Altezza opened his eyes, but he quickly covered them with one hand. The dazzling light hurt his eyes. Altezza squinted, trying to adjust his vision and figure out where he was now. As far as he remembered, he had just had an accident, but strangely what he saw now was not the ceiling of a hospital or the view of a treatment room, but large branches and dense foliage.
Altezza sat up. He was quite surprised because he didn't feel the pain he should feel. He looked at his body and felt fine. But why was he there? Why was he in this vast green field? Why was he lying under a shady tree before?
Altezza turned and was quite surprised to see someone he knew sitting next to him and even smiling at him. "Sir?" he asked, surprised.
How long had they not met? If Altezza remembered correctly, the last time he saw that man was about eight years ago. "What are you doing here?" Altezza asked again.
The man stared back at Altezza in surprise. "I should be asking you the same. Why are you here?" The man who always gave advice to Altezza seemed to smile.
"I also don't know why I'm here." Altezza scratched his neck, looking embarrassed.
"You're already old but your behavior is still like a child," the man teased.
"And how about you? How did you end up here?" Altezza asked again.
The middle-aged man smiled again. His eyes scanned around. Observing the lush green field and distant hills.
"A place like this is my daughter's favorite place," the man said. There was immense fondness reflected on his face. He rose from his seat and started walking, Altezza walked alongside him.
"Your daughter?" Altezza nodded.
Altezza remembered the figure of a high school girl with a petite body adorned with colorful braces. The petite girl whom he always teased because her body resembled more like a middle schooler than a high schooler.
"Aline?" The old man nodded again. "How is she now? She must be married by now. Didn't she say she wanted to marry young?" The old man smiled again.
"Yes, she's married. Not long ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't there to witness it. But I'm happy to see who she chose as her husband.
"Her husband is a very good man and loves my daughter very much." Altezza could only nod. Sharing in the joy of the middle-aged man. "And what about you? How about the woman you often admired? Did you win her over?" Altezza scratched his neck again. He was quite surprised because the man knew about it even though as far as Altezza remembered, he had never told the man.
"I thought at first I succeeded. But it turns out I worshiped the wrong person.
"I closed my ears to the warnings of the people around me. Although I realized it before it was too late, there's still a lingering feeling in my heart.
"You're right. Not everything we see is reality. We only see what we want to see. We only hear what we want to hear.
"I've always rejected every piece of advice given to me. I always closed my eyes. I always thought they were too involved in my affairs. When in fact, I was the one who was too foolish."
The man smiled and gently patted Altezza's shoulder.
"There's no need to blame yourself. They love you. They want what's best for you. But we as humans, often we're clouded by ego. We're too confident in ourselves. We're too swayed by the temptations of the devil.
"That's because we're human, not angels. We're not always right. No human is ever always right. We're not angels.
"But we're also not demons who are always wrong. We have feelings. We have desires. And often when we fall in love, we feel that we are the ones who are right.
"We feel that the one we love is the most perfect person. Our hearts are closed because of the overwhelming love.
"But be grateful because now you're aware."
Altezza nodded. "I'm very grateful. Grateful for having a family like mine. Grateful for being matched with a woman who loves me so much. Grateful for finally realizing my feelings of love.
"Although I'm not sure if I can still express these feelings."
Once again, the old man smiled. "It's not too late. God still provides you a path. He still gives you time to fix everything.
"Why don't you listen to those voices? The voices of those who love you? They're calling you to come back." He said, and suddenly Altezza heard echoes in his mind.
"Come back, dear." That was his mother's voice. Altezza was sure of it. "I'm sorry. I couldn't be a good mother to you. Come back."
"I'm sorry. Come back, son. Come back to all of us. For Adaline and your children. We're all waiting for you." That was his father's voice.
"Why don't you wake up too? Are you really intending to leave Adaline and leave her to me? If you truly intend to do so, don't be angry with me. Don't haunt me if someday she becomes my wife and her children become mine." Gian's voice made Altezza smile.
"How long will you sleep, Brother? Don't you miss your wife? She said your child has started kicking harder than before. Don't you want to try to touch him? Don't you feel sorry for her?" Altezza heard Antony's voice.
"I'm sorry. It's all because of me. If only I hadn't started all this. That woman wouldn't have gone crazy. Wake up, Darling. Don't you feel sorry for your wife and children? Don't you feel sorry for your parents?
"Wake up and help me punish that woman. I'm waiting for you." That was Aunt Brianna's voice.
But where was the voice I longed for? Where was my wife's voice? Where is my Adaline? Does that woman not miss me? Does that woman no longer want me?
Altezza looked at the man beside him. The man still smiled at him.
"Among all people, there's no one who's eagerly waiting for you to wake up other than her.
"She's not good with words. But she's the most sensitive person.
"Later, when you return to her embrace, I hope you won't waste it anymore.
"Please take care of her for me. Give her the love I couldn't give when I was still here.
"Take care of her, don't hurt her anymore. She's the gem in my heart. My only daughter. A daughter I never imagined I could have."
"Sir...." The man smiled back at him before disappearing.
"Al..." A voice called out his name.
Altezza scanned his surroundings. Looking for the figure he longed for. But there was no one there except himself and the silence.
"Altezza... I'm sorry." Altezza raised his right hand. Suddenly, the hand felt warm. "Forgive all my mistakes.
"You can be angry. You can scold me. But please, wake up.
"I'm scared.
"I'm scared of giving birth alone.
"Will you really not allow me to touch them?
"Haven't I told you that I will only touch them with your permission? And they will be born soon. Are you really that angry at me?
"Wake up, Al. I haven't even had the chance to tell you how much I love you. And I don't even know how you feel about me.
"If what Mom said is true, if you really love me, I beg you, wake up, accompany me. Don't let me give birth to our baby alone..."
The voice slowly faded away, making Altezza feel tortured.
His heart was in so much pain, he felt so hurt. Yet, he was the one who had hurt the hearts of those who loved him. He was the one who had wasted the love that everyone had given him.
Adaline...
Altezza also wanted to return. He also wanted to see the woman he loved again. He hadn't apologized. He hadn't expressed his love.
Didn't he promise to kneel as long as the woman returned to him? But why now, once again, he ended up hurting the woman instead.
Why did he make the woman cry?
Altezza fell to his knees. Crying as hard as he could. He was alone in a vast place that he didn't even know where it was.
God. I know that I have wasted so much goodness. So many opportunities. Can I ask for one more chance to fix everything? Can you bring me back? Can I bargain? Can I ask? Can you allow me to return to the embrace of the woman I love?
And somehow, Altezza felt someone pulling his heart so intensely.