Chapter 6 Unreasonable

MELANIE

All my life, I've walked the right path, and I've never, ever gotten involved with a committed man. And now, when I'm not even dating the guy for real, he has a fiancée? What the hell was going on?

I forced a shy smile.

"Fiancée?" I asked awkwardly. "But I'm his fiancée... I'm sorry, I don't understand what is happening."

Cesare's mother looks at me with... pity? No, mockery.

"Is this child you're expecting really Cesare's?" she asked, and even though I'm not pregnant, I feel anger rising to my head. How dare that woman?

"Yes, it's Cesare's," I put my hand on my belly. "It's the fruit of our love."

Atanasia took a deep breath and sat down next to Bibiana.

"But Cesare is going to marry me. I understand that you're confused and hurt, but... it's a family thing." Her fake smile got on my nerves.

"What do you mean by 'it's a family thing''? Are you telling me that your parents arranged a marriage between you two, as if we were stuck in a distant past?"

Sometimes, I didn't understand why I couldn't hold my tongue. Those people, whoever they were, weren't the kind of folks anyone would want to get into an argument with, but there I was, talking more than I should.

"Are you calling us old-fashioned?" Bibiana asked and smiled mockingly, although not so openly. "Maybe you should go as far as you can from our family as soon as possible. And think twice before having a bastard."

I stood up from my chair and faced Cesare's mother. I had a lot of respect for elderly people, but that woman didn't deserve it!

"I just asked if it was a case of an 'arranged marriage' or something like that, because if it is, it's one more reason for me not to stay away from Cesare. He is his own man, an adult and capable of deciding who he wants to get married to. And what about..."

"Love?" I heard Cesare's voice behind me and turned around. There was a red mark on his face, being disguised by his beard. The man pulled me to him by my waist, intimately.

"Cesare, we were just here talking to the young lady you brought as a date and she... she started talking in a not so polite tone."

Bibiana stood up from her chair, staring at her son.

"Cesare, that girl was disrespectful. How could you bring a girl like that here?" She put her hand to her chest, as if she were a victim in my hands! The people around were watching and if I didn't do anything, I would be the villain that night.

I knew that my next words would make me an enemy. I turned to Cesare and put my hands on his chest, pouting and bringing one of my hands to my belly.

"I only defended our son and our love, Cesare," I said and looked up at Cesare, who was watching me with what I would call curiosity. "Your mother told me that you are going to marry another woman and... and that I should think about getting an abortion!"

The whole place went silent and I saw from the corner of my eye how Bibiana opened her mouth several times, mortified, while receiving looks of disapproval. Cesare's father appeared and he was in a bad mood.

"Cesare will not make a child and not take responsibility for his actions. Besides, no one who carries the Varricchio blood will be aborted!" He looked at his wife and then turned to me. "You don't need to worry."

"I didn't say it! I didn't say you should abort the child!" Bibiana defended herself.

"You told me to think twice before having a bastard. I'm already pregnant and you know it. What would there be for me to think about other than deciding whether to continue the pregnancy or terminate it?" I sniffed and looked at Cesare. "I don't want to kill our baby, even if you decide to leave me for someone else."

"Cesare, go calm your fiancée down. I'll take care of things here, before the new men of honor are appointed."

Cesare nodded and took my arm carefully, leading me away from the crowd and through a beautiful wooden and glass portal that led out into the gardens.

CESARE

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Melanie seemed to have embodied a fragile young woman and I had already realized that she was far from that!

When she stuck to my body I had to concentrate, because that woman activated something inside me that I didn't even know how to describe. She was pretty, but I had met many beautiful women. No, Melanie Walton had a sharp tongue that incited me to want to commit mischief.

As soon as my father told me to 'calm her down', I knew that he would deal with my mother and the scandal that was possibly brewing after Melanie put her smart mouth to work - I found it interesting, but I preferred her to use it in another way, with me.

We arrived at the gardens, where there was no one but the guards and I nodded to them, indicating that I wanted to be alone with my companion.

"I must say you've accomplished something unprecedented today," I said and Melanie pulled away from my grip on her arm, stepping away from me a little. "I've never seen anyone leave my mother without an immediate answer,"

"Then people here need to learn how to defend themselves," Melanie said and sighed. "I don't mean to disrespect your mother, in your house, but she was being unreasonable!"

I didn't doubt it. My mother could be loving, but she also knew how to be nasty.

"You got into trouble with your future mother-in-law. Don't you feel like this is going to make your life harder?" I asked and saw Melanie shrug. She looked around and leaned towards me, whispering.

"It's not like I'm going to have to deal with her fury, since I'll never see her again," she shrugged again, pouting her lips and turning her body in the other direction.

"Well, about that..." I said and saw Melanie slowly turning towards me, her eyes wide.