Readers: I want to apologize for the confusion regarding Chapter 4 in reference to Angela's age. My mind meant to put her age as 42 years of age but instead, I put 32 years of age. So, going forward – Her age is 42. I apologize regarding this & I hope you will continue to read :) Thanks for understanding!
Chapter 5 – Planning and Pain
As everyone headed home for the evening, leaving Tony and Angela alone in the house, Tony walked through the swinging door from the kitchen into the living room and saw Angela resting on the couch and watching television.
He walked up to the couch and sat down near her feet. Angela glanced up when he sat down beside her on the couch. She sat up straighter, grabbed the remote and turned the television off, noticing Tony looked like he wanted to talk.
"Hey…" Angela spoke softly as she gave Tony a small grin.
"Hey, yourself." Tony reached for her feet, carefully placing them on his lap, making sure not to bother her sprained ankle.
Angela eyed Tony, not pressing him, as he looked like he wanted to talk. Silence came between them for a few moments before Tony began.
"Angela, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure. What's on your mind?"
"Well…" Tony took an intense breath before continuing.
"It's about our engagement."
Angela, with her pulse rising, didn't like the sound of what he said.
"You're not having second thoughts, are you?"
"No! No, no no… Nothing like that, believe me!"
Angela let out a hurried breath, laughing slightly, studying Tony more cautiously.
"It's just… Angela…I think we should talk about our wedding and honeymoon."
"Okay… Uh, what did you want to talk about?"
"Well, I mean… Do you want to be engaged for awhile before we get married? Or would you rather get married sooner? And… I think you should plan our honeymoon."
"Me? Why me?" Angela let out a faint chuckle.
"You were cheated out of your last one."
Tony gave her a look of compassion and hoped she'd understand his reasoning.
"I see… Well, let me ask you this, Tony… Is there anywhere, for sure, that you don't want to go for our honeymoon?"
Tony, in deep thought, contemplated what Angela asked. He looked at Angela, who looked like she was looking for something.
"What are you looking for?"
"My notebook. It's around here somewhere. I was going to write down ideas we had. Have you seen it?"
"Oh, I saw it earlier. It's on the kitchen counter. Let me run and grab it. Hold on."
Tony, careful not to hurt her sprained ankle, carefully stood up and went to the kitchen, grabbing her notebook and a pen and brought it back to her. He sat down in the same spot and placed her feet on his lap.
"Now, let's see… Places we don't want to go for our honeymoon… Okay, go ahead."
"Well, let's see… It's now early June and I'm off work until the end of August for summer break. So, if we got married between now and then, we could potentially go anywhere for our honeymoon."
"Tony, that's not helping me any."
"I know, I know… Hmm… Let me think about it for a minute."
Tony, lost in thought, contemplated where he'd want to spend a week with Angela… alone…
"Okay, put this down on a list of places we might consider for our honeymoon… Ready?"
Angela nodded her head as she clicked the pen and was ready to write what Tony said.
"Okay… the Caribbean, Aruba, Bora Bora… Ooh, Paris…Italy… Hmm, maybe Montana? It's hard to pick a place…"
Angela wrote the places in her notebook and glanced at Tony.
"Tony, I think first, we need to set the date. That may help us pick where we want to go and where we don't want to go."
"Okay, let's see… What's your thoughts on getting married… in one month?"
"A month from today?"
"Yeah. What do you think?"
"So, you're thinking around…July 10th-ish?"
"Yeah… Hang on, let me find a calendar."
Tony stood and pulled the desk calendar out of the small desk by the front door. He came back and sat on the couch, putting Angela's feet back down on his lap.
Tony flipped the calendar to the month of July and ran his finger across the days.
"Okay, July 12th is a Saturday… What about that day? We could get married in a small ceremony with our family and close friends and then leave that evening for wherever we pick for our honeymoon… How's that sound?"
"Tony, I think that sounds wonderful but where would we have the ceremony? We'd have to find a place that isn't booked and it's kind of short notice…"
"Listen, don't worry about that. I've got some people I can call and figure out where to have the ceremony, okay?"
"Okay, so… July 12th is our wedding day."
