The rain came down in sheets, like strings of beads snapping in midair and crashing to the ground without a moment’s rest.
Melody Thornfield stepped out of the little private diner with a takeout bag in hand, only to be shoved back a couple of steps by the thick, wet gust that hit her in the face.
She pulled her thin trench coat tighter, shielding the warm dishes pressed carefully against her chest.
It was Adrian Thornfield’s birthday tonight. Every dish in that box was something he loved.
Sliding into her car at last, Melody set the food down, flicked on the wipers, and checked the time. Adrian should be home any minute. She needed to hurry.
She hit the gas, the tires slicing across the slick road—yet within seconds, something felt off.
The brakes… weren’t catching.
A truck barreled toward her from the opposite lane. Panic shot up her spine, and she yanked the wheel hard to the right.
The car skidded violently in an S‑shaped arc, missing the truck by a hair—only to shoot straight toward a middle‑aged woman standing at the roadside under an umbrella.
Lightning cracked across the sky, lighting up the woman’s terrified face.
No—
…
Melody jerked awake with a scream, swallowed by a blinding white glare.
A stabbing pain tore through her chest. She looked down, saw the blood transfusion line, and finally realized—she was in a hospital.
The gruesome scene she’d just relived flashed through her mind like a nightmare on repeat. Her chest seized. The terrified face in the rain surfaced again—Claudette Thornfield, her mother‑in‑law. Melody had dodged the truck… only to slam into Claudette waiting for a ride at the curb.
Her breath caught. When she forced her eyes open again, someone was standing beside her bed.
“Didn’t expect you to still be breathing.”
Annabelle Ashton stood there, her palm‑sized face perfectly made up, big dewy eyes looking down at Melody without the slightest hint of hostility—which somehow made it even worse.
She’d grown up with Adrian, practically glued to him since childhood. If Melody hadn’t shown up halfway through their story, Annabelle would’ve been Mrs. Thornfield by now.
“Where… is Adrian…”
Melody Thornfield opened her mouth, her voice rough and barely there. Deep down, she felt nothing but disgust for Annabelle Ashton. The countless arguments between her and Adrian Thornfield had always revolved around this woman.
Annabelle let out a small, smug smile and leaned in close to Melody’s ear.
"You know why I waited for you to wake up?" she whispered. "Just so I could tell you this."
"I thought messing with your brakes would send you straight to your death. Didn’t expect you to crawl back alive."
"But fate still sided with me in the end. Guess who you hit?"
"Claudette Thornfield. Haha, you actually killed your own mother‑in‑law."
"Tell me, do you think Adrian will ever forgive you?"
"If you had died, maybe Adrian would've been sad for a few days. But since the one who died is Claudette… he probably wants to rip your heart out right now."
Annabelle spoke with an excitement that made her eyes shimmer with a chilling delight.
"You… you’re twisted!" Melody’s chest tightened all at once, a rush of blood rising to her throat. She pointed at Annabelle, eyes bloodshot with fury, but she was so overwhelmed with rage she couldn’t get a word out.
Annabelle’s smile only grew smugger. "You and Claudette never got along. Hitting her—wasn’t that what you secretly wanted? Adrian will think you did it on purpose."
"Oh, and by the way, that person who texted you every time to ‘let you know’ where Adrian was? That was me. Watching you rush over every time, only to catch them together and make Adrian hate you a little more… honestly, it was hilarious."
Staring at Annabelle’s triumphant face, Melody wanted nothing more than to tear her apart. But the moment she tried to move, her entire body screamed in pain, sharp enough to steal her breath.
"Mr. Thornfield…"
The sound outside the door made Annabelle grab Melody’s chin, squeezing harder as her gaze turned ice‑cold.
"Melody, Adrian’s done with you. You’ll be sentenced to death soon anyway. But don’t worry—when Adrian and I get married, I’ll burn you a wedding invitation."
With one last self‑satisfied smile, Annabelle slipped out just before Adrian walked in.
Melody couldn’t hold it in anymore—blood spilled from her lips. She barely lifted her head as the door pushed open, and Adrian’s tall, cold silhouette filled her vision.
"Adrian…"
Melody Thornfield had barely opened her mouth when Adrian Thornfield’s hand cracked across her cheek.
“You vicious woman!”
His eyes were sharp enough to cut, cold and furious to the bone.
Melody lay crumpled on the bed, every inch of her body screaming in pain, but she still forced herself to breathe, to speak, to explain.
“Adrian… it was Annabelle… Annabelle messed with my brakes… she wanted… she wanted me dead… I didn’t mean to hit your mother…”
Adrian let out a chilling laugh, all sarcasm and ice. “You know what? Just now, Annabelle was actually telling me to forgive you. She said you must’ve never done it on purpose. And you? Look at you.”
“No, don’t trust her… she’s lying to you, Adrian…”
“That’s enough.” His voice snapped like a frozen whip. He threw a divorce agreement onto the bed, the papers landing right in front of her with a sharp smack. His eyes were frost-cold. “Sign it. You’re not worthy of being Mrs. Thornfield. And don’t worry—I won’t let you die. You’ll rot in prison for this.”
Melody froze. She stared at him, stunned, as if seeing him for the very first time. This man… this man who once vowed he would cherish her forever—this was who he truly was. The man she had loved with everything she had… he was capable of cutting her down without a second thought.
“Have you ever even loved me?”
Her voice trembled as she met his icy gaze. Inside, something cracked, something heavy and desolate spreading through her chest.
A man who wouldn’t hear a word she said, wouldn’t give her even the smallest sliver of trust, who chose to believe another woman over her every single time… had he ever loved her at all?
His face stayed frozen, cold as winter stone, not even bothering to acknowledge the question.
Melody looked at that distant, sharp profile, and slowly closed her eyes. In that moment, her heart went completely dark.
So he only showed up because she hadn’t signed the divorce papers yet, right?
Fine. She’d give him what he wanted.
The signed divorce agreement slipped from her fingers. Adrian picked it up without a pause, turned around, and walked away.
“Mr. Thornfield, are you here to check on Melody Thornfield?”
“Mr. Thornfield, will you make Melody Thornfield pay with her life for what happened to your mother?”
“Mr. Thornfield, between Melody Thornfield and Miss Annabelle Ashton, who is it that you truly care about?”
...
Just as Adrian Thornfield stepped out of the inpatient wing, a swarm of reporters suddenly rushed toward him.
“Look! Someone just jumped!”
That shout cut through the air. Adrian snapped his head back, and in the next second, a white dress fluttered like torn snow. A woman’s figure dropped from the tenth‑floor window of the inpatient building, plummeting straight down and hitting the ground right in front of him with a sickening thud.
The pristine marble instantly bloomed with a stark, red splash…
When he finally saw the woman’s face clearly, Adrian’s pupils tightened in an instant…
