“Do you need me to prepare the guest room for you?” Ryan asks after he finally finds his voice. “I don't trust me with myself at the moment, so I would rather just crash in your room instead,” Melanie says as she gets out of the car. “Won't you get bored just staying in my room?” Ryan inquires, knowing that he doesn't want to keep on placing his feelings on a pedestal by bringing around her. “I will be with you, so I am sure that I won't be bored, then I have a few orders to finalize with some vendors, but it is so exhausting because I can't even decide on my own without checking with Alistair and Sophia, but I don't even have direct access to Sophia because Alistair says that it will never go down well with Caleb when he finds out, so I just let things slide because Alistair was acting like it was so much of a big deal, but that hadn't been making my work easy in the slightest at all,” Melanie starts to rant, bit as much as Ryan wants to be there for her, he can't stand it when sh
Following Melanie’s suggestion from the previous night, Ryan eventually opened up to Melanie about everything that has been going on in his life since they last spoke at the resort two months ago and had a misunderstanding. He tried to walk her through his complicated emotions because he finally realized that he couldn’t just assume that she was going to treat him any better if she didn’t point her in that direction. Ryan struggled to articulate how hurt he felt by how she always treated him like he didn’t matter in her life when in his mind she was the center of everything, but she still got the memo that being there for somebody who acts like they don’t care about your feelings is exhausting as hell. She apologized to Ryan and promised to do better, but before they continued their conversation, Melanie tidied up all the papers and disposable plates that were used to other the food, before they both relocated to Karen’s bed so that they could be more comfortable. Ryan was genuinel
The suite Alistair eventually suggested they use was the top floor of the hotel, called the Royal Oasis, and on getting there now and seeing the breathtaking view of the city’s skyline, Melanie couldn’t have agreed more. There is a spacious, open-plan design with a sprawling living area, a separate dining space, a luxurious bathroom, and an en-suite bathroom. Melanie quickly scrutinizes the place, because she has not been here to check it before, but she took Alistair's words saying the place is magical for it, and the place is truly magical. The walls are adorned with rich velvety fabrics in shades of emerald green and navy blue, plush colored cream carpets with intricate designs and subtle sheen. The elegant floor-to-ceiling curtains in sheer white billowing gently in the breeze. There is also a lavish chandelier and scones, casting a warm golden glow throughout the suite and vibrant contemporary artwork and sculptures add a pop of color and visual interest. There is a fully sto
Location: on the last floor of The Beats Club“I will send you an address when I decide on a place for us to meet up and talk, just don't keep me waiting” Melanie sends to him and he tries to call her almost immediately be a use he can't help but feel that something is off from the way she is talking, but the call bounces back. He tries to call her again, but the call tells him that the person he just spoke to is busy and he starts to wonder who she can be busy talking to that she can't suspend the call to pick up his own. “Fin… get back to me as possible so that we can talk things out because I can't help but feel that something is off with you and you have been avoiding me since we came back from the resort, but I have tried to give you grace and also your space but I guess 2 months should be enough space for you” he sends to her, but she doesn't read the message, talk more of reply it Caleb clears out his table in one sweep, before hitting the table out of frustration while Ali
Caleb navigates the winding road from the suburb of his mom's house to the main road, he wonders if he is doing the right thing by running to Melanie as if he is at her beck and call, but he really likes her, and he will rather hear what she has to say asap than delay it unnecessarily. The thought of texting Alistair and telling him the situation on the ground crosses his mind, but he decides against the thought of it because he didn't inform his best friend when he just decided to leave Blackwood City for Oak Land, so why now? At the start of the journey, different questions are just busy running through Caleb's mind, but instead of him to dwell on them, he decides to double his speed since there are barely cars on the Oakland to Blackwood Expressway, compressing a journey of about two hours into 1 hour 30 minutes. On getting to Black Wood, Caleb goes back to Melanie's chat window to confirm the address of where they shall be meeting up, but on seeing the familiar address, his bro
“I got this for you Dad,” the little boy says, confirming the fact that he wasn't mincing words when he called Caleb Dad the first time. “Do you like the Suprise that your son and I put together for you?” a stylish lady in her late twenties, whom Melanie recognizes as Sophia Thompson steps closer to ask Caleb.While most of the guests are not surprised because they are well aware of Aidens existence, Melanie is beyond surprised because Caleb has never mistakenly told her about his existence before but instead of just running away from the party like she would have done on normal grounds, she waits for Caleb where she is standing because she wants an excuse of explanation as to why he never mentioned it to her before. “As you all can see, our celebrant is not party-ready, so I will be borrowing him very quickly so that he can change into something that is much more appropriate,” Alistair announces as he goes to wear Caleb is standing to drag him out of the party. Caleb expects Mel