"Yeah…"
"Well, I'll be happy to go anywhere if it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you…"
Angela tried to scoot closer to Tony but struggled due to how far apart they were on the couch. Tony saw she was struggling, and he sat her feet on the floor and pulled her closer to his chest, allowing Angela to snuggle closer.
After snuggling together for a little bit, Angela was clearly exhausted and fell asleep in Tony's arms.
Tony, smiling, as he peeked down at Angela's face buried into his chest, wondered how he got so fortunate to have another chance at loving this magnificent woman. He decided to turn on the television and see what was on while Angela slept in his arms. He knew it was still slightly early to go to sleep.
Alas, for Tony, as he got comfortable on the couch with Angela while watching television, he began to relax and fell asleep as well.
In the middle of the night, Angela's eyes fluttered open slowly and saw the television in front of her flickering in the dark living room. She shifted from Tony's grasp and noticed she was in pain. She knew she needed some pain medicine. Looking over at the clock on the wall, she noticed it was almost 3:00 AM.
"Tony…"
She whispered his name and nudged him softly and saw him move in his sleep.
"Tony…"
Tony's eyes shifted open, and he saw Angela sitting up beside him on the couch. He rubbed his eyes as he set up straighter.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I just need some pain medicine."
"Okay, let me go get it for you. You want milk to take it with?"
"Yes, please."
Tony stood and got her pain medicine along with a glass of milk and another chocolate brownie. He knew she needed to eat something with the pain medicine, otherwise it would make her sick.
He brought the brownie to her, along with the pain medicine and glass of milk, sitting it on the coffee table in front of the couch.
Angela, eyeing the brownie, grinned and gladly took it from Tony before the plate was able to rest on the coffee table.
Tony laughed inwardly. She was so cute with her love for brownies. They were her favorite.
"Uh, we should probably change that bandage on your neck."
"Yeah, I'll be happy when they remove the stitches. It's beginning to itch more and it's driving me crazy."
Tony looked up at her forehead in the dark room with the television flickering across her face and noticed it looked good. The swelling had went down from a week ago when she came home from the hospital, and it looked much better now that the stitches were removed. He wondered if it would scar though. He hoped it wouldn't.
"I'll go get the bandages and Neosporin. Be right back."
Tony left again and headed into the kitchen, grabbing the small bag with the gauze, bandages, and Neosporin. He walked back into the living room through the swinging door and turned on the light as he sat closer to Angela.
"Okay, let's see here…"
Tony sat the bag on the coffee table and began removing the old bandage from her neck, carefully making sure it didn't cause her much pain.
He heard Angela take a quick breath inwardly, knowing it was causing her pain.
"I'm sorry… I've almost got it removed."
Angela had shut her eyes, trying to push out the pain and focusing on Tony's voice.
Tony finally removed the last little bit of the bandage and allowed the laceration to get some air for a few minutes before he put the new gauze and bandage on it.
"How's it look?"
Tony glanced at Angela and then looked back at her neck.
"Well, it's definitely irritated since I took the bandage off. I don't see any drainage or anything. I'd say another week to heal, and it'll be good. Do you want to see it?"
"No, I'm good. I just can't wait to get the stitches removed."
Tony made quick work on applying the Neosporin and placing the gauze and new bandage across her neck. Angela kept her eyes closed and remained focused on keeping calm due to the pain.
"There, finished."
Angela opened her eyes and gave Tony a quick smile.
"Thanks, Tony."
Tony took a deep breath in and rubbed his face with his hand.
"So, you ready to go to bed? I'm sure you are exhausted."
"That sounds good."
Tony stood and helped her stand up from the couch. They began to walk towards the stairs and proceeded upstairs to go to bed. With Angela's new ankle splint, she was able to walk up the stairs by herself without Tony's help. She was relieved that she was able to walk on her own, but she was missing the extra attention and touches from Tony.
Tony and Angela had made it a routine for him to stay in her bedroom with her since coming home from the hospital. They figured it made it easier for her in case she needed anything and to provide reassurance to her since her bedroom was a difficult setting for her due to her assault.
Over the next few days, Tony kept busy with his work for school and preparing to get caught up on some assignments he needed to research for when he began work after summer break. Angela was resting on the couch, looking over her work from weeks before that Mona had brought her from the agency.
The doorbell rang and both Angela and Tony looked up from their work, unsure who it could be. Tony stood and went to the front door, opening it. Standing in the doorway were two Connecticut state troopers.
