I smiled, reassuring Leah that I no longer cared about what happened to him. Whether he was happy or miserable, it had nothing to do with me anymore.Not long after, death came for me. In my final moments, I only let Zachary stay by my side."Zachary, do you like me?" I asked, lying weakly on the hospital bed.He snorted. "Who would like you? Don’t flatter yourself."I chuckled softly. "Good. Don’t like me, Zachary. I’m about to die."His eyes reddened, and he snapped, "Don't say things like that, Melody!"His tone was harsh, but his hand, hanging at his side, was trembling.I looked at him seriously and said, "Alright, I won’t say it anymore, but really, you shouldn’t love me."I stared at him without blinking. I saw his eyes grow even redder, tears welling up, and he turned his head away, refusing to look at me.I quietly closed my eyes.I heard him begin to cry, no longer holding back. I felt him gently shaking me, but my eyelids felt as heavy as lead. I couldn’t open them, and
Seth Scott hadn’t come home in three days. There wasn’t even a single message from him. Tonight was cold; the rain outside tapped steadily against the window, and I curled up under the blanket, shivering. My hands and feet were freezing, but my face was burning—I had a fever. Clutching my phone, I read through each message I had sent him."Seth, are you coming home today?" "Seth, where have you gone?" "Seth, why won’t you answer me?" "I’m really worried about you."I scrolled through our previous conversations. He had never gone this long without replying to me. Just as my eyes were stinging and my head felt dizzy, my phone buzzed. I quickly opened my eyes, but it wasn’t Seth. A red "1" appeared next to the contacts.I tapped to check and saw a friend request from a girl’s profile picture. Feeling uneasy, I clicked on it. Her feed wrote, "Seth is with me."My mind went blank, panic surged through my chest. I didn't want to add a stranger, and I wanted to trust Seth, but b
As I sent that last message, my hands trembled uncontrollably, and a wave of indescribable emotion surged within me. I never imagined that one day, I would be sending such words to a woman I had never met.She replied, "If you want the truth, come to Maple Gardens."The moment I read her message, I jumped out of bed and rushed through my morning routine. I grabbed the first set of clothes I could find from my wardrobe and headed straight for Maple Gardens. On the way, my heart pounded with anxiety. To be honest, I didn't know what I would do once I got there. Maybe I just desperately needed an answer, too afraid to face the reality of Seth’s betrayal.As soon as I stepped out of the taxi, I saw a woman walking out with Seth. She was beautiful, with a perfect figure, a youthful face brimming with vitality, and an aura of sheer confidence. Seth said something that made her cover her mouth and laugh, her joy ringing through the air. The sight was unbearable. I rushed toward them,
But my mother had forgotten. She had forgotten that when I got married, she held my hand and told me that if I ever felt wronged, I should tell her, and she would stand up for me. My mother had no idea how much I was hurting right now… Being magnanimous and forgiving Seth for his mistakes—it was just too hard.I wrapped my arms around myself and drifted into a troubled sleep.When I woke up again, it was dark. The living room was pitch black, not a single ray of light. Suddenly, my best friend, Leah Taylor, called. I blinked a few times, disoriented, before answering.“Hello, Melody, where are you right now?”As soon as I picked up, Leah’s bright voice came through the phone.“I'm at home,” I replied softly.“Is Seth not there with you?”“Mm.”Leah’s voice suddenly rose in pitch, “Do you know who I just saw?”I didn’t respond, and she continued, “I saw Seth!”"He was with another woman, a really young one. And get this—he was showering her with gifts, spending money like it was n
I remembered the day I resigned; I was filled with anxiety. With no income and little savings, I felt incredibly insecure. Seth noticed my unease and gently wrapped his arms around me, softly stroking my hair.He said, "If your job makes you unhappy, just leave it. There's no need to stay in a place that brings you down. I'm your husband—what's mine is yours. I'll work hard to support our family, and I'll always be your strongest support."Back then, I trusted him completely. I set my worries aside and focused on caring for him, making him a different breakfast every day. But now, my unemployment had become the very weapon he used against me.From the other end came his irritated voice. "Then let's get a divorce."My heart sank. The phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a dull thud. I had never, not once, considered divorcing Seth...Since that bitter argument, Seth and I hadn't spoken. He unlinked my name from our joint bank accounts. My health continued to deterio
"Ah!" Lisa screamed in pain as tears streamed down her face. She jumped back, clutching her cheek, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked pitifully at Seth.Seth took a step forward and shoved me aside. I stumbled back a few steps, barely catching myself against the wall."Enough, Melody!" he shouted, "Look at yourself—you’re acting like a crazy woman!"I shot back, "She stepped on my scans and refused to move. Could your bias be any more obvious, Seth?"He fell silent as if he had only just realized I was at the hospital because I was sick. His brows furrowed, and a flicker of concern appeared in his eyes. "Are you sick?"I bent down to pick up my scans from the floor, hesitating for a moment, wanting to say something. But Lisa jumped in first, "You just caught a cold. Did you really need to get scans for that?"Seth exhaled sharply, feeling relieved. "A cold? Do you have to be so dramatic about it? Lisa is pregnant, for heaven's sake."I scoffed at him. "And what does her b
He froze for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Are you leaving?"I nodded. "We should take some time apart to cool down.""Since you're back, I'll return the keys to you. This house is yours; it should go back to you."With that, I grabbed my suitcase and made to leave. Seth suddenly stood up, blocking my way."Don't go," he said, his breath heavy with the smell of alcohol, his tone carrying a hint of something almost like...pleading.I shook my head, thinking I must have imagined it. "Seth, if you love someone else, just let me go," I replied.But he pulled me into his arms with a sudden force. He was mumbling something, but I couldn't make it out—and didn't want to. I struggled violently, trying to break free, but he held me tight, his eyes closed, slowly lowering his head. Was he trying to kiss me?I fought back, managing to break away, and slapped him hard across the face.His head snapped to the side from the impact. After a long moment, he turned back to me, his eyes clear. He
Lost in thought, I was startled by a knock at the door. My mother called out and went to open it.Seth walked in, carrying bags full of things, speaking sweetly to charm my mother and Jasmine, who both smiled, clearly won over. After some small talk, he said, "Mom, it's all my fault. I upset Melody yesterday, so I rushed over first thing this morning, afraid you'd be mad and not let her come back with me."My mother, laughing cheerfully, replied, "Oh, of course not," and immediately encouraged Seth to take me back. I resisted, but she shot me a warning look and discreetly pinched my arm.I ended up leaving with Seth. As we reached the gate of the complex, I yanked my hand free from his.Seth turned around, rubbing his temples. "Melody, stop making a scene. Your mom wants you to come back with me. If you don't, where are you going to go?"He went on, confidently weighing the pros and cons, implying I couldn't possibly manage without him."I don’t need you to care," I shot back. "I c