Melanie met Edwin's gaze for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I'm not mad. I won't take on any more work like that. It's late, Ed. You should get some rest."
With that, she closed the door. She turned to her open half-packed suitcase, let out a long sigh, and crouched down to zip it shut.
The next morning, after Edwin left the house, she went to his study and placed a letter and a bank card on the desk.
As she pulled her suitcase out of the house, her heart, which had felt numb for so long, suddenly began to ache.
The pain was sharp like someone was slowly tearing away all the memories she had made here.
She had wanted to say goodbye to Edwin properly, but she didn't know how to face him.
Eight years of her life—days and nights they had been through together—had finally come to an end.
The words she couldn't bring herself to say, she wrote in that letter. In the end, she wished him happiness, peace, and joy for the rest of his life.
That was it.
As the cab drove her toward the airport, her phone rang. It was Maurice calling.
Melanie ignored it. She had already made her decision to leave. There was no point in getting tangled up with Maurice and Edwin anymore.
But the phone rang again. And again. On the third call, she gave in and picked it up.
Maurice's voice was hoarse and desperate, begging Melanie to bring money to save her and Edwin. Before Melanie could respond, Maurice blurted out an address.
Then a rough male voice came on the line. He warned Melanie not to try anything clever or they'd kill her.
The call abruptly ended.
For a moment, Melanie was overwhelmed by fear. Then she snapped out of it and told the cab driver to turn around and head back to the Setchfields' villa.
As the cab sped toward the address, Melanie called Iverson, Edwin's assistant, who told her the CEO wasn't at the company and had canceled all his plans for the day.
Melanie tried calling a few of Edwin's friends, but none of them were with him.
An hour later, Melanie arrived at a dock with the money and boarded a yacht.
"The money's here," she said, trying to steady her voice. "Now let my brother go."
On the deck, a man wearing sunglasses smirked and motioned to one of the bodyguards nearby.
The bodyguard stepped forward and grabbed the card from Melanie's hands. A moment later, Maurice, tied up and disheveled, was dragged out onto the deck.
When she saw her fiancé's adopted sister, Maurice's face lit up. The bodyguard ripped the tape off her mouth, and she immediately dropped to her knees in front of the man in sunglasses.
"Mr. Fournier, now that she's here, you'll let me go, right?" she pleaded.
Myron, the man called Mr. Fournier, stood a few steps away and looked lazily at her. A wicked smile spread across his face.
"Oh, not so fast. The real fun is just beginning!"
His gaze shifted to Melanie. "Miss Henley, don't blame me. Blame Edwin for making too many enemies! And blame this dear sister-in-law of yours for her stupidity. She didn't just owe me money; she ran off and started a new life with the one person I despise the most! Did you really think I'd let her off that easily?"
It hit Melanie all at once. There was no Edwin here. Maurice had betrayed her.
Maurice, now trembling on the verge of collapse, looked up at Myron with wide eyes. "You said if I paid you back, you'd let me go!"
Myron sneered. "That money was hers, not yours. But don't worry—you still have a chance. When Edwin gets here, pray he chooses you. If he does, well, you might be saved."
Maurice's lips parted slightly as a bitter smile crept onto her face. "Son of a bitch! Aren't you afraid of being punished for this?!"
