Chapter 7
Melody’s face was ghostly pale, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Her fragile, broken appearance stabbed straight into the softest part of Graham’s heart.
He knew exactly what this video meant to Melody. For a fleeting second, regret flickered in him. But then Elaine’s tears soaked through his shirt.
“Graham, I’m scared. Please, take me away from here, okay?”
All his hesitation vanished. Graham scooped Elaine into his arms and left.
Melody needed to learn her lesson, or she’d just keep pushing her limits.
The video cut off right before Graham burst into the room to rescue her, but the looks of disgust and contempt from everyone still pierced Melody like needles.
Suddenly, everything went dark in front of her. Melody looked up–her eyes brightened when she saw Doris.
“Mom…”
Smack!
Doris slapped her hard across the face.
“Melody, you’ve already stolen everything from Elaine, and now you dare hurt her too?
“I regret it so much–I never should’ve taken you back!”
Doris turned and stormed off, the Rosmere family close behind.
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Chapter 7
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The room erupted into chaos. The whispers became brazen and cruel.
“Who would’ve guessed? Turns out Melody’s a prostitute–she’s slept with how many guys now?”
“Hey, do you think that baby she’s carrying is really Mr. Dorrick’s?”
“Now that you mention it, she’s had seven miscarriages. Maybe it’s because the babies weren’t even his.”
“She’s nothing compared to Elaine.”
Melody’s vision went black at the edges. Shame and humiliation crashed over her, threatening to drown her.
Her phone rang. It was the hospital.
“Ms. Melody, your mother bit through her oxygen tube half an hour ago. We did everything we could, but… we couldn’t save her.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
Her fingernails dug into her palms. All she could hear was the roar of blood in her ears.
Her phone buzzed again. A scheduled message from Olive.
“Melody, I don’t want to drag you down anymore. Listen to me–leave Graham. Start over.”
Suddenly, Melody remembered that day–Graham pinning her down on the visitor’s cot.
“So Mom knew everything all along,” she thought.
Her breathing grew ragged, pain stabbing through her chest.
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Chapter 7
With trembling hands, she fumbled through her purse, found her bottle of antidepressants, and shook out two pills.
She swallowed them, but the pain remained.
She poured out three more…
Five.
Ten.
N
Eventually, the entire bottle spilled onto the floor. Melody coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
The room fell silent. Even the onlookers looked away, unable to bear it.
“No matter what, it’s still her birthday today.
Melody laughed–a hollow, wrenching sound that seemed to tear her apart inside.
“Graham, oh Graham… how did I ever fall for you?” she thought.
In that moment, hating him was almost too easy.
Staggering out of the hotel, Melody made her way to the hospital to handle Olive’s final affairs.
According to Olive’s last wishes, she scattered the ashes into the sea.
Melody knelt by the ocean all night, lighting candles for Olive. She didn’t turn to leave until the last candle flickered out.
But she stopped short. Not far ahead stood Graham.
He hurried toward her, grabbing her freezing hands.
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Chapter 7
“What are you doing out here alone? I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You didn’t answer your phone.”
She looked at him–he was still in yesterday’s clothes, unshaven, with dark circles under his eyes. He looked genuinely worried.
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“Melody, Tyler collapsed yesterday. He’s in critical condition–liver failure. He needs a transplant to survive. And the only compatible donor is you.‘
Of course. Graham had only come for Elaine’s sake.
Melody felt cold all over. She tried to pull her hand away, but he held on tight.
“Elaine’s been crying nonstop. If I were a match, I wouldn’t have come to you.”
The burned money fluttered away on the wind, but Graham was blind–he didn’t see, didn’t care.
His voice was soft, but there was no room for argument.
“Just donate part of your liver. Think of it as making up for what
you did
yesterday.”
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