Chapter 122 Chapter 99 (1)
Altezza returned home feeling distressed. Antony clearly threw his hands up, openly stating he wouldn't help. Gian did the same. Even Tessa claimed she truly didn't know Adaline's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Joanna, the woman, only stared at him with disgust when Altezza approached her residence.
"I thought you were a good man. But it turns out, you and that woman are just the same," she replied coldly. She didn't even allow Altezza to enter her apartment. "I don't know where she is. In case you forgot, both Adaline and her mother are orphans. So they have nowhere to go."
"As for Aunt Emma, I don't know where she's from. We're not close enough to chat. But even if I knew where Adaline is right now, I have no obligation to tell you," Joanna replied again. The woman stood casually at her apartment door with her arms folded in front of her chest.
"Please, Joan. Help me," Altezza pleaded.
"For what? What's in it for me? Didn't I tell you before, asking you to make her happy? I told you that Adaline is not a patient and strong person. But you keep testing her patience."
"Even I, just being a listener, can't bear the anger anymore. Let alone her."
"Do you think she's a saint? Do you think she's a monk?"
"She's just a regular human. You just have to pray that she changes her mind and chooses to come back to you," Joanna returned to her apartment, leaving Altezza to wrestle with his own thoughts.
Angry, Altezza punched the wall in front of him until his knuckles turned red.
Where was everyone when he needed them?! He cursed inwardly.
No. Altezza was wrong.
Everyone was by his side when he needed them. They all warned him. But he was the one who disregarded everyone's warnings.
He ignored all the threats from people. And most importantly, he disregarded his wife's feelings over the patience she showed. He was the one at fault.
Joanna is right. Adaline is not a saint. Adaline is not patient. Adaline is just an ordinary human who Altezza has hurt time and time again.
Why does he always demand understanding from his wife without understanding her needs himself?
He's the one who constantly demands from his wife, unaware that she's already tired of giving. And he asks his wife to wait without giving her any clarity about the time frame.
Altezza growls in anger.
He throws his car keys aside and returns to his room. He reads his wife's letter repeatedly, hoping that somehow there will be a clue about where she went. But her words never change. There's not a single hint in his mind about her destination.
He never truly understood his wife. And he barely gave her any time. Suddenly, his conversation with Antony about Jovanka comes back to him.
"You know she will come back to you, and she knows you'll always be there waiting for her. To me, you're like an entertainer who's always there if she wants you. If in the end, she doesn't choose you, then you have to make your own choice. At least as a man, we must have dignity."
All those words replay in his mind. They're the words Antony directed at him about his sacrifices for Jovanka in the past.
Antony clearly knows the pain Altezza feels. And now the tables have turned. He's the one who selfishly replaced Jovanka and put Adaline in her position.
He believed that Adaline would always be there waiting for him. But he was wrong. Adaline is not as spineless as he is. She's more decisive than him.
She's always there if Altezza wants her. Just like Altezza, who was always there for Jovanka before. Even Adaline was there for him in his worst moments.
But, he never was there for his wife during her worst moments. Usually, it was Antony, Gian, and their family who had helped her first. What's the difference between him and Jovanka? They're both equally awful. A perfect match, he sneers.
And in the end, Altezza is the one who made the choice to take care of Jovanka. What did he say before? Humanity? No. It's not humanity. It's more because of his cowardice.
Because he's afraid that in the future, he'll be blamed if something happens to Jovanka. He's too much of a coward while his wife—his wife—has a braver attitude than him. She chose to leave.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
Altezza roughly grabs his hair. He groans loudly and punches the mirror in front of him with the same hand until it shatters, leaving his hand wounded and bleeding.
"What are you doing?!" Altezza turns and sees his mother standing with a shocked expression at the door.
"Mamma..!" Altezza walks toward his mother, sitting on the floor as his mother approaches. He hugs his mother's legs, tears uncontrollably streaming down his face. "Mamma.. Adaline disappeared." He whispers amidst his sobs. "Mamma.. where is Adaline?" Altezza looks up, gazing at his mother with wounded eyes.
His mother returns his gaze with pity.
"I know you know where she is. Please, Mamma. Tell me." He pleads.
"For what?" His mother responds softly. "Why are you looking for her? Just let her go. She deserves to be happy."
"Mamma!" Altezza releases his grip on his mother's legs. "She's my wife..."
A harsh sigh is heard. "A wife you've wasted? Just like you wasted yourself and your time on someone like Jovanka?
"Adaline deserves to be happy.
"If you can't make her happy, then let her make herself happy. Isn't all you want from her just the baby she's carrying?" His mother's question makes Altezza look up at her incredulously. "Do you think I don't know about your agreement?
"I've known from the beginning, Altezza. I just pretended not to know."
“Just like I chose to pretend not to know about your marriage with that woman.” Once again, his mother's response leaves Altezza startled.
"I may not be a good mother. But I always try to be a good mother.
“All this time I let you be with that woman patiently only so you could realize it by yourself.
“I didn't want to disturb your happiness, and I hoped that one day your eyes would open wide to everything.
“But you never realized it. Until your aunt took action two years ago." Altezza furrows his brow.