She could feel it—deep down, she knew she meant something to him.

But then, that look on his face… Melanie could never forget it.

It was cold, colder than she'd ever seen, with a hint of disgust she never expected from him.

He said, "The only reason I took you in was because of the bond between our parents. I treated you well out of pity, nothing more."

"I've never felt anything for you beyond what a brother feels for his sister."

His words were sharp, final, and completely emotionless. Just like that, her last bit of hope crumbled.

She barely remembered how she made it to the company. She walked to the office soaked from the rain, her head pounding, her body weak. In the middle of a meeting, she fainted.

That night, her fever spiked past 39 degrees. She lay alone on a hospital bed, her ears ringing and her vision blurred by darkness.

The noise around her was overwhelming, but one thing was painfully clear: Edwin wasn't there.

It wasn't until a nurse came in and noticed how bad Melanie's fever was that she finally got some meds injected into her.

When she woke up the next morning, her body felt drenched like she'd been boiling in her own skin.

Being sick makes you weak. It makes you crave care—any kind of care.

After hesitating for a long time, she picked up her phone and called Edwin.

"Ed… can you bring me some clothes? Please?"

She hoped he'd come like he used to. But the voice on the other end wasn't his.

It was Maurice.

The clothes? Maurice brought them over. Edwin never showed up.

Maurice smiled warmly. "Edwin's been so busy with work lately. If you need anything, just let me know. I'm your sister-in-law now, you know."

When Melanie was discharged, it wasn't Edwin who came to get her. He sent a driver.

Standing at the hospital's entrance, she looked around. Strangers rushed past and cars whizzed by, but the one person she longed to see wasn't there.

Back at the villa, the emptiness felt suffocating. She sat in the living room all night, waiting.

He didn't come home.

Even now, part of her refused to believe he could be so heartless.

But today, staring at the luggage by the door and the woman walking in like she owned the place, Melanie finally pieced everything together.

The courage she'd held onto for so long was gone, washed away by the rain.

She didn't want to love Edwin anymore.

A sudden knock at the door startled her, making her drop the photo frame in her hands. It hit the floor with a sharp crack, the glass shattering over the picture, blurring the faces in it.

Maurice stood at the door, looking apologetic. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Edwin asked me to bring my stuff to his room. This is his room, right?"

Melanie's heart ached, but she forced herself to smile. "Oh, it's fine. I—I'm just finishing up packing. Sorry to keep you waiting."

This used to be Edwin's room. But because she loved the ocean view and the way the sunlight streamed in the room, he'd let her have it.

Now, it was going back to him.

Maurice nodded. "Take your time. I'll run to the store for some essentials. When Edwin gets back, we can all have dinner together."

She set the suitcase down inside and left.

But as she turned, Melanie noticed something hanging from the suitcase. It was a photo keychain—a picture of Maurice and Edwin, smiling and close in front of Melanie.

Once upon a time, Edwin hated taking pictures. The only photo he and Melanie had ever taken together was one she'd begged him for.

Melanie stared at the photo on the floor, tears slipping down her face again.

She bent down to pick it up, not even noticing when tiny shards of glass pierced through her fingers.

In the picture, she was smiling brightly, leaning slightly toward Edwin. But he? He looked so distant like he didn't even want to be there.

It was nothing like the photo of him and Maurice on that keychain.

That's when she finally got it: love and indifference—they'd always been clear. She was just too stupid to see it.

This villa had been her home for eight years. Every corner of it was filled with her things. But so much of it—too much—had been gifts from Edwin.

She decided she didn't need to keep any of it.

Piece by piece, she packed everything he'd given her into boxes. It took a few trips to carry it all down to the storage room.

When she was done, all she had left was one suitcase.

As she stepped out of the house, she ran right into Edwin.

He glanced at the suitcase she was pulling, his brows furrowing slightly, but he didn't say a word.

Her heart ached as he brushed past her without a word. It felt like swallowing a thousand needles, but she still forced herself to speak.

"Ed, my department's really busy this week. I'm going to stay at the company for a few days."

She'd taken on some freelance projects recently. Once she finished them, she'd finally have enough money to pay him back. Between that and her savings from college, she could finally clear her debt to him.

Then she could leave for good.

He paused for a second, but his tone stayed cold. "Do what you want."

And just like that, he walked back inside. No other words. No attempt to stop her.

Her eyes stung as she dragged her suitcase out the door.

She couldn't help but think back to when he first brought her here. He'd told her this was her home. He'd told her that he'd always be there for her.

