Chapter 19 : Fragments of imagination

Angela took a deep breath, relieved to be alone again. Leonardo's presence in her room astonished her. He was becoming more assertive and unpredictable. Angela became concerned as she reflected. She then dashed to the bathroom, took a quick bath, and dashed to the kitchen to prepare Leonardo's breakfast.
Leonardo requested that he eat his breakfast outside on the lawn. At his side, Angela was making his coffee. She remained silent the entire time.
Leonardo broke the silence by asking, "Are you mad at me, Angela?"
She explained, "I don't have the right to be angry at you; this is your house, and you have the right to enter any room, including mine."
"I'm sorry for invading your privacy. You're right. What I did was wrong. You're a lady and I'm a man, and we don't have an intimate relationship that would give me the right to be there at any time," Leonardo apologized.
"It's all right," Angela murmured.
"You don't sound okay."
"It's just this white lady I saw last night; she's the one tormenting me until dawn," Angela admitted.
Leonardo remained silent, as if deep in thought. "You haven't seen her face yet."
"No, "Angela sighed heavily.
"Is this your first time seeing her? I mean, you see her in this house only. "
"Yeah," she said, smiling. "Perhaps she's just a ghost out to scare me," she shrugged, adding, "Or perhaps it's just a fragment of my imagination." She laughed.
Leonardo ceased eating. "As a nurse, have you ever been in a phenomenal situation before coming here?"
"Neither," she sighed. "Anyway, forget it. If she's a ghost and trying to say something to me, well, I couldn't help her and let's just drop that subject, please. I want to leave normally. "Paranormal isn't my thing." She smiled.
Curious about Angela's own experiences, Leonardo posed the question softly, "And what about you? How have you been feeling since Lara discovered our painting?"
"Miss Chavez was deeply upset yesterday," Angela sighed, recalling the tension-filled encounter. "I could sense her anger towards me for being locked in the studio with you. Her piercing eyes bore into me with intense resentment."
"Pay no mind to her," Leonardo instructed dismissively. "In any case, what shall we occupy ourselves with today? Our painting is still wet, so we can't work on it just yet." His nonchalant tone betrayed his disinterest in the subject, a clear indication that he had been avoiding it since the previous night.
Angela regarded him thoughtfully, grateful for his willingness to seek her opinion. "Well," she began, her gaze fixed on him, "perhaps you could imagine revitalizing every corner of your home."
"That's an intriguing suggestion," Leonardo smiled, genuinely intrigued. "Where should I begin?"
Angela proposed that Leonardo create a vivid mental map of the mansion's exterior. Starting with the grand entrance, they could envision the placement of the swing and two sets of lawn furniture. They also counted the steps leading from the swing to the staircase that descended towards the orchards.
"From this spot, the air feels so cool and refreshing," Leonardo remarked, taking a deep breath and allowing his eyes to flutter closed.
As Angela's eyes wandered, her gaze settled upon the veranda gate, which caught her attention. Something was different from the last time she had passed through it—it now stood wide open. Her instincts told her that someone must be on the veranda behind the studio. Sensing a need to investigate, she turned to Leonardo and asked, "Can I leave you for a moment?"
Perplexed, Leonardo inquired, "Why?"
"I just need to check a few things. I'll be back in a minute," Angela replied hurriedly, not waiting for Leonardo's permission. She quickened her pace, though her knee began to tingle with numbness. Her curiosity drove her forward, desperate to discover who was on the veranda. It was empty, but the gate had undeniably been closed yesterday. Who had opened it? Angela wondered.
"Angela?" Leonardo's voice called out.
"Coming," she responded, closing the veranda gate and returning to Leonardo's side.
Underneath the shade of the trees, they sat down for lunch on a blanket, a basket of food between them. Leonardo reclined on the ground, his eyes closed.
"You should eat a banana," Angela offered, peeling one for him.
"I need more of your advice," Leonardo declared.
"I'm not particularly skilled at solving personal problems," Angela admitted.
Leonardo remained silent, prompting her to encourage him. "Well, go ahead and ask."
Accepting the banana from Angela's hand, Leonardo spoke while they maintained their familiar physical connection. Leonardo's feelings for Angela had softened, but Angela remained cautious.
"I want to ask you once again: is marrying Lara the right decision?" he inquired earnestly.
