stood a chance. He’d often told Giada how much she looked like her mother, that he would have to protect her from men like him when she grew old. They had loved each other very much, and Giada was so sad for her mother, having lost her soul mate so unexpectedly.
Giada’s hands twisted in front of her. She had not directly spoken to her mother since Ally attempted to rekindle their relationship a few years back.
“I wanted to see if you needed anything,” she said softly, feeling like a child again, ready to get scolded.
“I mean
here, in my home,” Viviana snapped, standing from her chair. Giada let out a short gasp, but managed to stand her ground. She would be heard, even if it was over the shouts of her mother. She desperately did not want this to escalate, but if that was what happened she believed she was prepared.
“I came to pay my respects,” Giada insisted, stepping forward, “I loved Father and I would have never forgiven myself if I did not attend---”
“But you can forgive yourself for breaking his heart over some muggleborn?” Viviana shot back, coming around the desk. Giada held her ground, recalling vividly the last fight she and her mother had. The ghostly sting of her cheek still haunted her dreams and Giada unconsciously put her hand to her face; maybe to protect herself before her mother could react.
“His name is
Graeme and he’s my husband, the
father of my son,” Giada said, stretching out her words to signify their importance to her mother. Graeme wasn’t just a
boy, she had given up her rights to the family fortune because she’d known in her heart that he was going to be the one she spent the rest of her life with. Thinking of Graeme and her son sent a new wave of strength through her, and she stepped forward, realizing for the first time that she towered over her mother, “Why couldn’t you two understand that? Why---why was it okay for Ally to marry a muggleborn, but not me? Patrick’s the
heir, he and Lyssandra have ruined the bloodline and---you love them! You love them and you don’t love me!”
“We loved you
more!” Viviana shouted, and Giada’s eyes widened to the size of quaffles. Viviana looked ashamed, but her anger was still evident. Her hand reached out and Giada flinched, but was surprised when her mother’s hand simply caressed her cheek, “
You were perfect. You were the one that was going to make our family proud. I fought so hard to have
you.”
Her hand moved to Giada’s hair, and the young woman wasn’t sure if she should be moved or revolted. It didn’t make sense, this was absolutely----it made no sense, her life made
no sense.
“You loved me the most?” she whispered, feeling as if her heart was going to explode, “But---then---you told me...”
“I love your brother and sister too, why do you think we lied to them about why you were disowned?” Viviana shook her head, her hand twirling one of Giada’s curls around her fingers, “You were perfect, you were my perfect thing, and you gave it all away.”
“I fell in love,” Giada choked out, trying desperately not to cry.
“With the wrong person.” Viviana’s hand pulled away quickly and Giada found herself aching for her mother’s touch again, “Avery Sloan was the perfect match for you and you ruined it---”
“Avery
assaulted me,” Giada let out, clutching her hand to her heart, the images of that night rushing back to her, “He tried to----and you didn’t
believe me!”
“You would have said anything to get out of the arrangement! You weren’t even
engaged yet you were---” Viviana’s eyes flared up again, and she moved away from Giada, “You were raised to know what must be done for your family and the second a boy with nice eyes looks at you, you give it all away! I couldn’t believe, I could not
believe that my perfect girl had grown up to be some
whore for a mudblood!”
Giada gasped for air, her hand going to her mouth to hold back her cry of agony. How could her mother do this to her? How could she do this---she would never,
ever tell Jackson who he could not love, she could never love him
more than any other children she and Graeme might have; her babies would be the most invaluable things in her
world, it---Tears poured out of her eyes and Giada shook her head furiously, still unable to
leave because her mother kept saying that she loved her.
“I
wasn’t,” she let out, “I wasn’t, I
swear, we didn’t----we didn’t!”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Viviana let out, crossing her arms, “Your father is dead and he died knowing that you had some mudblood’s child.”
“But
Ally----”
“It was
you, Giada, get it through those clouds in your head,” her mother snapped, sending her away with a quick flick of her hand, “Get out of my sight, I have no need for someone who couldn’t respect my husband while he was alive and then expect me to think she really means it when he’s
dead.”
Giada’s feet finally unglued themselves from the floor and she shot out of the office, the door slamming behind her. She raced down the corridor and was halfway down the stairs when she’d came to a screeching halt, slumping against the wall to catch her breath, any breath. Her thoughts were racing with her mother’s words even though she could not bear to listen to them in her own mind any longer, it was all too painful.
At the bottom of the steps, she saw Graeme appear. Her Graeme, her love, she couldn’t put this on him, not now, not here. It would be too unfair, she wouldn’t be able to handle it and it would just break his heart. She seemed to be good at that, and the second she caught her husband’s eye Giada let out a strangled cry and disapparted from the house.
