Chapter 20

• Ermine once told me that they tried for years, different methods of conception and nothing. Not even a risky pregnancy, nothing at all. It seems that her ovaries never developed. She even told me that once she left Fiorenzo hoping that he would forget about her, she didn't want to tie him down in a relationship that would prevent him from having children. In her words, I quote, "Every man wants to know his offspring."
• She believed it wholeheartedly and felt that she was doing him a favor. What she found out two months after they separated was that he was depressed, a mere shadow of himself. Although Fiorenzo never lost hope of getting back together with her, he didn't seek her out. He wanted to give her the space she needed to understand that with or without children, he would always love her.
• And so it was, they have been together ever since, and once they understood their role in this world, there was nothing that could separate them. That's partly why they act so protective and familial towards us, both Lucy and me. Ermine even calls us daughters from time to time, and although Fiorenzo resists, he looks at us with adoration. I know it, I've noticed it.