The Italian's proposal

Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-nine

Melody

One week later

Melody was getting used to the new rhythm of life, which went hand in hand with her new title of Timothy Giannato’s fiancée, a title that this time was real, she wanted it to be true with all the feelings and love they both deserved and had for each other. Things improved wonderfully between them, the days had passed and now it was only a distant memory the moment when she left the chapel and decided to go back on the agreement, they both had made.

She remembered how that night, when she finally managed to tell Timothy how she felt about him, how much she wanted him, how much she loved him. How foolish she was to run away, to not give him a chance to tell her whether he loved her or not. Though deep inside, she suspected that, if she had done so at the time, perhaps the decisions and events would not have been favorable to either of them. Perhaps, if Timothy did not have the opportunity to analyze himself and realize how much he missed her, and she, for her part, did not have the courage to say what she felt, they would both be without each other, because of resentments and lies.

She felt his hand placed on her abdomen, which was slowly beginning to bulge. She was no longer the flat girl he met in the coffee shop, now her baby was growing stronger, blossoming inside her.

The magic of feminine nature, she was experiencing it and she felt ecstatic constantly, because next to her in bed, she had a man who genuinely loved and wanted her, one who was willing to give anything to see her happy, and it filled her heart with joy, she knew she could count on Timothy no matter if it rained, thundered, or stormed. He would be there, like a knight in shining armor, like a fulfilled and satisfied man, like a future husband, happy and ready to do anything for her.

And still in that life she was just starting to live, she still had the doubt that, at any moment, she would wake up from this dream and all the happiness she felt would vanish like a balloon being pricked with a sewing needle.

She was afraid.

A fear that every night prevented her from sleeping. She feared losing everything.

Maybe it was the typical fear commonly felt when you were happy, when you thought you had everything, and you were unable to deserve it.

Melody never hurt anyone, but that didn’t stop her from thinking that she didn’t deserve so much love from a man she barely knew.

What gripped her heart the most, what filled her with indescribable pain, was that she had not yet had the opportunity to meet her future father-in-law, to see her with the same eyes that she saw her son, with all the love and devotion that he offered her, with all the affection and disposition that Timothy had for him. She was saddened by the situation and the illness he was going through. She knew from her own experience, the pain that it caused in the family, when someone was diagnosed, that cancer was a horrible disease much worse than AIDS. AIDS gave at least the time to be with their loved ones, getting worse little by little, but in the end, they could last many more years of life, sharing with their loved ones.

But cancer, cancer was something Melody dreaded, it took her grandmother from her when she was just a girl.

That’s why she felt Timothy’s pain and his despair that week.

The day after she went to his apartment, out of her own desire and Devina’s hidden intentions, she confessed to him the situation her family was going through and why her mood was so explosive and

changeable. She noticed it at first when she woke up and saw him looking out of the penthouse window.

He was looking at the emptiness, his green eyes full of tears, this worried her, and she thought for a moment that he regretted being with her, of having accepted her and having her in his life forever.

“Babe, what’s wrong? Please talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong and how I can help you,” she wrapped her arms around him hugging him tightly and squeezing herself close to him, trying to convey the strength she believed he needed at that moment. “You’re sad. You’re gone. You’re not with me. You got out of bed too early and now I find you here, staring at nothing. Forgive me if I worry myself senseless, but it’ s just that, after what we’ve been through, it scares me that you’ve regretted it.”

“Never in my life I’ll regret being with you. What I feel for you, I’ve never felt before and I don’t want to see you disappear again, because I’ll die right then and there. I can swear to you here, before a priest or before God himself coming down to earth, that I will love you for the rest of my life.”

Melody squeezed him tighter and felt Timothy’s warm hands wrap around hers and pull her arms a little tighter, pressing her closer to his back.

“I love you too. I love you, and I really don’t plan on leaving. I’m going to be here with you for whenever you need me, for whenever you don’t think you need me, but you still do, I’m not going anywhere, because you gave me a chance and I don’t plan to waste it. Neither of us should waste it.”