When her parents abandoned her, Edwin was the one who pieced her heart back together.

No matter how busy he was, he'd come home every night to eat with her. On weekends, he'd take her hiking or camping. He even introduced her to his friends.

"This is my baby," he'd say with a grin. "She's going to be a big designer one day!"

Eight years of warmth and promises… gone, just like that.

She pulled her suitcase to the gate and was about to call for a ride when a delivery guy in a Southern Roots Kitchen uniform walked up to her, holding a fancy food container.

It was from her favorite restaurant.

"Hi, are you Miss Henley? This is your order," he said.

She blinked, confused. "I didn't order anything."

The delivery guy showed her the receipt. "The number ends in 3981. Isn't that yours? The address matches here, too."

That number—it was Edwin's.

The delivery guy looked at her, a bit impatient. "I tried calling the number earlier, but no one answered. Are you Miss Henley?"

After a moment, she nodded quietly and signed for the food. She took the container and set her suitcase aside.

She figured she'd give it to the maid. It wasn't hers, anyway. A glance at the receipt told her everything—these were all dishes Maurice liked.

As she walked back to the door, she saw Edwin heading her way, phone in hand, talking to someone.

When he spotted her, his steps faltered for a second before he said into the phone, "Got it. I'll be there soon.

When he hung up, he looked at her with the same calm, distant expression as always. "Did you book the ride?"

Her chest tightened, but she forced herself to nod.

She only had 30 bucks left. If she was careful, it might last 10 days, but there was no way she could afford a cab.

Still, she nodded, not wanting him to worry.

"Cancel it," Edwin said suddenly.

She looked up in confusion.

Without looking at her, he explained in a firm, cold voice, "I'm leaving for a two-day business trip. Maurice doesn't like being alone, so stay here for a few more days and keep her company. When I'm back, we'll talk. Take any car from the garage to get to work."

Her heart sank, but she didn't argue—just moved to the smallest room at the end of the hallway.

The room didn't have the spacious floor-to-ceiling windows she was used to—just two tiny ones that barely gave her a glimpse of the ocean.

Even though no one had roomed there for a while, it was spotless. The bedding had been freshly replaced, but she didn't bother unpacking.

She spread her suitcase on the floor, grabbed a few essentials, and left the rest untouched. She wanted to be ready to leave at any moment.

That night dragged on forever, but eventually, morning came.

Melanie got up early, went downstairs, and started helping prepare breakfast.

She noticed the time and realized it was almost time for work, but Maurice still hadn't come down. When she asked about it, one of the maids casually mentioned, "Miss Maurice went with Sir Edwin on his trip."

Edwin had always been strict about keeping work and personal life separate.

When Melanie wanted to join the game development department at Setchfield Square, she had to go through the proper hiring process and assessments like everyone else.

But now, he'd taken Maurice on a business trip?

Melanie couldn't explain how she felt. The breakfast on her plate might as well have been cardboard. All she knew was that she was about to be late.

At the office, her colleague Crista Joyce was the first to greet her.

When Crista heard that Melanie was planning to resign, the former gasped in shock. "Wait, what? Are you serious? But President Setchfield already approved your project proposal! They're going to announce your promotion any day now!"

On Melanie's first day, the department head asked everyone to submit a proposal along with a project plan.

Since she was new, she wasn't required to participate. But then, the department head casually asked if she had any ideas.

Back then, her reason for joining Edwin's company wasn't just because of him—it was because this company was the perfect place to bring her ideas to life.

She took the chance when the department head asked her; she brought up an old game concept she'd worked on before.

But she'd barely gotten through half her presentation before she fainted from a fever and ended up missing work for days. She had no idea anyone had paid attention to her pitch.

Back then, she'd shown it to Edwin once. He hadn't been impressed, dismissing it as "too risky." Businesses value profit, and just a few words doomed her concept to have no future.

"Melanie," Crista said earnestly, "you can't leave! You're so talented, and President Setchfield clearly values your work. Girl, how could you throw this chance away?"

Melanie forced a smile. "Well, nothing's really me keeping me here. I've been in Oklahoma for too long. I mean, it's time to move on and see the world."

She used to think she could stay in Oklahoma forever, even with all its painful memories—as long as Edwin was here.

But now, there was nothing left but the pain.

If leaving would make things easier for him, she'd go.

She'd been a burden to him for too long.

Still, by the end of the morning, she couldn't bring herself to formally withdraw her project.

It wasn't just a project to her—it was her dream, her hard work, her heart and soul. She couldn't let it go so easily.