The Wedding Night

Melody’s POV

“So what should I call you now? A director or an assistant?” Lorena asked for the umpteenth time.

“Whatever you wished to call me,” I replied and pushed the shopping cart down the food aisle. It was a Saturday so Lorena and I decided to do some shopping before moving to our new apartment on Sunday. “So tell me, Lorena, how is it with you and Lorenza?” I dropped a canned fish into the cart.

“Mummy,” Hope pointed to a cereal.”I want that.”

“Then it’s all yours baby,” I said and grabbed the mickey mouse coco pops from the cereal row and dropped them into the cart. Hope jumped happily inside the cart and grabbed the cereal with so much joy.

“Marissa seems pretty nice,” Lorena replied to my question.

“What?” I raised my brows in confusion. “Are you sure you know who I’m talking of here?”

“Sure I do. I know Marissa might be faking her attitude but she seems a little bit nice. ”  I shook my head in disagreement but it seems Lorena didn’t want to argue so she changed the topic. “So,” she gave me the chills with her weird look. “Now that Giovanni has accepted you back,” I tried to argue but she cut me off. “Don’t interrupt Me, woman,” she warned. “When are you going to tell the man of your dreams who you truly are?”

“He is not the man of my dreams.” I clarified. “He is my first love but…” I paused and looked at her face. “Can we stop talking about him?”

“No,” she shook her head. “You need to tell him about his daughter. ”

“No,” I refused. “Once they find out about her, they’ll take her away from me. ”

“Giovanni will never allow that.”

“That’s is why I’m waiting for him to recover his memories.”

“Then you’ll wait forever.” She said and pushed the cart away from me. She whispered into Hope’s ear and she laughed at whatever she said. They both had great chemistry and most times I do feel jealous but we were family and it’s all that matters.

I thought of what Lorena said about  Giovanni knowing the truth. He needed to know everything but I will not be the one to break the news to him. He needed to remember by himself. Only then will I tell him about his daughter. “You guys should wait for me,” I shouted for Lorena and hope but they were in another aisle. I headed towards the aisle but I was stopped by a hooded man with a nose mask on. I pretend I didn’t see him and turned to move away but he grabbed my hand and drew me closer to him. I tried to look at him but he pushed my head away.

” move towards the washroom and don’t you dare look back or I’ll kill you. ” he threatened.

I visibly gulped and do as he had commanded.” Who are you?”I asked but he didn’t reply instead he pushed me forward.  “Why are you doing this? I don’t even know you.”

The hooded man didn’t reply but continues to push me towards the washroom. I looked around to see if anyone could help me in the mall but they pay no attention to me, they were all busy shopping and minding their businesses. Once we got to the washroom, he pushed me forward and I almost lose my balance. The man looked around and locked the door leading to the washroom. The man raised a gun and pointed it at me.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked in a soft tone. “Who are you?” Tears flow freely down my face.

“Shut up!” the man yelled. He moved close to me and placed the gun on my forehead. “Now listen or I will blow your fucking brains out,” he threatened. “Go away,” he simply said.

Go away? I wanted to ask but I couldn’t because I had a freaking gun pointed at my forehead.

“If you don’t go away, you and your family will die!” He cocked his gun and pointed the gun at my heart.

“Please don’t kill me, please don’t kill me,” I begged but he shouted at me.

“Shut up! Shut up!” He shouted and I covered my ears to avoid his shouting. “Listen carefully young lady,” he used the gun to scratch his head. “This is a warning from someone who has paid heavily for your death. If you refuse to go away, you will die!” He warned.

I kneeled and beg him for my life. His warnings were like heavy threats. Someone wanted me dead and I don’t know who could do something like that. “Please just let me go,” I begged.

As he opened his mouth to reply to me, someone knocked on the door. “Hush,” he shushed me and pointed to the door. “Don’t say anything,” he warned and moved towards the door. He grabbed the doorknob and held it tightly.

“Please God save me this once,” I thoughtfully begged.

The man stood by the door while waiting whosesoever was knocking to stop and it was as if God heard his prayers, the person stopped knocking and the person’s footsteps could be heard as he/she walked away. The man walked back to me while I close my eyes and anticipated the worst. “Here is to let you know that I am not joking,” he used the end of the gun to hit my forehead and in a blink of an eye, he was gone while I was on the floor bleeding to death. At that moment, my life flashed before my eyes and I knew if I laid on the floor while waiting for someone to save me, I might die.

Ignoring the red liquid flowing down my face and the ringing in my ear which triggers the aching pain in my head, I stood up from the floor and struggled to open the door leading out of the washroom. I found my way into the washroom but couldn’t find my daughter and Lorena. I looked around for them but I didn’t see them. I was too busy looking for them that I didn’t notice that I was losing a lot of blood. “Hope! Lorena!” I called for them. The noise in the mall made the ringing in my ears grew louder and before I knew it, my vision had become a blur. All I could do was whisper my daughter’s name. Hope

I loosed my balance and fell to the ground with a loud noise. The mall turned into an uproar as people shouted at the sight of a bleeding woman.

