Diary of Fragile Heart (Spin of Loving You Too Long)

A two-story European-style house welcomed them. In front of the house with a porch, there was a yard filled with various flowers. A tall, slim woman with a wrinkled yet cold-looking face was standing in front of one of the plants. She wore a knee-length skirt and knitted sweater with a black leather apron on her chest, rubber gloves, and a small shovel in her hand.

Gladwin had met the elderly woman several times before. Brianna Quirino, a beautiful and intelligent woman who was behind the scenes of Kralligimiz. Gladwin’s twin brother’s mother-in-law who always hid her kindness behind her stern demeanor and impassive expression.

Alright, she was also his grandmother-in-law now. And Gladwin had to be prepared to face her in case she showed coldness as a response for making her granddaughter suffer all this time.

Flavia eagerly opened the car door, ignoring Gladwin’s request to be careful. How could she not? Flavia couldn’t contain her longing because for her, Brianna Quirino wasn’t just a grandmother, but also a mother figure as Flavia grew up with her.

Yes, since Antony separated from Flavia’s mother, he entrusted Flavia’s care to Brianna while he chose to keep his distance from his own daughter. Antony’s relationship with Flavia only developed after Antony married Gladwin’s twin sister, Claire. Especially in recent years, Brianna and Arthur chose to spend their old age by traveling.

His petite wife’s body was now in Brianna’s embrace. The seventy-year-old woman looked happily laughing. Abigail and Gladwin walked together towards the two women when Brianna scolded them for coming without notice.

Brianna took off her gardening gloves before embracing Gladwin in her warm hug. She welcomed him warmly, and Gladwin felt grateful for it. The woman ended up hugging Abigail with a warm hug just as she did with Flavia, and yes, Abigail and the woman were quite close considering Abigail and Flavia had been friends since they were in middle school.

“You look more beautiful every day,” the elderly woman praised Abigail.

“Of course, I have to be beautiful; beauty is my commodity,” she said mischievously. “Besides, I have to have a youthful body and face like yours,” she replied, making Brianna laugh.

“Come in, Arthur will be pleased to know you’re here,” Brianna walked with her arms around Abigail on the right and Flavia on the left.Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

Gladwin paid a little attention to the simple yet beautiful building as he walked. The two-story wooden house carried the American Classic style. There was a hammock on the porch, securely tied to both wooden pillars. Beside it were wooden chairs with soft cushioned seats. In the middle of the two wooden chairs was a square glass table with a flower pot on top. Behind the chairs was a wide window covered with white curtains.

Upon entering, on the right side of the door, there was a shoe rack, alongside umbrella storage and coat and hat hooks. And above the shoe rack, there were key hangers. Gladwin took off his shoes, replaced them with the available house sandals, and continued forward.

There was a wooden staircase leading to the second floor right by the wall. They turned left towards the middle room, which was also the family room where Gladwin had noticed the window earlier. Two long velvet sofas filled with square cushions adorned with knitted covers were there. There were no strange decorations adorning the walls except for family photos printed in various sizes, framed and neatly arranged on the wall, capturing every moment of happiness.

On a fireplace mantle, there were decorations in the form of antique vases. The middle area and the kitchen were completely open, making the area look even more spacious.

The wooden door under the stairs opened, revealing a tall, large man with completely white hair. The elderly man seemed wide-eyed seeing the guests in front of him. Flavia approached and hugged her grandfather. Gratefully reciprocating, her grandfather hugged her tightly.

“I thought you were too comfortable staying at Gian’s house until you forgot to visit us, dear,” Arthur Quirino hugged and patted his granddaughter’s back while kissing the top of her head. “And who is this? The talkative girl, the foodie?” He asked, looking at Abigail. “When did you come here? Why didn’t you inform us?” His free hand stretched wide. Abigail entered the embrace of the older version of Antony and affectionately kissed his wrinkled cheek.

“I was kidnapped by him, Grandpa!” She pointed towards Gladwin. Arthur Quirino looked sharply at Gladwin. Gladwin saw Flavia gently rubbing her grandfather’s chest, trying to calm him down.

“You!” He spoke coldly with a raised tone. “You’ve married my granddaughter without permission, and now you’re visiting without notice. What kind of grandson-in-law are you?”

Gladwin approached and respectfully kissed his father-in-law’s hand. “I’m sorry, Sir,” he whispered softly.

“Sir?” The old forehead, adorned with black spots, furrowed even deeper. “You strange grandson-in-law. I’m your grandfather-in-law. Call me Grandpa!” He commanded.

“Alright, Grandpa,” Gladwin obeyed.

“If only I knew you were coming, I would have thrown a welcoming party for you,” he grumbled, surprising Gladwin. Clearly, his acceptance by Flavia’s grandfather was beyond Gladwin’s expectations, as he had thought Arthur Quirino would scold him for making his beloved granddaughter sad enough to run away to another part of the world.

Flavia tried to calm her grandfather’s heart by explaining that they would be staying for quite some time in Bursa, so the old man would have plenty of time to throw a party for them.

“It would be nice if your father and uncles were here,” Arthur Quirino murmured again.

And the old man’s murmuring became a reality because two days later, the Antony and Altezza Quirino family entourage arrived to fill Arthur’s residence. Their arrival was, once again, surprising and unannounced, much like Gladwin’s sudden arrival.

The old man muttered his annoyance again. What Arthur wanted was for his sons-in-law and grandchildren to stay at his house in Antalya because he considered his residence in Bursa too small to accommodate them all. Although they weren’t a big family, the three Quirino siblings plus their children and grandchildren would clearly not fit into four rooms.

Equally clever, Gian eventually decided to rent tents for the young ones to stay in, and they set them up in Arthur’s spacious yard. Two tents for the children and three tents for the adults. Meanwhile, the parents and nursing mothers would sleep inside the house.

They were now gathered in the family room with the fireplace lit. They pushed the table aside and laid out several large carpets on the floor. The elder Quirinos sat on the sofa with their partners. The second generation, Antony-Claire, Altezza-Adaline, and Gian-Joanna, like Gladwin, Flavia, and Abigail, chose to sit on the floor on thick and warm carpets.

They chatted warmly, reminiscing about embarrassing memories, revealing secrets they had hidden for years. They told stories of their youth and the mischief they got up to without their parents’ knowledge. Until they eventually discussed Flavia and Gladwin’s personal affairs.

“What will you do next?” Antony, as Gladwin’s father-in-law, asked. The question clearly referred to the actions Gladwin and Flavia would take regarding their somewhat complicated and perplexing marriage.