Chapter 12
1075 Words
Melina recalled that fateful day with enduring pain. After the accident, the Harper family showed Melina the accident report, revealing the motorcycle's brake failure. Steve had realized this and made her wear the helmet, saving her life.
He gave her the chance to live, while he now lay silently in a hospital bed, somewhere between sleep and death.
Melina felt deep guilt and responsibility for Steve. If he hadn’t accompanied her to the bar, there wouldn't have been an accident. If he hadn’t given her the helmet, it would be her suffering in the hospital instead of Steve.
Moreover, her father Ryan Harper dropped a bombshell: "We've been hiding something from you for years," he sighed, "You're not our biological daughter."
"What? Dad, what are you saying?"
"When you were three, we adopted you from an orphanage. Steve was seven and knew this."
Her mother Wendy Harper added sadly, "We never stopped Steve's feelings for you, but we never imagined he’d sacrifice himself to protect you."
Melina, sensing something wrong, asked, "Feelings? What do you mean? Are you saying..."
"Yes, he’s always had a crush on you."
Melina was shocked, her eyes wide. "How could this be?!"
She didn’t remember how she got through that day, only that she left the hospital in a daze.
Although her adoptive parents were reluctant to place all the blame on Melina, they still held a slight grudge against her for indirectly causing Steve's accident. With these two mixed feelings, they have no choice but to turn a blind eye to Melina, who also has no courage to face them.
In contrast to the gentle attitude of the adoptive parents, Melina's other brother Gavin harper, who had a difficult relationship with Melina since childhood, hated her even more after the accident, and Melina secretly visited Steve after that to avoid conflict.
She dreamed that Steve would one day wake up, smile at her gently, and call her Melina, like he used to.
But the treatment was very expensive, and the Harper family, an ordinary one, couldn’t afford it. Melina, just an ordinary office worker with two years of experience, chose a path devoid of happiness—a marriage contract. As long as there was a sliver of hope, she wouldn’t give up; she wanted Steve to wake up. She believed where there was hope, there could be miracles.
Melina massaged Steve, spoke to him, cleaned his face and body. He lay there, breathing and with a heartbeat, but no awareness, completely unresponsive.
“What are you doing here, you troublemaker?”
A voice filled with resentment and anger suddenly rang out, making Melina stand up quickly. She put down the towel in her hand and turned around to see her other brother, Gavin Harper. Melina's heart skipped a beat as she whispered, “I came to see Steve.”
Gavin stormed over and shoved her aside, shouting in disgust, “Get out! My brother doesn’t need you here. If it weren’t for you, Steve wouldn’t be like this. Leave right now!”
“I...” Melina wanted to explain that it wasn’t intentional, but guilt and remorse made her words feel hollow. They all wanted Steve back, alive and well. So did she. If she could, she’d rather it be herself lying there instead of Steve.
A nearby nurse intervened, “Enough. This is not the time for arguments. The patient needs a quiet place to recover, alright?”
Gavin reluctantly fell silent but suddenly noticed the ring on Melina’s finger. He rushed over and grabbed her hand, glaring at the wedding ring. “What is this? A wedding ring, right?”
Melina stood there, speechless, unable to explain. How could she explain that she married Adrian for money? No, that was out of the question.
‘Slap! ’
Gavin’s anger erupted in a slap across Melina’s face. The sting burned her cheek, but she didn’t cry. Her silence wasn’t because she didn’t feel the pain or anger; it was because of her overwhelming guilt. It felt like only by enduring this could she find any solace.
Gavin spat out furiously, “He loved you so much, and you turned around and rushed to marry someone else. You’re the most shameless woman I’ve ever met. Get out of our sight and don’t ever come back to see my brother. I’m sure he doesn’t want to see you!”
Hearing the commotion, nurses and doctors came in, asking Melina and Gavin to leave and to keep the noise down. With her heart aching, Melina left the room first. She walked downstairs, breathing in the cold air to calm herself, her face throbbing with pain.
She touched her cheek, feeling the fiery pain, and frowned slightly. She walked over to a bench under a tree and sat down, her heart heavy and troubled. She was no longer the happy Melina she used to be.
Her phone rang for a long time before she answered it.
“Pack your things and wait downstairs.”
Adrian? His commanding tone was typical. Melina, snapping out of her daze, remembered they were in a fake marriage. She asked, “What should I pack?”
Adrian was silent, unwilling to answer such a simple question. Melina quickly realized, feeling a bit dizzy, “You mean I should move in with you?”
“You have one hour,” Adrian said coldly and hung up. Melina, still processing, knew that couples should live together, but she hadn’t grasped she was now part of one and had to live with a man.
Ultimately, she lacked the sense of being a wife.
She couldn’t disobey Adrian. An hour was enough to pack. The house was rented, and she didn’t have much. Melina packed up and returned to her place.
Melina took half an hour to pack, even managing to rest a bit. Adrian called again, already waiting outside. She dragged her suitcase downstairs.
Melina didn’t expect Adrian to help with her luggage. She loaded it into the backseat herself and got in.
Adrian drove in silence, heading toward the Chambers' house. Melina wondered if she’d have to live with the whole Chambers family. She wasn’t worried about much, just about being found out. A lie is still a lie, after all.
Melina wanted to ask but figured Adrian, more worried about being exposed, had his reasons. It must be because the Chambers elders didn’t agree to Adrian living alone.
- Writer
