The Melody He Forgot ✍️✍️
Chapter 1
The Melody He Forgot
“Again! Smile properly when serving the guests!”
Elena staggered slightly as the harsh voice of her stepmother echoed through the kitchen. The tray in her trembling hands nearly slipped, but she quickly steadied it before the glass cups could crash onto the marble floor.
“I’m sorry…” she whispered softly.
“Sorry?” Bianca scoffed, folding her arms across her expensive silk dress. “Sorry won’t fix your pathetic face. Today is important. If you ruin anything for your sister, you’ll regret it.”
Elena lowered her head quietly.
She was used to this.
Five years ago, after her mother died, everything in the house changed. Her father slowly stopped seeing her as his daughter while Bianca, his new wife, made sure Elena’s life became miserable. From cooking to cleaning and washing clothes, she worked like a maid in the very house she was born in.
Yet she endured it all for one reason.
Her grandmother.
The only person who truly loved her was currently lying in a hospital bed battling mental illness. Bianca paid the hospital bills only because Elena obeyed every order given to her.
“Elena!” her younger stepsister Sofia yelled from upstairs. “Bring my heels now!”
Elena immediately picked up the silver heels and hurried upstairs.
The moment she entered Sofia’s luxurious room, laughter filled the air. Several makeup artists surrounded Sofia, praising her beauty nonstop.
“You’re so lucky,” one of them giggled. “Imagine marrying Adrian De Luca.”
Elena froze.
Adrian… De Luca?
Her heartbeat suddenly skipped.
No.
It couldn’t be him.
“The billionaire just returned from abroad,” another woman added excitedly. “He’s insanely handsome. Even after spending years in a coma, he still became one of the richest men in Italy.”
Elena’s fingers tightened around the heels.
A familiar ache spread through her chest.
Adrian.
The boy who once sang love songs with her under the school music hall.
The boy who promised he would never leave her.
The boy who disappeared after the accident twenty years ago.
“Elena!” Sofia snapped impatiently. “Why are you standing there like an i***t?”
Elena quickly lowered her eyes and placed the heels down.
“I heard his family is coming tonight to discuss the marriage officially,” Sofia said proudly while admiring herself in the mirror. “Obviously, they chose me. Who else deserves a billionaire?”
The girls around her laughed.
Elena quietly turned away before they could notice the sadness in her eyes.
Downstairs, expensive decorations filled the mansion while servants rushed around preparing dinner. Bianca suddenly grabbed Elena by the wrist.
“Listen carefully,” she warned coldly. “When the De Luca family arrives, you will stay hidden in the kitchen. Don’t embarrass us with your cheap appearance.”
Elena nodded silently.
A maid.
That was all she was now.
Hours later, luxurious black cars finally entered the compound.
The entire house became tense immediately.
“They’re here!” Sofia squealed excitedly.
Elena stayed behind the kitchen wall, trying hard to calm the strange storm inside her heart.
Then she heard it.
A deep masculine voice.
Cold.
Powerful.
Familiar.
Without thinking, Elena slowly stepped outside toward the garden corridor, desperate for fresh air.
And that was when she saw him.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Black tailored suit.
One hand inside his pocket while the other held a phone against his ear.
Even from behind, she recognized him instantly.
Adrian.
Tears immediately filled her eyes.
He was alive.
After all these years… he was really standing before her.
As if sensing someone behind him, Adrian suddenly turned around.
Their eyes met.
The world stopped.
Elena’s lips parted slightly as memories crashed into her mind — music rooms, shared headphones, stolen kisses, promises beneath the rain.
But Adrian’s expression remained completely blank.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
Elena stepped back nervously, but her foot slipped against the wet floor.
She accidentally bumped into him.
The files in his hand scattered.
Adrian’s sharp gaze darkened instantly.
“What the hell?” he snapped coldly.
Before Elena could apologize, he shoved her away in irritation.
She fell hard onto the ground.
Adrian immediately dusted his expensive suit with disgust, as if she had stained him.
“Watch where you’re going,” he said icily.
Elena stared at him in disbelief.
He didn’t recognize her.
Not even a little.
Tears burned her eyes as she watched him walk away without looking back.
And at that moment, Elena realized something heartbreaking.
The boy who once loved her had completely forgotten their melody.
