Chapter 2

Melody had always been the most promising child in the orphanage. She earned a full scholarship to one of the top universities in the country because of her grades.

That was where she met Caleb.

Among all the rich, privileged young men on campus, he stood out effortlessly. She noticed him right away.

Melody had thought the two years of marriage, and the nights they spent together, would be enough to keep as memories for a lifetime.

But then she got pregnant.

She couldn't bring herself to terminate it. After all, this was the only person in the world who shared her blood.

She was afraid Caleb would try to take the child. At the same time, she held onto a small hope. Maybe he would be afraid of upsetting Wendy and refuse to acknowledge the baby.

But in the end...

Melody let out a quiet sigh and looked down at her still-flat stomach. Even if Caleb didn't remember that night, she still wanted to be fully prepared.

As long as she stayed out of his sight and quietly had the baby, maybe he would never find out. And even if he did, maybe he wouldn't come looking next time after this incident.

-

As the year-end approached, Brighton Group held its annual review meeting.

Melody brought her report to present at the headquarters, along with her resignation letter.

She was ready to run.

The farther from Ashbury City and Caleb, the better.

The meeting was scheduled for 9:10. By 9:30, Caleb still hadn't shown up.

"I saw Ms. Carter just now," one of the branch managers whispered as he walked in. "She's in Mr. Hunt's office."

"No wonder he's late. He's with Ms. Carter."

Caleb had always been focused on work and was extremely punctual.

Wendy's presence was the only exception he had ever made.

Melody finally understood what it meant to be favored.

She stood and walked to the window, pulling the curtain aside just enough to look across at the CEO's office.

The curtains there were half-drawn. Inside, the space looked dark and muted, except for a flash of bright purple.

She had once worked as Caleb's secretary, so Melody knew that office well.

In her mind, she pictured Caleb sitting in his chair, Wendy leaning against his desk. She thought about how the two of them would be sharing a soft smile as they looked at each other, maybe even being more intimate.

Melody had joined Brighton Group because of Caleb. She only wanted to stay near him, even if it meant being a small, unnoticed presence.

But somehow, she had gotten pulled in too deep.

Maybe it was only deep for her. To Caleb, she was just someone he had glanced at once, no different from anyone else passing by.

In those two years of marriage, she had never been treated as someone special, let alone someone he favored.

She didn't even know anymore if forcing her way into Caleb's world had been right or wrong.

Part of her felt lucky that she had once been that close to him, but she also regretted it.

A mix of complicated emotions spread through her chest.

"Everyone can begin your reports. The meeting is being recorded. Mr. Hunt will review the recording later."

Zane pushed open the conference room door and walked in.

Melody's fingers shifted slightly. She let go of the curtain and turned away before returning to her seat.

The general managers from each branch began their presentations. With Caleb absent, everything moved quickly.

What was supposed to be a three-hour meeting ended in just two.

"You can all head to the reception now. Mr. Hunt will come down shortly," Zane said as he collected the annual reports from each branch.

When he reached Melody, she gave him a small smile.

"Mr. Lewis, could you please pass this to Mr. Hunt?"

She had placed her resignation letter inside an envelope. She had planned to hand it to Caleb herself.

But Wendy was in his office, so it wasn't appropriate for her to go in.

"You can give it to him directly," Zane said.

As Caleb's personal assistant and Melody's former colleague when she worked as his secretary, Zane knew about their past marriage. He was the only one in the company who did.

He glanced toward Caleb's office. "It's work-related anyway. Just knock and go in."

The conference room door was open, giving a clear view into the CEO's office.

Wendy was sitting on the edge of Caleb's chair, the two of them close enough that there was barely any space between them.

Caleb's sharp features looked softer than usual. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his normally cool, distant eyes now held a warmth that felt almost tender.

Maybe he and Wendy had been like this for the past six months. Zane seemed used to it by now.

But this was the first time Melody had seen it, and her breath caught.

Melody had thought that after the divorce and the transfer, putting distance between herself and Caleb would slowly make her feelings fade.

She never expected that seeing him this close to another woman would make her chest ache so sharply.

She pursed her lips and turned back to Zane.

"I don't want to interrupt, so I'll leave it to you, Mr. Lewis. Thank you."

Zane took the envelope. "No problem."

He assumed she was keeping her distance. After the divorce, she had requested a transfer. Now she wouldn't even see Caleb in private.

"Goodbye, Mr. Lewis."

Melody picked up her briefcase and gave him a small wave. "I'll skip the reception."

Rather than going to the annual reception and watching Caleb and Wendy together as a couple, she would rather go home early and sort out her documents for the handover.

In most cases when someone resigned voluntarily, Caleb would approve it without issue.

There were still two weeks until the year-end holiday. That was enough time for him to find someone to replace her and handle the transition.

She still needed to figure out where to go next.

She would go somewhere with no Brighton Group branch office, somewhere Caleb would never go.

-

Zane brought the reports, along with Melody's resignation letter, into Caleb's office and placed them on his desk.

"Mr. Hunt, I'll send the meeting recording to your email once it's organized. Also, this is from Ms. Sullivan."

Caleb adjusted his glasses and glanced at the stack of documents.

The envelope on top, only labeled with Melody's name, caught his attention. His brows furrowed slightly.

"Where is she?"

"She's already left," Zane replied.

Caleb reached out, took the envelope, and was about to open it.

Wendy stood up. "Caleb, I'm going to the restroom."

She turned and walked out, but instead of heading that way, she went straight toward the elevators.

Two years ago, Caleb had gotten married out of nowhere. It wasn't made public, but Wendy still found out.

Her mother was close friends with Caleb's mother. There were no secrets between them.

Wendy only learned about it after returning to the country. If she had known earlier, she never would have stayed abroad for so long.

Luckily, by the time she found out, the Hunt family had already announced that Caleb and Melody were divorced.

Even so, Wendy had always been curious about Caleb's so-called wife.

She had heard that Melody had started as a secretary and was pretty, smart, and capable.

It was a pity her background wasn't good enough. People like them were never meant to end up in the same world.

She had also heard that Melody handled things well. After the divorce, she transferred out on her own.

Still, that envelope with only a name written on it made Wendy uneasy. She had a feeling Melody wasn't as harmless as she looked.

Wendy quickened her pace, but she still didn't catch up. The elevator had already gone down.

She had no choice but to turn back, her mind now fixed on what could be inside that envelope.

A love note? A small gift? A confession card, or maybe even a handwritten letter?

The more she thought about it, the faster she walked.