"Not. If you want my honest opinion, it would be best to wait for your doctor's advice and consider postponing the wedding," Angela stated matter-of-factly. Surprisingly even herself, her directness caught her off guard. She knew she wasn't supposed to express such an opinion to Leonardo, but her heart urged her to speak her truth.
Leonardo's persistence prodded Angela to confront her true feelings about Lara. Her mind and heart burned with the desire to expose Lara's betrayal of Frederick, the memory of that afternoon in Leonardo's studio still fresh in her mind. But she knew that revealing everything would only cause more harm to Leonardo, and that was not the path she wanted to take. The consequences would be worse for him than for the traitors.
"Angela?" Leonardo's voice brought her back to the present.
"Her attitude towards me... and..." Angela hesitated, her words caught in her throat.
"And... what?" Leonardo pressed on.
"She's preoccupied and temperamental, and I fear she would disrupt your peace most of the time," Angela finally spoke, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "But... I don't think it's my place to say that," she stumbled. "Well, you asked for my opinion, and that is my opinion. Your focus should be on your recovery rather than your wedding."
"Do you think I still have a chance to see the world again?" Leonardo's voice carried a hint of sadness.
"Of course, nothing is impossible through God's power," Angela asserted firmly.
"And do you think God will forgive me for blaming Him?"
"Certainly," Angela replied, her gaze fixed on Leonardo. "God is omnipotent and omnipresent."
"Even now?" Leonardo questioned, searching for reassurance.
"Yes, even now," Angela whispered. She could sense Leonardo's uncertainty, understanding his struggle. She had once blamed God herself when her sister died. But now, she stood as his ally, cautiously guarding him against his enemies. She held firm to her belief that time had the power to heal wounds.
Lara's car pulled up and entered through the gate, parking nearby. "Oh, darling, good morning," she greeted Leonardo, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I brought your favorite wine for you."
"Miss Chavez, he's not going to consume any alcoholic beverages," Angela interjected, her tone firm. She stared at Lara, not expecting her to be so composed in her approach towards Leonardo but having sharp eyes fixed on her. "In his condition, it's a no-no."
Lara's face flushed with anger. "I'm not addressing you! I'm speaking with my fiancé."
"Angela is correct, Lara. My accident was caused by alcohol," Leonardo spoke up as he settled himself. "Remember, I was under the influence of alcohol at the time of my accident."
"Whatever," Lara dismissed, directing her attention back to Leonardo.
"Leonardo, it's time for you to take a bath," Angela said nonchalantly, trying to redirect the conversation.
"What did you just say?" Lara frowned, taken aback.
"What?" Angela questioned.
"You addressed Leonardo by name?" Lara's eyebrows shot up, and she snapped at Angela, "That's rude and unprofessional for a nurse to call her boss by name, don't you know?" She stared at Angela, waiting for an explanation, but Leonardo intervened, standing by Angela's side.
"It was my suggestion for her to call me by my name," Leonardo stated flatly.
"But..." Lara objected. "That's not proper, Leonardo. She should know how to show respect..."
"Of course, she respects me, but I want to hear her call me Leo," Leonardo interjected firmly. "I insisted."
"Oh no, Leo, did she put you on drugs?" Lara held Leonardo’s shoulder. “Maybe, you should see a doctor for…”
"I need to take a bath, Angela..." He cut her off.
"Since I'm here, I'll take it from here and bathe you, Darling." Lara insisted to take Leonardo to his room for a bath.
"No, Angela was paid to do that job." He reached out Angela’s hand to get up. Angela quickly accepted Leonardo’s hand and pulled him up. Lara tried to interrupt but Leonardo had held tight to Angela’s shoulder, disregarding Lara’s help.
"Okay, if that's what you want, but my parents are coming over, and we need to talk about our wedding," Lara said, smiling.
Angela witnessed how clever Lara was to shift her mood from anger to kindness. And this gave her a more doubtful feeling of her sincerity toward Leonardo.
"I altered the plan," Leonardo said as she followed Angela’s guidance.
"What?" Lara's eyes widened. She followed them quickly, her brows narrowed, her face confused.
Leonardo halted and turned back to Lara, "We'll postpone our wedding after my eye surgery," Leonardo said clearly and unequivocally.
Lara’s face reddened to her surprise, and it was alarming to Angela. She knew that Lara would blame her for a disaster coming at their wedding. Angela too, didn’t expect that Leonardo would take seriously her advice of not marrying Lara. And she could smell chaos at that moment.