As Melanie takes fast-paced steps out of the library, she starts to dial Ryan's number, while praying that he won't be asleep so that he will be able to pick up the call, but he doesn't pick up on the first two rings. The third time as she is about to give up, but decides to dial his number for one last time, he finally picks up the phone. “Hey,” Ryan answers half asleep. “I know this is late, but can you come get me?” Melanie pleads as her voice starts to shake on relieving everything that has happened to her that night and the sound of her voice makes Ryan sit up, alarmed. “Where exactly are you?” Ryan asks worried. “I am still at the hostel, but I think I am going to find a place to hide myself till you come because I don't want to talk to Caleb or become a bigger laughing stock than I already am,” Melanie informs him, and he gets out of bed ASAP, picking up his car key and dashing out of his room. “Just find a place to stay while you wait for me, I will be there as fast as I
“I need to downstairs to figure out the current situation, then I will come back here to meet you okay?” Ryan says as he pulls away from Melanie's hug. “Can't we just stay here till everything quiets down, and in the next one or two hours, we should be able to leave,” Melanie argues. “No, we can’t” Ryan refuses. “I need to know what exactly is going on to be able to judge what will happen to us if we decide to stay within the forewalls of this hotel, so just take a chill pill and stay here, I will be back in no time” Ryan insists and he starts to walk away from Melanie, instead of listening to what she has to say in protest. Ryan, on the other hand, goes downstairs and by the time he gets there, the situation downstairs is much quieter, so he walks up to the receptionist to pick up a room for himself and Melanie, but the receptionists are looking at him and whispering to themselves in a weird way that was getting underneath his skin, but he just dismisses it as he overthinking ev
“What do you want to do now, Mrs Wellington? Will you wait for me to get dressed while we go downstairs to have dinner?” Caleb asks her but she shakes her head. “How about a reunion party?” Melanie suggests. “That can work, but it will take a while to be able to get that ready because I would like to publicly announce my daughter's presence and your return to the public,” Caleb informs but Melanie shakes her head. “I feel like going public with both of us, while we are still trying to make our family work sounds like a bit too much for now…we can always go public after one year,” Melanie suggests instead. “So the reunion party that you mentioned earlier was supposed to be tonight?” Caleb raises an eyebrow, skeptical. “Yes, why not? We can invite Ryan and…” Melanie nods enthusiastically as she says. “It is too late to start cooking,” Caleb interrupts, shaking his head. “We can always ask Ryan to order food from Bistro Bliss and have it delivered here.” Melanie waves her hand dis
Melanie’s eye widens in horror as the truth of everything that happened in the last five minutes that she got to Caleb’s house sinks in. The baby girl, Dawn is not just from any of Caleb’s one-night stands, but her flesh and blood, the child that she didn’t look at after birth because she didn’t want to get attached to, but now she is expected to just deal with it like Caleb instructed? “How could he do this to me?” Melanie’s voice trembles with rage and frustration. It just feels like she has been punched in the gut, her breath knocked out of her. “It was one of the hardest decisions of my life not to get attached to the stranger in my belly, and when I finally did, I had to just give her up because I know that giving her up is way better than having her stay with a mother that can’t cross the mountains and swim the oceans for her, but now I am expected to just…take care of her like it is no big deal?” She scoffs, her mind reeling with emotions. She had thought that she closed tha
Melanie steps into Caleb’s grand Mansion, her eyes scanning the opulent interior as a mix of nostalgia and unease washes over her. It has been a year since she last stayed in this place, and she can’t help but notice how much she missed the warmth and comfort that radiated from its walls. As she walks alongside Caleb, she pants in surprise at how natural it feels to be back here, almost as if she never left, but her reverie is short-lived. They enter the foyer and are greeted by a sea of smiling faces. The stewards, who had been like family to her during her brief stay, are all lined up, eager to welcome them back. Melanie’s eyes wide as she takes in the scene, feeling a sense of disorientation and then, her gaze lands on a tiny, chubby baby girl, dressed in a white onesie and a baby pink headband, being held by the dog, Mia’s nanny. Melanie’s heart skips a beat, and she feels a jolt of both surprise and confusion because she thought that Caleb was kidding when he said that he had