"Uh, officers… Can I help you?"
"Yes, sir. We are looking for Mrs. Angela Wolf."
"Yes, she's here. Would you like to come in?"
Angela, hearing her name, placed her work material down on the coffee table in front of her and sat up straighter on the couch, turning slightly towards the front door.
The two officers came in, taking their hats off when they entered the house.
Tony shut the front door and turned back towards the officers standing in the foyer.
"Uh, can I ask what this is about?"
"What's your name, sir?"
"Tony Micelli, officer."
"Mr. Micelli, it's regarding Mr. Christopher Wolf. We are here to ask Mrs. Wolf some questions, just a formality on our follow-up with the investigation."
"I see. Well, she's right over here if you'd like to take a seat."
The officers nodded and followed Tony further into the living room, observing Angela sitting on the couch.
"Uhm, Angela, these state police officers are here to talk to you… about Christopher."
Angela, looking up at the officers standing near the couch, smiled slightly and held her hand out to shake their hands.
"Hello, officers. What can I do for you?"
Tony stood off to the side, unsure of what to do or say or where to go.
"Mrs. Wolf, we're here to discuss some findings we found in our investigation of your deceased husband, Mr. Wolf. We were wondering if we could ask you a couple of questions, if you're up for it?"
"Uh, sure. I don't mind. Would you like to take a seat? I apologize for my dress. I wasn't expecting any company today."
"It's no problem, ma'am. We won't take up too much of your time. Now…"
The officers sat in the two chairs beside of the couch, taking out their small notebooks and a pencil, much like Detective Columbo did on the television show, Columbo.
"Now, you were only married to Mr. Wolf for a week, is that correct, Mrs. Wolf?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Okay… and how long were you engaged before you married, Mrs. Wolf?"
"Uh, let me think."
Angela was in deep thought when Tony spoke up from behind the couch. He was standing closer to the swinging door to the kitchen then he was to the living room.
"Excuse me, officers. I'll put some coffee on in the kitchen."
Before they could even say a word, Tony practically ran out of the living room, leaving Angela behind and slightly confused why he was acting so nervously around the officers. Angela turned her thoughts back to answering the officer's questions.
"Uh, Christopher and I were engaged for almost around six months before we got married."
"Okay, and how did you two meet?"
"We met at a gala dinner for a charity event. My company was invited and so was Christopher. He was a well-known stockbroker on Wall Street."
Tony came back into the living room carrying a tray of coffee and coffee mugs, shaking the tray slightly as he sat them down on the coffee table in front of the couch. Again, instead of sitting down beside of Angela, he stayed back behind the couch.
"I see, Mrs. Wolf. Now, during the time that you were engaged to Mr. Wolf, was there any time that you felt unsafe with him around? Did he try to assault you before?"
Angela tried to push the lump down in her throat that had formed but was unsuccessful. Her mind transported her back to when she and Christopher had first became engaged.
Angela recalled how upset she had been with Tony and had been missing him for the past two years since they had broken up. She had decided if he hadn't come back now, he probably wouldn't be coming back. She threw herself into her work and tried to push the recollections of Tony away. Eventually, after some therapy, she was finally making headway in pushing away the memories her and Tony had shared together. On that night at the gala charity dinner, her mother and her had attended and was sitting at a table off to the side when a young, mysterious man walked up and asked Angela if she'd care for a drink. At first, she was unsure but something about Christopher captivated her. Mona, on the other hand, couldn't stand Christopher. Mona thought his last name, Wolf, fit him perfectly. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing and couldn't be trusted. Of course, Angela paid no attention to her mother's advice.
Before she knew it, she was falling head in heels for Christopher. She quickly realized that she was trying to find Tony in Christopher. Then, without realizing it, she was engaged to Christopher and married six months later. Now, he's dead and she killed him…with her pistol.
