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.

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

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

yourself in her place, understand her or at least try to,” she said something to Hamlet and then went back to him. “I know you like her, if you weren’t attracted to

he

hurt her. Go and listen to her. Tell her you screwed up, tell her you’re sorry and hopefully,

he stood in front of

hit him with

got out of the car and watched Clark drive away, a part of him wanted to leave with him, take refuge in his penthouse and

him. He recognized her, since the report given by the detective

the woman’s face,

and stepped aside, making way for him, which he

banging with

asked after

as affable as possible,

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

Melody’s mother watched him, 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

And he was.

realized now how petulant

Gia’s infidelity, he lost his essence

was why Devina judged him so harshly. Because in her eyes, he was a cold and emotionless

let himself appear

such a big deal out of everything,” he realized at once to whom Melody came out so talkative, for, although he was her daughter’s fiancé, in truth, Lydia

amusing the way Melody communicates,” but he found it unnecessary to let her mother paint her as

it like it’s a good thing. It’s not a good thing to be

to tell him something else, but Melody’s father came out of one of

to meet you Mr. Redford,” he decided to take the first step

that his father would cut him down with a razor. The report said he was a surgeon, and one of

a jewel of union and love, that made him question why Melody left her parents’ house, even more, because being pregnant she did not have health insurance, being her father a doctor

and released him as he looked at his wife. “Did you offer

amused, spreading uncertainty in him,

as he agreed to sit down.

husband, the least we can do is

behaved, it gave him to understand that Melody hadn’t rant at him or told him what kind of

detail that made

sow hatred in others at the thought of him, though it was well

stay long,” he just wished he could talk to Melody alone and be

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

never saw her look so damned beautiful. She wore a flowered long-sleeved dress a little below her thighs, 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

room grew heavy and it

the threat was implied in his eyes, but he still said staring at him. “Be incredibly careful

hurt her,” and he meant it from

matter to me, none of my family members care how rich you are, my daughter doesn’t deserve to be

them and put 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 their

at her mother, but it didn’t take it

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

Melody herself, bank accounts of both and the proof that her brother-in-law kept the money in an account in the Bahamas.

gray eyes were undaunted. She was strong. One of the strongest women he knew, taking care of a child alone, never minding that the father was absent, shouldn’t

“What?”

me Melody, look me in the eyes and believe me when I say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for

and stare

“You...”

know you had nothing to do with

let out a sob and covered her

was a bastard, and I

head and turned away

you seen everything they say about me? That I’m a freeloader and a slut? You did that!”

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