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.

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

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

of the past. What I want you to understand is that you must be empathetic, put 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 her, you wouldn’t be screwing your brains out so much to seek her forgiveness.

thanks,” he said

you screwed up, tell her you’re sorry and hopefully, hopefully, you’ll get her to forgive you,” she said goodbye and

as he stood in front of

wanted to hit him with

of him wanted to leave with him, take refuge in his penthouse and carry on as if nothing happened. But the part that contained his integrity, his remorse, and his attraction to Melody, kept him from

said when Melody’s mother opened the door for him. He recognized her, since the report given by the detective

the look on the woman’s face, she knew who he was,

to finally meet you,” she said and stepped aside, making way for him, which he was curious about.

some banging with frying pans

wine?” she asked after inviting him to

the extreme, he tried to behave as affable as possible, but it was impossible for

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

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 last

And he was.

realized now how

he lost his essence and

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

he let himself appear

always has been. I hope you can settle your differences tonight. I’ve always told her she should stop making such a big deal out of everything,”

way Melody communicates,” but he found it unnecessary to let her mother

a good thing. It’s not a good thing to be constantly

wanted to tell him something else, but Melody’s father came out of one of the rooms at that moment

Mr. Redford,” he decided to

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

the family was 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

a second and released him as

blushing, though she had been more amused, spreading uncertainty in him,

as he agreed to sit down. “Where’s Melody?

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

rant

made him feel

in others at the thought of him,

but I don’t think I can stay long,” he just wished he could talk to

my...?” the question died on her lips at the

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

in the room grew heavy

was implied in his eyes, but he still said staring at him. “Be incredibly careful with my daughter. She’s

her,” and he meant it from the bottom of

so. Because money doesn’t matter to me, none of my family members care how rich you are, my daughter doesn’t deserve to be treated with

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

standing in front of Melody’s parents, when

at her mother, but it didn’t take it for him to realize something was going

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

the envelope on top of the wall, 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

him quizzically and wrinkled her brow. Her big 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 be easy. He didn’t know the root

“What?”

lunch,” he replied taking her hand. She tried to let go, but he didn’t 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 not listening

stopped struggling and

“You...”

you. I know you had nothing to do with

believed...” she let out a sob and

ask, I’ll give you 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 you even as a

lifted her head and turned away as if Timothy

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

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