“What do I need to do to make you divorce me?” Melanie sighs before she questions Caleb because she has realized that arguing with him will not bring any positive results.“Now you are speaking the language that I want to hear,” Caleb admits with a sly smile.“…which is?” Melanie prompts.“Stay with me for a whole year, and then if you don’t fall in love with me within one year, I will let you go,” Caleb proposes, and Melanie goes wide-eyed.“Are you insane?” she questions him, and he shakes his head.“No, I am not,” He answers as if he didn’t just utter the most outrageous thing that there is to utter.“Am I a trophy that you need to secure?” she asks him while still trying to wrap her head around why he will suggest such ridiculous terms, and he shakes his head.“This cannot be a bet with Alistair like it was when you matched with me on the dating site, right?” she asks, giving him a calculated look.“How did you find that out?” Caleb inquires.“Alistair and I were in close contact
“Is this man trying to get revenge on me?” Melanie wonders after waiting for hours without hearing a word from Caleb.She silently thanks God for giving her the wisdom to convince Ryan to leave when she asked him to. No matter how understanding he might have been, sticking around her while she faces Caleb probably sets her divorce in motion. On a second note, she thinks it might be for the better because they got there around 4 p.m., and now it is 8 p.m. with no sign of Caleb.“Should I just go now, or should I keep waiting?” She silently contemplates as she looks around the reception hallway that also doubles as the waiting room of the corporation.Melanie's eyes scan the waiting room, her gaze drifting towards the passage that she feels leads to the elevator for what feels like a hundred times. She hasn’t achieved everything that she was hoping that she would achieve today, like editing the videos that she recorded earlier and posting on tiktok and her patience-wearing thing.Sudden
“Hey man, guess who just unblocked and texted me,” Alistair texts Caleb before forwarding the screenshot of Melanie's message to him. ()“Coincidentally, I just got off the call with the receptionist and apparently she is at my office with that brother of mine to see me which is not so surprising because after she ghosted me but remained in contact with Ryan” Caleb replies his best friend. “We didn't really talk about her because I could see how everything was getting to you, but you mean to tell me that she was in touch with Ryan throughout her pregnancy?” Alistair inquires and Caleb just calls him immediately “She didn't tell me that she was pregnant, but Ryan who isn't the father of her child knew that she was pregnant,” Caleb hisses. “How are you so sure that the child is yours... that if the child belongs to Ryan?” Alistair argues. “Melanie can be a lot of things, but a liar? No, she is not and she said that nothing was going on between her and Ryan,” Caleb informs Alistair.
Melanie meets Ryan at the parking lot. As they drive down to the spa, the warm morning sun shines brightly around the windshield, casting a relaxing glow over the car. Melanie, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness, chats enthusiastically with Ryan because she knows that she has missed so much in his life because of how self-absorbed and insensitive she has been, but she is determined to change that moving forward.Ryan fills her in on the details of what she needs to know, and Melanie, smiling and attentive, listens patiently as he wraps up the details of Ryan Wellington scandal with his mom and switches to discuss his plans for her to have a rejuvenating day at the spa.“You will be having a full body massage, a facial, and a hair treatment,” Ryan goes ahead to list, and Melanie just nods.“And of course, we can't forget the nails and make-up,” He adds, and Melanie tries to hide her smile because having someone like Ryan who pays so much attention to detail is not enough, she
As soon as Ryan ends the call, Melanie tries to get out of bed to put a few things together, like taking out her outfit and putting her bags together since Ruan insisted fo take her to his mom's house, but a bright idea occurs to her to do something that she has not don't in almost one year, which is to film. She even deleted her TikTok account after she left Orion because everywhere she went on TikTok, one person or another had something or the other to say about her marriage with Caleb, and there were just a whole lot of speculations going around the internet with the videos that she watched, so she just had to let the app go. This morning, she decides to get back to the routine of filming because filming is just one of those things that she genuinely enjoyed doing, but she hasn't done it in over a year. “Since I let my business go and I am trying to find myself again, what better way is there to go about it than trying to explore the things that I used to enjoy doing before to s
Melanie takes a deep breath after she rushes out of the cramped Airport toilet that she has been hiding away, smoothing out her clothes and attempting to compose herself. She is still telling from the unexpected and uncomfortable encounter with Ethan and her mind is racing with thoughts of what is to come. As she makes her way through the bustling airport, her eyes scan the signs and directories, guiding her toward the gate where her flight is departing. She quickens her pace, her heels clicking on the polished floor as she navigates through the crowds. Finally, she reaches the gate and presents her boarding pass to the attendant, who scans it and hands it back with a smile. Melanie takes a deep breath, steeling herself for the long flight ahead, and she steps onto the plane. As she walks down the aisle, Her eyes adjust to the dim lighting and she scans the rows of seats, searching for her designated spot. She booked a seat in the second-class coach, and she is determined to find a