Chapter 74:

🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙

On a bridge near the Jasmine Restaurant, tensions were running high.

“Melany, please step down first. We need to talk this out,” Colton called out as he rushed to catch up with her, only to find her precariously perched on the edge of the bridge.

In her white dress, Melany’s eyes were puffy and sorrowful, her fragile form poised over the railing, the roaring river just a heartbeat away beneath her.

“Colton, ever since that perfume competition, it feels like your spark for me has dimmed. You don’t trust me anymore. You brushed off my stomach pain like it didn’t matter.”

Melany’s complexion was ghostly, as delicate as a butterfly ready to fall. “I’ve never confessed to being Scarlet Snake, and my championship was earned fairly. I just wanted to make you proud. Do you have any idea how much I wished I could be Scarlet Snake? I only want to support you, even if just a little. I am always willing to do that.”

Her voice trembled, thick with emotion, as though she were delivering her final words. “I became so consumed by Scarlet Snake’s perfumes that I lost myself in daydreams. I regret causing you to lose that partnership with the Everett Group. If only I had known Allison was Scarlet Snake, I would never have made such a foolish blunder.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she feigned wishing Colton well. “Back at the Jasmine Restaurant, what I said was true. If you truly love her, I can step aside. You are the only one I have ever loved, and I genuinely wish for your happiness.”

With that, Melany leaned even further forward.

“Please, just come down first!” Colton exclaimed, his anxiety palpable. The wind seemed ready to sweep her away, and it dawned on him that she had always acted out of love for him. Guilt washed over him like a tidal wave. “I don’t care about Allison. The reason why I wanted to partner with the Everett Group is that I hoped to elevate our company and impress your parents. Melany, everything I do is for you, solely for you!” But Melany appeared lost, her face as pale as a ghost.

“Colton, I am doing this for you too. Remember five years ago? I would have given my life for you. I cherish beauty, yet I even bore a scar on my back for you. So please, do not doubt me,” Melany pleaded, gripping the railing as despair etched itself into her features. “If not, I would rather die.”

gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s․com, your source for inspiration

Though Colton had overlooked her stomach pain at the restaurant to grab Allison’s hand, what tormented Melany more was whether she could ever fully regain his trust.

“Let us talk this out. Please, don’t do anything rash.” Colton’s heart felt like it was lodged in his throat. With Melany still teetering on the edge of the bridge, every slight movement tugged at his nerves.

Colton was overwhelmed by guilt as she evoked the incident that had intertwined their fates. “Five years ago, I was near death, unconscious. If you hadn’t come to my rescue, I wouldn’t be here now.”

That moment left a scar on Melany too, a painful reminder of her love for beauty. It gnawed at Colton, filling him with anguish and guilt.

Since that day, he had sworn to protect Melany at all costs. Colton could no longer bring himself to blame her or argue about who was right or wrong. After all, if she had not risked her life to save him, he would have been lost long ago.

“I may have doubted you, but leaving you was never an option. Do you know, during the years you were gone, I held onto your memory every midnight?” Colton’s eyes glistened as he spoke.

In that dark time, his situation had been dire, and he could barely recall the urgency of it all. The only image that lingered was of the girl who had carried him through shadowy alleys as they fled for their lives.

On the edge of death, the only person he had trusted was that young girl, a memory he cherished dearly.

Melany’s eyes sparkled briefly as she quickly strategized. The recent contest had marred her perfect image in Colton’s heart, but if there was a first mistake, surely there could be a second. If she wanted to reclaim his heart… Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she gazed at the rushing river below, and with a heavy heart, she declared, “Colton, I love you, and I am truly sorry for all of this. If I die, Allison will no longer blame you, and perhaps there will be a chance to fix everything.”

With that, she let go of the railing and plunged into the water. The splash echoed like a thunderclap, leaving Colton frozen in fear, utterly unprepared for her drastic action. Without a moment’s hesitation, he shed his jacket and dove in after her, both of them disappearing into the icy depths.

In that final instant before losing consciousness, Melany felt strong arms wrap around her.

She had won the gamble.

Colton would never question her again.

Melany thought that once she officially became Mrs. Stevens, she would make sure Allison could never look down on her again.

.

.

.