Chapter Twenty

Timothy

Timothy was on his way to Melody’s parents’ house; it was the only place he hadn’t looked for. He had called her countless times on her cell phone, wasting time dialing, knowing she wasn’t going to answer.

She was tired of him and his attitude and he knew it.

“Sir,” it was Clark, he was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn’t realized they were already in front of Melody’s parents’ house.

The detective had done the job right.

She was there, she hasn’t been out all afternoon, not even to the porch.

“Shall I wait for you or come back for you later?” he didn’t know what the answer to that question would be either.

“Wait for me,” how about Melody refused to see him, she had her reasons. He screwed up big time. And Equilay Thompson’s Bahamas account confirmed it. He has been stupid, blinded by Gia’s infidelity and betrayal, he judged Melody without listening to her.

Now she was gone.

An innocent in a world full of bullets in the air.

She was hit by one, and unfortunately, Timothy was the one who pulled the trigger and sentenced.

“No,” he regretted. “Go. I’ll call you when we’re done.” He wasn’t going to leave without her.

He always had been known for being a confident man, but at that moment, with the documents the detective handed him half an hour earlier, he didn’t even know how to walk safely and calmly.

Regret and guilt were two things he never felt before, at least not to this magnitude.

He called Hamlet, asking for Devina’s number, which his cousin didn’t like, as he knew they didn’t get along, but in the end, Timothy was forced to confess that he screwed up big time.

Big and deep.

“Did you find her yet?” was the first thing she said when Hamlet put her on the phone.

“No. But you were right.”

“I usually am,” he imagined her smiling complacently, she was tremendous, that woman.

“I don’t know what to do.”

Admitting it hadn’t cost him as much as he imagined.

The truth was, if he was responsible for hurting Melody, it was appropriate to be just as responsible for apologizing and begging for her forgiveness.

He did not see himself as a man who would kneel before anyone, but neither did he see himself as one who would mistreat and hurt.

The last one already did.

It cost him nothing to kneel if necessary.

“The first thing is to talk to her, go over to her and tell her that you know she wasn’t the one who stole the money,” she told him after a while with the line silent.

“You make it too easy; don’t you remember how she beat you up for thinking I sent you?” she didn’t want to imagine what it would do to him if he didn’t tread lightly.

“It’s not that I forgot, it’s that she acted out of how we conditioned her. I realize this now.”

“What the fuck do you mean?” Devina seemed to have all the time in the world, whereas he, needed to figure everything out now. He was a pragmatic man of action, not one to make a mess and walk away without sorting it out.

“You accused her of stealing from you, of planning something as ugly as a three-million-dollar embezzlement, I tried to help her by giving her the money,” she sighed and continued. “I influenced her to believe you were trying to blame her even more. Melody didn’t see it as help, she saw it as a ploy to prove her dignity and her sincerity. Not as an escape, which was what I was looking for.”

“You wanted her to leave me?” he didn’t understand why Devina had stepped in where no one called her.

an innocent woman, I saw it in her eyes. She’s a kid, at least she thinks no one’s doing any harm. She only recently realizes that her brother-in-law, who she believed in for years, stole from you.” Looking from that way, he only managed to feel like Satan himself, like a deplorable being. He thought of the restaurant and how he gave her Equilay Thompson’s statement and how he smiled at her all smug and wild. “She hardly realizes what the world is like. Did you ever stop to think how hard it must be to be pregnant and exiled by your own parents? I didn’t have anyone growing up to take care of me after my grandmother died. Not until I met

didn’t know that about you, I’m sorry that...” he didn’t even know what to

to Hamlet and then went back to him.

thanks,” he said

you screwed up, tell her you’re sorry and hopefully, hopefully, you’ll get her to

now, as he stood in front of the house,

wanted to hit him with a

his penthouse and carry on as if nothing happened. But the part that contained his integrity, his remorse, and

mother opened the door for him. He recognized her, since

from the look on the woman’s

way for him, which

some banging with frying pans

wine?” she asked after inviting him to

him to the extreme, he tried to behave as affable as

traditional mahogany furniture adorned the living room, giving it a contemporary and classic style, there were photographs of Melody and her sister as children, all the way up to their teenage years. He focused on Melody automatically, her face hadn’t changed a bit. She was smiling at the camera with all her teeth, even though she wore braces and her bangs on her forehead messed

he was used to people’s stares on him, he grew up as the son of influential people, both, in Italy and in Manhattan and most of the world. His

And he was.

realized now how

Gia’s infidelity, he lost his essence

was why Devina judged him so harshly. Because in

he let himself

a big deal out of everything,” he realized at once to whom Melody came out so talkative, for,

communicates,” but he found it unnecessary to let

thing. It’s not a

him something else, but

Giannato, nice to meet you Mr. Redford,” he decided to take the

at his parents’ house, he hoped not so much that his father would cut him down with a razor. The report said

that made him question why Melody left her parents’ house, even more,

Melody’s father,” the man shook his hand for a second and released him as he looked at his

she had been more amused, spreading uncertainty in him,

agreed to sit down. “Where’s Melody? I need to

taking a shower. You came at a good time, we are having a family dinner, since you will be my youngest daughter’s husband, the least we can do is invite you to dinner, so we can get to know each other,” Melody’s father sounded more like an accusation and challenge than an invitation. But he

both behaved, it gave him to understand that Melody hadn’t rant at

that made him feel

looking to sow hatred in others at the thought of him, though

long,” he just wished he could talk to Melody alone and be able to start from scratch with

I can get my...?” the question died on her lips at the sight of

her white skin stood out attractively. Her black hair fell loose on either side of her face and down to her breasts. She was wearing white tights, which came down to her knees, with a bunny face on her knees. He noticed her eyes; they were bloodshot and cursed himself for being a bastard to

heavy and it wasn’t just him

talk to you. We’ll leave you alone,” Charles looked at him and the threat was

he meant it from the bottom of his

me, none of my family members care how rich you

a hand on her father’s back. “Leave us alone for a moment, we’ll be on the

like a phony standing in front of Melody’s parents, when hours before, he thought

your sister is coming for dinner,” Melody didn’t look at her mother, but it didn’t take it for him to realize something was going on there. Melody looked

relatively low wall, made of brick, Melody sat there and looked at him with her left eyebrow

with the documents that contained all the family information of Equilay and Melody herself, bank accounts of both and the proof that her brother-in-law kept the money in an account in the Bahamas. He felt her warmth and smelled her scent of wildflowers. That smell he

minding that the father was absent, shouldn’t be easy. He didn’t know the root of her relationship with that guy, he didn’t care about it either. It irritated him just to

“What?”

let her. “Look at me Melody, look me in the eyes and believe me when I say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for judging you lightly and

stopped struggling and stare at

“You...”

you. I know you had nothing to do with

out a sob and covered her

anything, but I want you to know that I know I was a bastard, and I don’t deserve you to help me, or to marry me. I don’t deserve to have

lifted her head and turned away as if

everything will be fine? Our engagement was in the paper! It was a secret between you and me. No press. Have you seen everything they say about me? That I’m a freeloader and a slut? You did that!” she began to draw in a forced breath, and Timothy worried about her well-being. “You feel good, telling me you’re willing to give me anything,

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