“Someone call the ambulance!” I heard someone shouted in the crowd. I struggled to keep my eyes opened but I couldn’t. I blinked the tears away from my eyes and welcome the uncomfortable darkness.

Does this mean I’ll go away for good?

*****

Giovanni POV

It’s been two days since I last saw her. I tried calling her line but it went to voicemail. I haven’t seen her for two days and it was as if I lost a bit of myself. Melody was not the one to miss work and even if she wanted to leave, she wouldn’t have given her all during the presentation. Something was wrong and I could feel it. It was my instinct telling me that something had happened.

“Sir,” Dennis announced his presence as he entered his office. “I found something about miss melody.” The announcement got the attention that I stood up from my chair.

“Did you see her?” I asked him but he shook his head. I sighed in disappointment and requested that he proceeded with his information.

“I went to the motel she stays but the woman in charge informed me that she packed out on Sunday.” Dennis walked towards me and gave me a paper. “I was able to get her address from the woman.” I collected the paper from him and went through it.

“Land crescent apartment?” I couldn’t believe that the person I had been searching for was right under my nose. The land crescent apartment was a part of my property. “Prepare the car,” I ordered.. Dennis bow and left my office. I picked my phone and made a call to the agent in charge of the apartment. “Is there a tenant named Melody in the apartment?” I asked to make sure Dennis got the right address.

“Yes sir, there is.” She replied and I quickly ended the call since I already got my answers. I grabbed my maroon suit jacket that was laying on my couch and walked out of the office. Dennis was already waiting with the car in front of the company.” on a double,” I instructed as I entered the car.

“Alright sir,” he replied and drove into the highways. I tried calling her number to see if she will pick but the calls all went to voicemail. I had no idea why I was going to see her when I hated the fact that she didn’t tell me who she was but I had the urge, a strange feeling to protect her like she was my own. When we were nearing the apartment, I was scared of what the outcome would be. I took a deep breath when the car stopped in front of the apartment.

“We are here sir,” Dennis announced.

I nodded in response and came out of the car. I took my time to stare at the skyscraper before entering the building. “She is on the 20th floor,” Dennis lead the way to the receptionist. When the receptionist saw me entering, he bows his head but I didn’t bother to acknowledge him because I had something else on my mind.

When we got to the 20th floor, they were two apartments on that floor and we had no idea where Melody was staying. “I’ll check the first apartment sir. Do the same with the second department.” I nodded at Dennis and walked towards apartment two to knock. The first time I raised my hand to knock I stopped myself. I was scared to face her. What if she doesn’t want to see me or maybe something had happened to her? I blocked my bad thoughts and raised my hand to knock. At first, I didn’t get a response until the door opened and I saw a little girl with the most adorable brown eyes just like mine.

“Who are you mister?” The little girl asked me. I was dumbfounded and couldn’t find a word to say because the little girl reminded me of someone and that was myself.

“Sir, the apartment doesn’t belong to her. It belongs to an old couple.” Dennis stood beside me and also stared at the young girl. “Who is she?” He asked but I didn’t respond but continue to stare at the little girl in front of me.

“My mother said I shouldn’t talk to strangers because they can be bad.” The girl flashed her lashes at me. “So who are you looking for?” She asked again.

“Hope!” I heard a familiar voice called from inside the apartment. “I told you to stay beside me. When did you leave?” The voice sounded concerned and also weak? “Hope!” She shouted.

“I’m here mummy,” Hope answered back. “I’m here with two misters,” she announced.

I found her cute and smart for her age. With her small body and some incoherent words, I assumed she couldn’t be more than five years old.

“What misters?” Melody came to the entrance and grabbed her daughter. “I have warned you never to talk to strangers. Why wouldn’t you listen to me?” She wasn’t aware of my presence yet.

“It not her fault,” I defended the little girl. She looked up and gasped when she saw my face.

“What are you doing here?” That was the first thing she asked me. I didn’t give her a reply but stare at her head that was wrapped up in a bandage.

My assumptions were right. Something had happened.

“How did you get here?” Her voice brought me out of my thoughts. “I need you to go away. You shouldn’t be here.”

“But,” she didn’t allow me to finish as she shut the door on my face. I had no idea why she did that but I was more concerned about the bandage on her head.

“Was she attacked?” I thought as I stared at her done. I knew something terrible had happened and the first person that I suspected to do such was my mother. “Dennis, we are going to my parent’s mansion,” I instructed.

“Alright sir. ” he agreed without arguing. I stared at melody’s door for a while before walking away.

Melody was attacked and it could be connected to me. That explains her attitude towards me.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.