003

MELANIE

~•~

Maybe they were too shocked. Maybe they thought I was just throwing another tantrum, another desperate attempt to get Patrick’s attention.

But I didn’t wait for their reaction. I turned around and walked away, returning to the only place where I felt safe now.

It wasn’t the wedding house I once dreamed of sharing with Patrick. It was the small apartment I had bought for myself months ago, almost as if some part of me had known this day would come.

The moment I stepped inside, I felt the tension slowly leave my body.

There was no Vivian’s perfume lingering in the air. No Seth’s toys scattered around the house. No constant reminders that I had somehow become an outsider in my own marriage.

A sharp pain shot through my hand, and I glanced down at the burn marks left by the boiling water. 

It was still aching and red, but I ignored it and brought out my phone, blocking Patrick’s number and his social media.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and I opened the door.

“Why haven’t you been answering my calls...?” Celina, my best friend asked the moment she saw me, the smile on her face disappeared almost instantly. 

Her worried gaze fell to my reddened hand. “Babe, you look awful.”

She carefully took my hand in hers, her expression filled with concern. “What happened to you? Are you okay?”

My lips trembled at her questions. She was the first person to ask me if I was okay in a very long time.

She didn’t wait for my answer before guiding me to the couch. Then she carefully cleaned my wound with the first aid kit that had been sitting untouched in my kitchen cabinet for a month.

When she finished, she looked at me again.

“What happened?”

I told her everything.

From losing the baby to leaving the hospital alone to Patrick not believing me when I told him the baby was gone. I told her about his mother’s words and how they reacted when Vivian and I got hurt at the same time.

When I was done, she was shocked and angry at the same time. “How could he do that to you?” She hissed. “You sacrificed your career for this man and this is how he treats you?”

I smiled bitterly.

“What are you going to do now?” she asked.

“Divorce.” 

“Good. I'm so proud of you.” she said, then stared at me for a long moment. “I can’t believe that’s the man you used to love so much. You changed your entire life for him, now it’s just done?”

“I can’t believe it either.” I looked down. “But people change.”

She pulled me into a tight hug. “It’s for the best anyway. Stop being his free labor and start focusing on yourself for once. You’re the smartest person I know.”

She was right.

I had spent the past five years making Patrick the center of my life. I had adjusted my dreams, my career, and even my identity around him.

But now, it was time to find myself again.

After graduation, I had entered an international financial strategic consulting institute purely on merit. With my exceptional analytical abilities, I had quickly become one of the youngest project leaders there. I worked on highly confidential projects where everyone involved was required to sign strict confidentiality agreements.

I had once been proud of that version of myself.

But the more I became involved in Patrick’s life, the less I focused on my own. I gradually stepped away from major projects, turned down opportunities, and spent more time managing his affairs than building my own career.

At one point, I had even considered resigning.

Thankfully, my director refused to process my resignation letter.

Back then, I thought she was making things difficult for me. 

Now, I was grateful she had stopped me. Otherwise, when I finally walked away from Patrick, I would have had nothing left to rely on.

~•~

Next morning, I prepared my resignation letter and drove myself to Patrick’s company. 

When I stepped inside, a new wave of gossip reached my ears.

The topic was still Patrick and Vivian. Everyone seemed to suspect that there was something unusual between them. Everyone except Patrick.

Of course, the most ridiculous part was that no one even knew he had a wife. In his world, I was as if I had never existed.

I packed up my belongings, placed my resignation letter on his desk, and walked away. Then I went straight to the place where I truly belonged. 

The moment I stepped inside the research institute, memories of my first day at work filled my mind. I’d been so happy to start a project on my first day. At that time, I never would have thought that the institute would see me less and less as the days went by.

That had to change.

I spent the entire day buried in data, risk models, and projections. The team welcomed me back easily, most of them even saying how much they’d missed me. I mostly worked from home while married to Patrick and even then, I wasn’t taking on many projects.

By the time evening came, I was tired but I also felt very fulfilled. I was leaving the building when I stopped short.

Vivian was pacing outside the building with a folder clutched to her chest. The second she saw me, her expression shifted. She narrowed her eyes at me. “What are you doing here?” She asked suspiciously.

Patrick didn’t know that I worked here neither did Vivian nor the rest of his family. “I’m just passing by.” I lied.

She looked like she didn’t believe me but when she glanced at the building behind me again, a proud smile fitted her lips. “This place is incredible, isn’t it? I just passed the first round of interviews. I’ll be working here soon.” Her gaze landed on me again and she scoffed. “You wouldn’t know what that feels like, would you?”

I refrained from smiling. She was right. I wouldn’t know what it felt like to pass their interviews because I was invited to work here straight from graduation and didn’t need to go through so many interviews like the others.

Her eyes suddenly dropped to the bag on my arm. Her eyes widened briefly, then twinkled with triumph. “That pattern…” she trailed off, lifting her own bag. It had the same pattern as the scarf tied to my bag. “Patrick gave this to me for my birthday. He said it suited me perfectly.” She gloated.

I tried to ignore the stab of pain that pierced my chest at her words. I had loved that bag for months. I had even shown him pictures of it, but Patrick told me it was too flashy. Instead, he’d gotten me a scarf from the same collection, claiming it was more appropriate.

So, my scarf was a bundled item purchased alongside her handbag.

I was so happy when I received it that I even posted several photos for it.

Without a word, I untied the scarf from my bag and looped it around hers. “If you like it, it’s yours.”

Her mask slipped instantly, her lips curving in a sneer. “You think you’re so righteous, huh?” She hissed. “Do you think you deserve to stand beside him? A woman like you should have never been allowed into that family.”

I chuckled at her words. “Even if I’m not here, Vivian, you’ll always be his sister,” I said calmly, making sure she heard every word. “Does he even know about the disgusting feelings you have for him?”

Her face heated up in embarrassment and she lunged at me. I caught her wrist before she could go further and shoved her back hard enough for her to stumble. The folder in her arms scattered across the pavement and she glared at me, breathing harshly.

“Don’t embarrass yourself here. You’re trying to get a job, aren’t you? Do you think they’ll take someone disrespectful enough to fight in front of their institute?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but I didn’t wait to hear any of it. I just got into my car and drove off.

A perfect day always came with a small flaw. I guess.

When I got home, I called my lawyer. “Prepare the divorce agreement,” I said the moment he answered. “I want it ready as soon as possible.”

I was done enduring.

The moment I hung up, the doorbell rang.

I thought it was Celina. But when I opened the door, I froze. Patrick stood there. His face was filled with barely restrained anger.

He was still dressed in his usual suit, but his tie was slightly crooked, something that almost never happened.

“What are you doing here?”

His jaw tightened. “You blocked me?”