Novel Lived
Chapter 449 Early morning tea
It was early in the morning. The pups were sleeping, and Melanie was having her herbal tea on the terrace. She was enjoying the couple of hours of silence she had before her grandchildren woke up.
She needed to find something to do for them in case Lara and Nate were late. The couple hadn't been out forever and would surely enjoy their time alone.
She couldn't count on their punctuality. However, the twins had been so calm and obedient that she hadn't felt any weight from keeping them. They would usually listen, but running after them was a little tiring. The day before, she hadn't needed to check on them either.
Just when her cup was getting empty, she heard a pair of steps in the hallways. Here it was, the reason why she hadn't needed to work hard to keep the pups.
Luther appeared with two cups of steaming water. She caught the aroma of her evening tea bags and sighed. He had got the wrong ones!
Oh, whatever. She accepted the cup with a smile and invited him to sit.
«Good morning, Melanie,» he said.
«Good morning.»
«You're always the same, really. You have barely changed in twenty years. I'm the only one getting old, aren't I?»
«No,» she chuckled. «You're also pretty much the same. You don't look so bad, fo
«For a man who just got out of prison? Sure, I've kept myself under training. I've eaten only healthy stuff - not that it was a choice. However, time passed for me. I'm old, and it's late to fulfil my dreams now.»
«It's never late!»
«I'm fifty-five.»
«You don't look fifty-five, don't worry.»
«But I am old, Melanie. There's not much I can do now. How much do I have to live? Twenty years? If I'm lucky, thirty? I won't have grandchildren to take care of.
I won't be able to retire from work and enjoy the sweat of my early years.»
«What they did to you is unforgivable, but it's not over, Luther. You're smart enough to find your way through and ensure your future. Now that you're free, you can... There must be something you can do to settle down. Are you going to stay in Norwich?»
«For sure, I won't go back to Sheton just yet. However, I'm not sure where to stay. To take back everything, I need a base where to start from. This city is full of opportunities...»
«Oh, yes,» she chuckled. «Even more than twenty years ago!»
«However, I'd like to hear how in the world your son and Lara met. It must be an interesting story.»
«I'm not sure either. They met at a party or in a club, something like that. They liked each other from the start, and that's it.»
«That's it? So simple?»
«Yes,» she said.
«Your son took after your husband. He also decided you were the right one after seeing you. That's it, in your case as well.»
«He did,» she chuckled. «They have so much in common!»
«Even though he's more like you on the outside... Except for your eyes. What a pity, isn't it?»
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«I don't agree. Nate's eyes are perfect as they are. Haven't you seen Scarlet? She's just like him when he was that little.»
«Wait... Let me remember, it's been a long time. I find Jaden more like your son as a kid. They are identical!»
«Jaden has Lara's eyes.»
«Sons should take their mother's eyes. It suits them more,» he said.
«My son is perfect as he is. And his son is, as well.»
«Do you think it's all right if I stay here, though? When they come back for their children, they might dislike that they're close to an ex-convict.»
«Don't be silly, Luther. You're family, after all!»
«Family? I don't think so. I don't have a family anymore, Melanie. I'm alone in the world... No one came to fetch me at the prison. I walked for two hours under the rain, and then the sun.
I'm a shame to them; it's better if they don't ever meet me.»
«Don't talk like this! Also, I'm sorry for your tribulations. If you had called me, I would have sent someone. Why didn't you?»
«Didn't want to disturb.»
His eyes turned dark, and he observed the steam from his cup. Remembering the past always had that effect on him: on one hand, he would be nostalgic; on the other, he hated it. He had been an idiot to trust them, true. But what they did to him...
«I will get it back,» he decided. «I don't have anything else to live for. I will get back everything that is supposed to be mine.»
«I hope you don't suffer more from it. But I will be here for you,» Melanie said.
She even smiled, and Luther's heart skipped a beat. Getting out of prison to find out she was a free woman was a blessing! He did feel sorry for his friend, but life was like that.
«You're my husband's best friend,» she added.
It felt like an arrow directly to his heart. But he was used to it already. The pain made him feel alive after years of apathy.
«Thank you, Melanie. Well, I should thank Robert, I guess.»
«He would have done the same for you.»
«Then, you won't stop me.»
«No... Even though I'm afraid you'll get hurt.»
«I am no idiot. But won't you stand in my way, Melanie? Are you sure?»
«As long as you don't touch my family, I don't really care what you do. But, if you think of using the kids for your purposes... You won't be able to do it,» she said.
His heart was hit by the glacial wind; his lungs ached from that threat. But, said from the woman he loved, those words were sweet in their own way.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
It was a problem, but he would think about it another time. He also didn't want to hurt the kids: they were innocent.
«I hope it doesn't come to that,» he said.