Chapter 5

Melanie's POV

As I walked out of the Lawrence Corporation tower, rain began to pour outside.

I stood by the curb trying to hail a cab.

There was a long queue on the ride-hailing app, and after waiting for ages, not a single driver accepted the fare.

The rain fell harder and heavier, soaking my clothes until they clung to my skin.

As the cold wind blew past, a shiver ran through me, forcing me to wrap my arms tightly around myself.

A dull ache flared up in my lower abdomen again.

It had only been a few days since my surgery, and the doctor had strictly instructed me never to catch a chill.

A black Maybach pulled up and stopped in front of me.

The passenger window rolled down, revealing Chloe Carter's face.

"Melanie, it's pouring. Get in, we'll give you a ride home."

Damien Lawrence sat right beside her, staring at me, his voice stiff and callous.

"Why bother with her? Since she's so capable, let her figure it out on her own."

I stood in the rain, perfectly still.

Chloe Carter turned her head and flashed an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry, Melanie."

The window rolled up, and the Maybach sped away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The tires rolled through a roadside puddle, splashing water all over me.

I looked down at the mud staining the hem of my dress and wiped the rain from my face.

After waiting for more than half an hour, I finally managed to hail a cab.

No one was home. I had given Maggie some time off, telling her to take a two-week break.

My head felt heavy and my steps unsteady. I checked my temperature with a thermometer; I was running a fever of thirty-nine degrees.

Forcing myself to take a hot shower, I collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

In the middle of the night, I groggily felt someone touching my forehead.

Damien Lawrence was back.

"Still acting tough during your period? You're burning up."

He spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying the familiar heartache I knew so well.

"This afternoon, I just wanted you to soften up a little. But you're so stubborn—you just refused to give in."

He let out a sigh. "With a temper like yours, you're bound to suffer sooner or later."

He had seen the bloodstains on the bedsheet and assumed my period had come.

He didn't know that it was bleeding from my surgery that hadn't stopped yet.

Damien gently gathered me into his arms, fed me fever medication, and gave me some warm water.

My mind slowly cleared.

I opened my eyes and saw the anxiety written all over Damien's face. His hand was resting against my lower abdomen, keeping it warm for me.

Whenever I had cramps during my period in the past, he had always done this.

Back when we were in school, he would skip class to come back and keep me company.

After he started working, he had turned down countless social dinners just to stay up all night warming my belly.

In a daze, my heart trembled faintly.

For a moment, I almost thought that the Damien who once had eyes only for me had returned, that the nightmare of Chloe Carter had finally passed.

Suddenly, a phone rang.

I snapped awake instantly.

That was the custom ringtone Damien had set exclusively for Chloe Carter.

It was the only custom ringtone in his entire phone. Even I had never received that kind of treatment.

My lower abdomen felt empty as that warm hand was pulled away.

Damien answered the call, his words rushing out.

"Chloe, slow down. What's wrong with Coco?"

"Okay, don't panic. I'll be right there!"

He hung up, turned to look at me, and a flicker of conflict flashed in his eyes.

Yet that hesitation lasted only for a second.

"Mel, take your medicine and get some rest. I'll be back soon."

Not surprised in the least, I turned my head away and didn't look at him.

Footsteps receded into the distance, followed by the sound of the front door closing.

In the latter half of the night, my fever didn't subside. Instead, it grew worse.

My chest felt suffocated, as if something heavy were crushing it, leaving me gasping for air.

Before losing consciousness, I forced myself to dial emergency services.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital room, an IV needle stuck into the back of my hand.

The doctor still looked shaken.

"The high fever caused pneumonia. You just had surgery, so your body was already weak. If the ambulance had arrived any later, we wouldn't have been able to save you."

I smiled bitterly, thanked the doctor, and asked him to help arrange a caregiver.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from Damien.

[Has your fever gone down? Coco was vomiting in the middle of the night, so I brought her to the vet clinic. She just stabilized. You only have a cold, so take care of yourself. Chloe is emotionally unstable right now, so I'm staying with her for a bit.]

I didn't reply and turned off the screen.

Over the next week, Damien never contacted me again.

I had grown accustomed to it.

With just a single word from Chloe Carter, he could forget about me for days on end.

Back then, I was foolish enough to believe that he would eventually turn his heart back to me.

Now, I finally understood that he had long ceased to be the Damien of my childhood.

A week later, I was discharged and returned home.

A thin layer of dust had settled on the furniture; Damien hadn't been back once during the entire week.

Naturally. If he had come back, he would have realized I wasn't home at all.

I let out a self-deprecating chuckle and pushed the thought aside.

He wasn't worth wasting my feelings on anymore.

I changed my clothes and headed to a shopping mall downtown.

I was getting married next month. Whether the man was a madman or a fool, he would still be my future husband.

Right now, I only carried the empty title of the Sterling family's eldest daughter, possessing nothing of my own. Father wouldn't help me, so I had to prepare a gift for my fiancé myself, if only to show my sincerity.

I picked out an eight-figure luxury watch.

The savings in my card, combined with the money from selling the jewelry and designer bags Damien had given me a few days ago, was just enough to cover it.

Without hesitation, I swiped my card.

The store clerk handed me the watch.

Just as I took the bag and was about to leave, I saw Damien walking in with Chloe Carter.

Standing in a corner, neither of them noticed me.

Damien was keeping Chloe company as she tried on bracelets, the two of them standing intimately close.

He looked down at her wrist, his gaze focused and tender—no different from when he used to help me pick out jewelry.

I looked away and turned to head out.

Just then, Damien looked up and caught sight of me.

"Mel?"

The store manager hurried over holding a velvet jewelry box, smiling at Damien. "Mr. Lawrence, the necklace you ordered six months ago has arrived."

I recognized the necklace inside the box.

It was a piece I had fallen in love with at a brand launch six months ago, limited to only three pieces worldwide.

Back then, Damien had promised me he would buy it for me the moment it hit the market.

Seeing the watch in my hand, Damien smiled faintly.

He probably assumed the watch was a gift for him.

In the past, whenever we fought, I was always the one who softened first. He likely thought this time would be no different.

He took the necklace and moved toward me.

Chloe Carter let out a delighted gasp. "Wow, what a gorgeous necklace! Damien, I love it so much!"

Damien stopped in his tracks, a conflicted expression surfacing on his face.