“It’s my father. On the day of the wedding, he confessed me... he confessed...” Timothy’s words were lost. She felt his body tighten and she didn’t know what to do, she didn’t know what to think, because she didn’t know what was happening and more than anything, she felt the pain in every agitated breath Timothy exhaled.

She stayed there hugging him until he could speak again, she didn’t force him to do anything else, when she realized that his father was involved, and when by the tone of voice Timothy used, something

was happening, whatever was going on with his father, it was something delicate, something that affected Timothy very much.

“He has cancer, lung cancer. It’s stage two. I’ve been seeing doctors for two days. Tomorrow I have an appointment with one of the best specialists to see how compromised his organs are, to see how much damage it has caused to his body. But the fear is killing me Melody. The fear of losing him... It’s that...” his voice broke again, and Melody felt the same pain and suffering come over her, she already experienced it and knew what it felt like to have a loved one on the brink of life and death.

She loved her grandmother and couldn’t even think about losing either of her parents. Even if she didn’t talk to her mother yet, she still loved her, because she didn’t have an on/off button for the feeling she had for Lydia.

“I can’t lose him,” he said hoarsely. She released her strokes and made him turn around.

“Look at me,” she told him.

“Don’t tell me I’m not going to lose him. Don’t tell me it’s all going to work out because those are promises you can’t keep. They’re words you throw in the air and, it might happen, but it might not. I must be aware, and I must be aware that anything can happen, and one of those...” he swallowed dryly, and she could see the fear in his green eyes, those that looked at her with so much love, but at that moment there was only panic and uneasiness.

She didn’t know what to say to him, she knew there was no way to reassure him. She could neither assure nor promise anything.

“He may die, Melody,” he whispered, “and I’m not ready to lose my father. I spent days hating him and thinking he was a caveman and old-fashioned. Convinced he was forcing me into marriage so I could keep my position in the company, just for kicks and spite.”

“It’s not your fault feeling that way, Tim…”

“Yes, it is!” he said more forcefully. “It’s my fault for judging him, for not understanding his actions. I hated him and blasphemed against him, not knowing that all he wanted was what was best for me, in the event of his absence. Now I only want to find a way to save him, to keep him for more years, for more time, so that he can meet my children. And none of that is for sure, none of that is written anywhere.”

“You can’t beat up on yourself like this. You didn’t know he was sick; you can’t blame yourself for isolating yourself,” even though she was trying to make Timothy understand, she knew the guilt wouldn’t go away easily.

Being human was that way. The guilt was more for the things you believed, than the things you were.

“You don’t understand,” he pulled away from her arms and began moving around the room, frantically running his hands through his blond hair.

“I’m trying to,” she told him empathetically. “I’m trying, but I can’t help you while you keep blaming yourself and carrying that weight. Your father is alive, he’s still here with you, try hard to find solutions, don’t waste your time blaming yourself for things that were meaningless.”

“Mel...”

“No, babe,” she interrupted him, as she couldn’t take another second of seeing him like this. “You have to look to the future. Stand your ground, find the best specialists, do everything in your power. That’s what you must do as his son. Wallowing in the pain and guilt, it’s not going to help your father.”

He looked at her with crossed eyebrows and a frown. He was silent for a moment, and Melody almost thought she somehow offended him.

“Sorry,” she didn’t understand for what reason, but she felt she should apologize.

“What are you apologizing for? You didn’t do anything wrong,” he walked over to her and hugged her.

“You looked funny at me,” she said as she let herself be wrapped up and snuggled next to him. Her heart wouldn’t stop beating fast being next to him.

“I looked at you like that because I can’t figure out how a woman as special and strong as you came to wanting to be with a guy like me.” © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“You are so much more than you think you are, Timothy Giannato.”

“Don’t call me by my full name. I feel like I’m in school,” she laughed, her laughter rumbling in his chest and ears.

“Copying my words?”

“I remember every moment with you. Good or difficult, they’re all here,” he pointed to his forehead and then pointed to his heart; “and mostly, here, in my heart. These are things I won’t forget.”

