Chapter 7

Her mother erupted into a wail of utter despair before collapsing unconscious onto the floor.

“Mom!”

Melanie held her tightly, her entire body shaking violently.

“Dad! Mom! No!”

Her father was gone.

Her mother had passed out from extreme emotional distress.

Melanie stared blankly at the room around her, feeling as though all hope had vanished from her life.

The doctor asked her to fill in the paperwork for her father’s affairs. As she dragged her feet forward along the corridor, she accidentally bumped into someone.

Without lifting her head, she tried to step around them, but the person called out to her, “Melanie.”

Hearing the voice, Melanie froze.

She slowly looked up, her red and swollen eyes finally coming into focus.

“I heard you and your dad gave a lot of blood for me? Thank you so much. But honestly, it was mine by right. After all, I lost my baby because of you.”

Melanie glared at Kylie, overwhelmed with hatred.

Kylie remained completely unbothered, her expression turning even more triumphant.

“Melanie, do you hate me that much? Actually, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.” Kylie took a step forward, leaning into her ear, and uttered the words with deliberate malice: “I’ll tell you a secret—I don’t have depression at all. I made it up to fool Sebastian. I really didn’t expect it to ruin your relationship.

“Seriously though, haven’t you realized it by now? Can’t you see? I’ll always be the most important person to Sebastian.”

A wave of irrepressible fury surged in her chest. Unable to hold back any longer, Melanie raised her hands and grabbed Kylie’s throat.

“Shut up! Shut your mouth!”

“Stop it! Melanie, what are you doing?”

Sebastian appeared at just the right moment, rushing over to shove Melanie away with brute force.

Her back slammed hard against the wall, yet she felt no pain at all.

“Sebastian, thank God you’re here. I just wanted to thank Melanie and her dad for saving my life, but she suddenly got so aggressive and tried to strangle me.”

Kylie shrank into his arms, and he gently patted her back.

“It’s okay now.

“Melanie, didn’t I say I’d make it up to your father? Once Kylie is discharged, I’ll visit him in person and get him the best rehabilitation specialists.

“Didn’t your parents always want us to get married? I’ll move the schedule up as soon as possible.

“Kylie is still very weak right now. Can you stop making a scene?”

“Me? Making a scene?”

Melanie burst into laughter, a laugh filled with immense bitterness and agony.

“Don’t worry, I won’t come near her ever again.”

She turned and continued dragging her feet toward the morgue.

She was so exhausted. She no longer wanted to have anything to do with Sebastian or Kylie.

When her mother woke up, her mental state had fractured, completely forgetting that her husband had passed away.

Melanie handled her father’s cremation all by herself.

She held no funeral service, simply carrying her father’s ashes back home in silence.

Her mother, now showing signs of dementia, asked if the container she brought back held flour.

Melanie said nothing, pulled out three plane tickets and held them up in front of her mother.

“Mom, how about I take you on a trip tomorrow?”

“No, your dad will be looking for us.”

“We’ll bring Dad along too. The three of us will never be apart again.”

Early the next morning, Melanie boarded an international flight with her mother.

Before the plane took off, Sebastian called her.

She didn’t answer.

Then another call came from an unfamiliar number, and she picked it up.

“Ms. Tucker, I’ve found everything. Are you sure you want me to deliver this file to Sebastian Haynes three days from now?”

“Yes, please.”

After transferring the payment, Melanie pulled out her SIM card and tossed it into the trash can.

The plane finally lifted into the sky. Looking at the city shrinking beneath her, Melanie draped a blanket over her mother, pulled her father’s ashes into her arms, and closed her eyes.

“Goodbye, Sebastian.

“May we never meet again in this lifetime.

“I hope that once you learn the truth, you won’t regret what you’ve done.”