T54: The Truth About Dante.

Back at Monica's victorian home...

"MY SON IS WHERE?!" Olivia screamed, flipping out over Dante.

The whole family and Dustin, minus Alice and Brooklyn, were in the living-room with Lulu and Laura, who were sitting on the sofa, with Lulu holding the divorce papers in her right hand. Lulu had called the family back to the house and had just finished explaining to them the true situation with Dante and that he was in an insane asylum in Africa and that he was divorcing her due to the PTSD he abtained in the war.

"In an mental asylum in Africa. He's been there since October 30th." Lulu confessed.

"How does Dante know that he's crazy and needs to be institutionalized?" Ned asked.

"Well, i'm just going off of what Dante said. He came back from the war and since then, he'd been having these verbal outbursts toward me and other people over the least things." Lulu explained.

Olivia snatched the divorce papers out of Lulu's hand. "That is the PTSD! Dante's not himself."

"I mean, this is not the man i married." Lulu said.

"Which is why he needs to be home. He can't heal from this thing in another country." Olivia said.

"He may not be able to come home now that he's admitted himself. He may not be free to go." Laura explained.

"He's been away at war for so long, trying to protect our country. What i wanna know is why he's been going off on you and other people." Bill said.

"Those other people were just innocent by-standers, it isn't their fault." Lulu said.

"Well, it isn't your fault. And it's not Dante's fault either." Olivia said.

"That's why he left in the first place. He didn't his own mind." Lulu said.

"Which is why you have to tear up these papers." Olivia said.

Lulu said nothing.

Lulu...are you giving Dante...this divorce?" Monica asked.

Olivia sat down next to Lulu and Laura on the sofa. "Have you fallen out of love with Dante?"

"No. Never, no." Lulu said.

"Well, good. Because he hasn't fallen out of love with you. You know that, he's just not himself right now. Monica, tell her." Olivia said.

Monica remained silent.

"Monica!" Olivia said.

"She's right. Dante hasn't fallen out of love with you. I mean, that's just my openion. Filing for divorce may be the sanest thing he can do. In his head, that's the way he thinks. And maybe he believes that you and Rocco are better off without him." Monica said.

"Which is not true! He's just being a self-sacrificing idiot!" Olivia said as tears filled her eyes.

"Okay, it hurts either way. My husband is gone and he has dumped this decision on me." Said Lulu before getting up from the sofa and walking away from it as Olivia wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"We can't let her give up on Dante like this. I know my son. I know that he will come back from this." Olivia said.

"Olivia...it's Lulu's marriage...and it's Lulu's choice." Laura said.

"Right. And it's our job to support her." Monica added.

Lulu turned to the family, with tears running down her face. "I don't know how to make this decision. Do i listen to my heart or listen to my head? What is the right thing to do?"

Laura stood up. "You have to be honest with yourself. Ask yourself this question: "Is my life...or my son's life...going to be better if i fight Dante on this...or if i accept it"?"

"Either way...Dante may never come back home. And Rocco may not either." Lulu said.

Olivia got up from the sofa snd threw the divorce papers on the sofa. "I can't stand it. I just...i can't stand not being able to talk to Dante when he's so obviously hurting. It's just i...You know, if i could just talk to him, i know i can make him understand that he's wrong."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Dustin said.

Olivia looked at Dustin. "Dustin...Dustin, you gotta keep believing in Dante. Please. Please don't give up on your friend."

"I'm not giving up on him, i'm just...He may not only be cut'n himself off from Lulu and Rocco...he may be cut'n himself off from you and me too." Dustin explained.

Olivia just looked at Dustin, stunned. She never thought of that.

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