“That’s very sweet,” without doubt he was the sweetest man she had ever met. She was lucky to have him by her side. “I’m the one I don’t know how; you preferred a penniless one to a journalist.”

Every time she imagined Timothy near Gia’s stunning blonde, her stomach churned, and she felt like breaking something.

Thanks to her, the marriage information leaked out, and not by saying nice things about her.

“Stop thinking about someone who is irrelevant in our lives.”

“I just don’t understand...”

“You don’t have to understand. I preferred you above all things.”

“You still haven’t talked to your parents,” that was a pending issue. She was sure that the Giannatos would not be happy with their reconciliation.

“I will.”

“Did you tell them about us? Did you tell them it was all a sham?”

“I would never do anything like that. I told you that time. That was an agreement between you and me. I got carried away and told Hamlet, but I really didn’t care to tell anyone else about our deal. It was always something between you and me.”

“Except for Devina,” she smiled at the thought of the intense redhead and her mania for getting into everything.

“There’s no stopping that one,” he let out a sigh. “But I’ll always be grateful to her, because thanks to the determination of the two of them, we’re together today and we realized how we feel.”

“I believe that four pairs of eyes see more than two.”

Now she was with her Timothy in bed, as he caressed her belly and hugged her, conveying the warmth she needed to start the day.

“Tesoro mio, ti sei svegliato presto,” he whispered to her in a hoarse voice half awake. “Is something wrong? Is the baby all right?”

“Oh no love, I’m sorry I woke you up. Everything’s fine,” she said quickly.

“Perfect, because I thought we should go shopping...” the knock on the bedroom door interrupted them.

It was strange, Paula never interrupted them.

“Yes?” said Melody in a calm voice, as she sat on the bed.

“Don’t go, we still have time,” he said as he put his arm around her waist. “I’m sure she just wants to tell us that breakfast is ready.”

“Paula never bothers us.”

It had been a week since they reconciled, and the housekeeper was quite respectful of her boss’s privacy.

“Paula?” called Melody to her. “Is everything all right?”

Seeing that the woman didn’t respond, Timothy got out of bed and hurriedly, pulled on a pair of blue and white plaid sleep pants.

“What’s wrong?” she heard him ask immediately he opened the door.

“Sir, good morning...” the woman looked in Melody’s direction, even though Timothy was practically in the way and made almost nothing of the room visible.

“Paula? Are you feeling all right? Is something wrong with your family?”

“No, sir. With yours,” she replied.

“What?”

Melody got out of bed and pulled a shawl over her pink silk robe.

Her hair was all messy and loose.

She quickly approached Timothy and looked at the woman, who was wearing a black dress. Paula did not wear a uniform. Timothy had given her the opportunity to wear whatever she wanted while working.

“Excuse me Mrs. Melody... it’s just, there’s a man asking for you down there. Clark wouldn’t let him come up...”

“Down there? Down where?”

“I think he means the entrance to the building,” she replied to Timothy, seeing that he was unresponsive.

“Who’s the man?”

“Who does that man say he is, Paula?” Melody was dying of curiosity and the need to stop with the secrecy.

“He says he’s the father of her child,” the woman finally gave all the information, causing Melody to look at Timothy with wide as plates eyes.

He turned and looked at her in confusion.

“Who? But how did he know that...”

“It can’t be him,” was all that came from her lips. “He doesn’t know anything about me for months now,” the woman lifted her shoulders without understanding anything that was going on. “How did he know where I lived?”

“Clark hasn’t wanted him to come up to the penthouse, obviously because security protocol.”

“Security?” she exclaimed in confusion. “Richard is not a terrorist. He’s not a criminal.”

“What? That’s his name? Richard?”

“That’s his name,” she didn’t understand why he was behaving that way. “And he’s not going to hurt me.”

“Well, let’s go see him. That’s what he must have come for, isn’t it? If he’s such a saint, let’s go receive him,” he said in a steely tone. “Let’s not keep him waiting any longer.”