Chapter 6

Before Melissa even reached the door, the sounds of a woman's moans and a man's low grunts echoed from inside.

She stood there frozen, staring blankly ahead as the conversation drifted through the door.

"Hayden, you really do love me the most," Lydia purred.

Hayden's voice came through, thick and raspy, "So, how are you going to thank me?"

Lydia let out a breathless giggle. "Please, master, do whatever you want with me."

Then, her gasp rang out, followed by the rhythmic, intense sounds of impact.

After what felt like an eternity, the noise inside finally subsided.

Melissa had long since gone numb.

Lydia pushed open the door with flushed cheeks, holding the glass bracelet in her hand. Faint marks dotted her neck.

When Hayden stepped out and saw Melissa standing right outside, a sudden surge of panic hit him. "Melissa, how long have you been here? Did you hear anything?"

Melissa forced a faint smile. "I just got here."

Right in front of Melissa, Lydia unhurriedly unwrapped the velvet cloth. Then, pretending she had lost her grip, she let the bracelet fall with a sharp clatter onto the floor.

It shattered into several jagged pieces, scattering across the ground.

"Oh no! It broke!"

Lydia turned to Hayden with an innocent look. "Hayden, it's all my fault. It just slipped out of my hand."

Hayden immediately stepped in to comfort her. "It's fine. I'll just buy you a new one—"

Before he could finish, Melissa sank directly to her knees. She took off her coat, spread it out over the floor, and began gathering the shards onto it.

As she watched her pathetically scramble on the floor for the broken pieces, Lydia smirked.

Hayden, however, frowned. He grabbed Melissa's arm to pull her up and yelled, "Don't forget who you are! It's just a bracelet. Is it really worth—"

The words caught in his throat. Tears were silently pouring down Melissa's face.

She violently shook off his hand, finally losing her temper. "This is the last thing my mom left me! I kept it safely locked away at home! How did it end up here?"

Her eyes were filled with disappointment. Hayden opened his mouth, but not a single sound came out.

He truly had no idea it was a keepsake from Aimee.

His mind raced, trying to figure out who could have taken something from Melissa's personal belongings.

Then, it hit him. Lydia had hounded him into having sex at his and Melissa's house a few days ago.

He stated firmly, "You took it, didn't you?"

He turned to look at Lydia, who was still blinking innocently.

"Hayden, I can explain…"

Beside them, Melissa's eyes were brimming with tears.

They had the exact same eyes, yet for the first time, Hayden felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of disgust looking at Lydia.

"Don't ever let me catch you doing something like this again," he warned coldly.

Refusing to spend another second with them, Melissa cradled the shattered bracelet in her coat and walked away.

Hayden stepped forward to follow, but Lydia snagged his arm. "Hayden, you promised you'd take me out for a candlelit dinner tonight."

He shoved her hand off, suppressing the rising agitation in his chest. "Some other time."

He quickened his pace to catch up with Melissa while calling out, "Melissa, I can find the best craftsman to restore the bracelet for you."

Melissa didn't even turn around as she replied, "No need. I can repair it myself."

Hayden froze. How could he have forgotten? Melissa had been recruited by a research institute under special consideration before she even graduated.

Yet for three years, she had given up everything to stay home and take care of him. A heavy pang of guilt washed over him.

He paused for a moment before softening his tone. "Melissa, I'm sorry. I really didn't know it belonged to your mother."

Hearing the high-and-mighty Hayden apologize to her threw Melissa off for a second.

She shook her head. "It's fine."

Along with the bracelet, her heart had shattered into pieces today as well.

Whatever love she had left for him faded away completely.

Hayden draped his blazer over Melissa's shoulders.

The fabric reeked of Lydia's heavy perfume, and a wave of nausea hit Melissa instantly. She doubled over, retching.

Hayden stared at her in surprise. A spark of hope instantly lit up his face. "Melissa, are you pregnant?"

She offered a bitter smile. He would never know that she had undergone an abortion just a few days ago.

She shook her head. "No. My period started yesterday."

Disappointment washed over Hayden's face, but he tried to comfort her, saying, "That's okay. We're still young. We'll have plenty of chances."

Melissa's eyes remained hollow. There would be no future for them.

Five more days, and she would disappear from his life forever, leaving the space open for him and Lydia.

Lately, Hayden couldn't shake the feeling that Melissa had changed.

An unexplainable sense of panic crept up on him, but he quickly pushed it down. Melissa had no family or friends. She loved him so deeply, and she had always been so understanding. There was no way she would ever leave him.

Looking at her thin, frail frame, he felt a sting of sympathy. He wrapped his arm around her, took her icy hand into his, and led her to the car.

Melissa offered no resistance as he ushered her into the passenger seat. As she sat down, her eyes caught sight of a used condom tucked deep into the seam of the seat.

She knew Lydia had left it behind just to show off. Taking a deep breath, she turned her gaze toward the window.

The last lingering spark of her love for Hayden was officially dead.