Beautiful Mistake

Chapter 29 - You Have Me

Elena's POV

I walked down the hallway slowly, peering into other rooms in search of Angelo. I'm unsure of what happened at the dinner table, but it was clear that there are more demons Angelo refuses to face. I've noticed how his actions denote his lack of emotional expression. He refuses to speak of his feelings and immediately ends a conversation with such an intention in mind. However, with me, he has opened up the most. This is why I know I am the one that needs to be there for him this time.

I walked out onto the deck and heard the squeaking of hinges coming from the swinging couch. He was on there, staring into the darkened night sky. I easily made my way past and sat down beside him. He didn't even react to me being there, so, I decided to break the silence.

"Babe, talk to me." I softly said.

He didn't speak and I knew that now he needed to open up in his own time. The ball was in his court and he knew I was there. A couple more minutes past before he finally spoke, still looking ahead and never once turning to me.

"She's dying, Elena. She has pancreatic cancer which we discovered at a late stage. But she won't do any treatment. She said she refuses to spend the last bit of her life suffering from chemotherapy. She wants to live in peace, out here with nature and in serenity. She keeps pleading with me to come and make arrangements for after her death. The way she wants her funeral, certain things she wants to be done. She wants to leave a few possessions to Kat and Gio. She wants me to donate a big portion of the family money to the Eating Disorder Foundation that played a big part in Aurora's recovery. I just... I just can't bring myself to come here and casually speak of these things. She may be at peace with her outcome but I am not! And I can't do it... I just can't..."

He shook his head, letting it fall and glancing at the floor while sitting forward to lean his elbows upon his legs. I could see his jaw clenching while his breathing became rapid and deep.

"Babe, as much as we want certain things to go a certain way, some of it is beyond our control. And, unfortunately, time won't stop for us to regain focus or accept those uncontrollable circumstances." I sighed while looking up at the sky, peering directly at the brightly lit moon.

"Take the moon for example. We may love being in the company of the moon. We may thrive in its presence and find true happiness when it is around. However, no matter what we do or how much we fight it, the sun will always rise regardless to take over the sky. The sun won't halt its natural activity because we are not happy with it or we refuse to accept it. All we can do is enjoy the hours we have with the moon before it disappears. All we can do is make the most of its beauty when it is around."

"Don't land up regretting things one day, Angelo. It will inevitably happen, but don't spend those last moments in agony with yourself only to suffer even more afterwards. You don't want your mother to leave this earth worrying about her only son, Babe. Let her leave in peace. And I know it is so difficult to accept but sometimes we need to look past our demons in order to love our family to the fullest while cherishing every moment with them."

I tore my gaze from the moon and placed it upon his figure. He hadn't moved but I could see the wetness on his cheeks.

"But she's all I have left, Elena. I can't lose her too. I just can't! My father is gone. My sister is gone. If she leaves, I'll have no one. I fucking can't, Elena!" He wept painfully.

My heart was breaking seeing him so helpless and shattered. I finally turned towards him and attempted to cup his cheeks to which he abruptly yanked his face from my grip, refusing my touch in an attempt to hide from me.

"No!" I said sternly, rising to my feet and taking a step to stand directly in front of him. I held his face in the palm of my hands and forced him to look up at me, firmly clutching onto him.