Episode 2

Eight years have passed since that fateful night, when an innocent angel was left without her mother and earned the contempt of her father.

The Marconetti mansion has become a silent mausoleum, decorated with ghosts that no one sees, except Ginevra.

Tiziano barely looks at her; when he does, it is only to remind her that she should not exist.

Eleonora avoids her during the day, but at night she makes sure to make it clear that she is not welcome.

The girl, with her dark hair and eyes the same color as her mother's, spends hours in the garden, waiting for someone to approach and look at her, waiting for an "I love you" that never comes. The only affection she knows is that of the lady who takes care of her and who tells her how wonderful her mother was.

Sometimes the little girl talks to a broken doll, the only inheritance from her mother. Her nanny gave it to her and she has managed to hide it from Eleonora; that woman cannot tolerate anything that brings the memory of her mother to the present.

"Mom, do you think he will ever love me?" she asks every night before going to sleep, but no one answers. The cold doll only observes her as what she is: a lifeless object.

Every smile, every kind gesture, every celebration is for her little sister Elena, who is like the light in that house.

Both little girls go to school, but only the achievements of little Nora are noticed; Ginevra is a zero on the left in that house.

Today is very important: the school where both minors study celebrates Father's Day. The teachers of each girl have organized an activity for each student to create a card for their parents; they have also been invited to see their daughters recite poems.

The letter that Elena prepared is very beautiful; she filled it with glitter. The girl stood up surprised to see her father enter with a huge bouquet of flowers for her.

"Daddy... You came," the little girl shouts, full of emotion. Her father is her hero and having him that day is very important to her.

Her mother accompanies him, radiant as always, in an elegant suit; they are the perfect family, at least in the curious eyes of society.

"My sweet girl, of course I came, I wouldn't miss it for anything," he puts his strong arms around her and kisses her head. That special moment that every girl longs for, she enjoys it.

At the end of the activity, he decides to leave without looking back; there is nothing else in that place that stops him...

Meanwhile, in little Ginevra's room, she is set apart in a corner, with red eyes.

"Another year that he didn't come," she murmurs, looking at her doll and drying her mischievous tears.

She decides to observe the window and manages to see him leave with his wife, who is carrying her sister Elena in her arms. She squeezes her eyes while in her head she reproaches whoever can hear her for why she cannot receive a small part of the affection that belongs to her sister.

Later, the taunts are not long in coming; everyone thinks that she is the maid in that house or the daughter of a slip-up. The little girl just lowers her gaze and walks away from everyone so as not to cry in public, although it is difficult.

"Your father, the driver, couldn't come today?" one of the children mocks.

"He must have been taking the Marconetti family and they didn't give him permission," says another spoiled and hateful girl, bursting into laughter.

"My mom says that she is the daughter of a slut and that, since the lady of the house doesn't love her..." continues another little girl who is next to the attackers.

Ginevra cannot stand the taunts and walks away from everyone. She walks until she reaches the bottom of the stairs, her favorite place to hide.

She stays there until she stops hearing the voices of the little ones; then she allows herself to cry in silence. Then she dries her tears and comes out again. By that time it is already time to leave, and she goes to where they pick her up daily.

"Good afternoon, Miss Ginevra. How was your day?" the driver asks with a smile when the door closes and the car starts. He knows everything that the little girl suffers and, since he knew her mother, he doesn't like how they treat her.

"The same as always... Dad didn't come to my act," her eyes fill with tears and a knot pierces her throat. "Can you tell me why he hates me so much? I didn't ask to be born," her tender and low voice makes the man's heart crumple like paper. A pang in his chest forces him to look away so as not to continue seeing the suffering of that little angel.

"You know what? I met your mother and she said something very true," the man begins, looking through the rearview mirror.

"It doesn't matter who loves us if we do," the girl looks up and smiles.

"What was she like?" Her little eyes shine with emotion. The driver straightens up and sighs.

"She... She was intelligent, a dreamer, but she also had a very strong character..." he lets out a little laugh. "When your mother got upset, even your father ran. She had a motto:"A betrayal is never forgiven"."

Little Ginevra nods, wipes her tears and no longer feels so bad now that she has heard more about her mother.

Once they arrive at the mansion, the girl gets out happy. Even if he didn't go, she will give him her gift. She directs her steps to where she hears voices, in the living room, and runs towards her father, hugging his leg.

"Dad, Happy Father's Day. Look what I made you," she stretches out her hands with the beautiful present that she made herself.

Tiziano removes her from his body with his strong arms, and a wrinkle furrows his forehead. Just seeing her, everything churns inside him and he shouts at her:

"What dad? I'm tired of telling you that it's"Mr. Tiziano Marconetti"for you," he crumples the letter with an expression of disgust. That breaks the little girl's heart. Immediately she lowers her face and nods.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tiziano," her stepmother and half-sister laugh, and she runs to lock herself in her room, completely devastated.

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