Her mind shifted to the various times that she remembered Christopher becoming upset at the smallest things, trivial things… Many times while they were together, his anger would get the best of him, and he'd take it out on her. She tried to hide the fact that she was fearful of being around him, but she knew she needed to escape. She just wasn't sure how. After a few times of him berating her, she learned to live with it, thinking it was her own fault that he was unhappy. Before long, it was no surprise if became angry or was drunk when she'd meet him on dates. Towards the end, after they were married, Angela realized there was another reason for his anger. One evening after they had been engaged, Christopher had left his cell phone at her house by accident. She remembered picking it up to give it back to him and saw a text on the screen of his phone pop up. He was cheating on her with another woman. It was like a slap in the face. She remembered confronting him about it when she saw him the next day and returned his cell phone to him. He denied it of course and was furious that Angela accused him of being unfaithful to her and the invasion of privacy of her looking at his text messages. Angela tried to explain but he wouldn't listen.
Her thoughts kept asking her why she never left him. Why didn't she escape from him? What held her there with Christopher? Why did she marry that monster? He was dead and she killed him.
Her mind flashed to that night of her assault. The crazed look in Christopher's eyes… the smell of alcohol on his breath… The strikes across her face… Him knocking her down and losing her breath, unable to breathe… The broken lamp, shattered in an instant… The sharp glass slicing against her throat… Unsure if she would survive… The hospital… Tony being there when she woke up… Tony…
She could faintly hear her name being spoken, getting louder as she homed in on the voice saying her name.
"Angela… Angela…"
Her head was in her hands while she sobbed uncontrollably. Looking up gradually at who was calling her name, in that moment, she saw Tony. He had moved over to sit beside her on the couch and was calming her, trying to alleviate her panic-stricken thoughts.
Without thinking, she instantly pulled herself into Tony's chest, weeping, as Tony held her close.
Tony looked over at the officers sitting across from the couch, noting they had seen this numerous times before with domestic violence cases.
"Uh, Mr. Micelli, we will leave our card with you in case we have any additional questions. We should be closing out this investigation over the next couple of weeks. Thank you for your time."
The officers stood and made their way out of the house.
Tony, waiting until they left and shut the front door, immediately went into protector mode with Angela. He held her close and comforted her while she sobbed.
"Hey, hey… It's okay. You're safe, Angela."
After crying for a little bit, her breathing calmed, and she steadied her tears.
"Tony, I'm… I'm so…sorry." Angela's voice was barely a murmur.
"Don't apologize, Angela."
"But –"
"Listen to me… You've been through a lot. You don't have to apologize for going through what you went through at the hands of that vile man."
Tony pulled her close to his chest and Angela continued to calm down. She listened to Tony's heartbeat. Tony… He was her protector and consoler. All this time, she was lying to herself being with Christopher and trying to find Tony in him. She was thankful that she survived that night at the hands of Christopher. She was grateful she was given another chance with Tony… A chance to show him how much she truly loved him… A chance to be his wife… A chance to give him everything he wanted and more… A chance at true love.
Readers: I know I've had a few people mention that they are confused on the timeline of this story. Below is a brief timeline of this story & I hope it clarifies the story for you.
- Tony and Angela lived and worked together as employer/employee for seven years as Tony worked for Angela as a housekeeper (same as the tv show).
- Tony accepts a teaching position in Iowa & he and Angela decide to give it a shot at being in a long-distance relationship (same as the tv show but they weren't engaged in this story line).
- After realizing it isn't going to work long-distance, Angela becomes scared at how close they were becoming as a couple… A closeness she isn't used to, so she went back to Connecticut. She felt she wasn't worthy of Tony's love.
- Tony tried to reach out to Angela after she went back to Connecticut, but Angela was going through a lot… She went back into therapy and, like Mona said in this story, she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
- After waiting two years for Tony to come back to her, she realizes he isn't, and she assumes he moved on. Angela was lying to herself in thinking it was Tony who gave up on their relationship and not her. She didn't want to admit it was her fault they broke up.
- Angela meets Christopher at a charity gala business dinner one evening after he asked her if she'd care for a drink. She instantly pursues a relationship with Christopher, trying to find Tony in him.
- Angela and Christopher date for six months until they become engaged. They are engaged for six months and get married.
- After they get married, the week after they come back from their honeymoon, Angela runs into Tony at the airport.
- Unable to shake the thoughts of each other, Tony goes over to Angela's house a week after their encounter at the airport to talk to her. Christopher walks in on Tony & Angela kissing. His anger and drunkenness go through the roof, and he attacks Angela. In the end, she kills him.