Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Present, Future, and Something More
Melanie turned, her breath hitching slightly.
“Leonard,” she said simply. “He may not say much, but he’s not indifferent. Trust me. I raised him.” Her lips quirked into a knowing smile. “He’s your present now, and if you let him… he might just be your future.”
“I mean it,” she added. “Take care of her.”
Leonard leaned back in his chair, absorbing the weight of her words.
She stepped closer and touched his shoulder. “She’s not your past, Leonard. She could be your future.”
Melanie nodded slowly. “He left me for her. Three days before our wedding.”
He looked up. “I am.”
When she re-entered the main hall, Melanie looked up.
Leonard’s eyes widened a fraction.
“That’s the thing about strength, dear,” the woman said, brushing her thumb against Melanie’s knuckles. “It doesn’t always feel loud or fierce. Sometimes, it’s quiet. Steady. It’s getting up when you have every reason not to.”
Then she turned.
Melanie didn’t know what to say. She simply nodded, the weight of her emotions pressing against her chest.
The ride back to Westwood Manor was wrapped in silence, not the uncomfortable kind, but the kind that followed after a storm—the kind that settled deep into the chest and made everything feel just a little heavier.
“What do you feel now?” the woman asked again, her expression calm.
Leonard’s mother smiled, soft but proud. “Good. That means you’re healing. Do you know what I see when I look at you, Melanie?”
When the car stopped, they both stepped out, and to Melanie’s surprise, Leonard’s mother didn’t rush off immediately. She walked with her into the manor’s grand foyer.
“She handled herself, but she shouldn’t have had to.” His mother crossed the room and stood before his desk. “She’s been through more than you know, and she’s still standing. That says something.”
Melanie gave a small smile. “I didn’t pull away.”
“You’re stronger than you think,” the woman continued. “To be able to walk into a new life after something like that—it means you refused to let the past define you. That’s not weakness, Melanie. That’s courage.”
Melanie looked up, confused.
“Melanie…” he said, voice low. “Did you… sleep okay last night?”
A pause. Then, his voice gentler: “Are you okay?”
She headed for the door.
And then, just before letting go, the woman leaned in and whispered playfully in her ear, “You two better hurry. I expect chubby cheeks and tiny socks soon.”
Leonard’s features darkened. “They what?”
“He’s all yours,” his mother said, pulling Melanie into a warm hug.
He stepped aside to let her pass. She brushed by him, but he caught her wrist softly, halting her movement.
Melanie looked at her questioningly.
Melanie stood at the base of the staircase, watching the older woman glide toward the hallway where Leonard’s office was.
Melanie’s heart skipped.
Leonard’s mother didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she reached out and placed a gentle hand over Melanie’s. “You didn’t deserve that.”
Leonard was standing at the top of the staircase, watching her silently.
“A girl who didn’t let betrayal destroy her. A woman who walked into a world not meant for her and decided to survive it anyway.”
His jaw clenched.
“Take care, dear,” she said, waving before stepping into her waiting car.
He searched her face for something—fear? Regret?
Leonard’s mother didn’t press. She didn’t gasp or overreact. She simply reached out, her hand settling softly over Melanie’s. “And now?”
But all he saw was honesty. And maybe… a little hope.
She remembered the warmth. The way his arms wrapped around her. His whispered words.
“I expect a grandchild before my next birthday,” she said with a wink.
Leonard didn’t speak for a long moment.
He looked down, almost sheepish. “I… I woke up with the strangest feeling. Like I’d held someone. But I couldn’t tell if it was real or just a dream.”
Melanie blinked back the sting in her eyes.
Just as they stood there in the quiet, breathing the same air, sharing something neither of them could name—
Melanie didn’t answer right away. Her hands folded over her stomach. “Honestly? I thought I was. I thought seeing them wouldn’t affect me anymore. But it did. It still stings. And I hate that.”
Melanie’s throat tightened. “I don’t feel strong.”
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Melanie raised an eyebrow.
He didn’t respond.
That surprised her.
A pause.
Leonard’s mother gave her hand one last squeeze. “Your past may have scarred you, but don’t let it blind you from what’s right in front of you.”
He took a few more steps until they were face-to-face. “No. But I hate that you had to see them.”
Then, “I’m glad she was there.”
“Good.” She smiled. “And one more thing…”
Melanie let out a shaky breath. “I don’t always feel brave.”
“She told me,” he interrupted gently.
“That’s because bravery rarely feels like strength in the moment. Sometimes, it just feels like surviving. But look at you now—you didn’t hide when they showed up. You stood tall.”
Inside, Leonard looked up from his laptop as the door opened. His mother entered without waiting for permission—an act only she could pull off.
A storm was coming.
Leonard chuckled faintly. “You’re relentless.”
She looked up, surprised. “You’re not mad?”
Melanie stood still, watching the tail lights disappear down the driveway.
Melanie was startled by the affection but returned it.
“Let me speak to Leo before I go,” she said warmly. “Wait here.”
Melanie hesitated before answering. “My ex,” she finally said, voice low. “And my… sister.”
He nodded slowly. “It doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.”
Leonard’s mother glanced at her gently. “Melanie, who were those two for real?” Her voice wasn’t cold or suspicious. Just curious… concerned.
Melanie sat quietly in the back seat beside Leonard’s mother, her gaze fixed on the passing scenery. Her fingers played with the hem of the shopping bag on her lap. The confrontation with Rose and Adrian had left a sour taste in her mouth, but what lingered more was the sting of seeing them—together—still trying to break her, even after everything.
And neither of them knew just how much it would change.
“Don’t let her carry all of it alone,” she said gently. “You don’t need to fix her, Leo. You just need to be someone who doesn’t leave.”
“You were talking in your sleep,” she said quietly.
She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
Leonard raised an eyebrow.
The older woman blinked, clearly surprised. “Your sister?”
Melanie walked up the steps slowly, not meeting his eyes. “I didn’t mean to cause a scene. I didn’t even want to tell her, but she asked.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I’m a mother. It’s my job.
Melanie flushed deep red as she stepped back.
Melanie exhaled. “Angry. Embarrassed. But mostly… tired. Like I’ve been dragging that heartbreak for too long.”
She looked up, nervous. “Did she—?”
The car turned into the long private driveway of Westwood Manor, the iron gates already parting ahead of them. The estate glowed warmly in the early evening light, a stark contrast to Melanie’s whirlwind of emotions.
She didn’t waste time. “I spoke with Melanie. She told me about that boy and her sister. They were at the mall.”
