Chapter 155: Chapter 155: I Don’t Know Him
The maid Lily’s smile finally gave Melody Donovan a sliver of comfort. ’So there is someone who still cares about me.’
"Do we have guests?" Melody Donovan asked, pointing at the shoes in the entryway.
Lily smiled shyly. "It’s Julian Jennings. He comes to see Mr. and Mrs. Donovan almost every week."
’Julian Jennings? He comes every week? It seems I really haven’t been home in a long time, because I had no idea he was visiting.’ Thinking of Julian, she had rarely seen him since they graduated from university.
They had been childhood playmates, and Julian had always been by her side like an older brother, protecting her. She had even relied on him for a time. That is, until she met Dominic Thorne in university. Then, she started to find Julian annoying and even refused to spend time with him.
Later, Julian actually confessed his feelings for her, but she only ever saw him as a brother. She’d never imagined he could like her that way, so she naturally rejected him. After that, their paths rarely crossed. They wouldn’t even greet each other if they ran into one another.
She couldn’t for the life of her figure out why Julian would keep visiting her family’s home.
In the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Donovan were sitting on the sofa, smiling softly. Julian sat beside them, appearing to be telling some kind of joke.
"Melody, Mommy missed you to death!" Seeing Melody, Mrs. Donovan rushed over and hugged her tightly. Her daughter had barely come home since graduating. Although she said she wasn’t too concerned, in her heart, she was very worried.
Melody wrapped her arms around her mother, her face full of happiness. "Mommy, I missed you too. And Daddy, of course."
Mr. Donovan, sitting not far away, smiled in gratification.
"Then you should come see us more often! Leaving the two of us old folks here, we’re about to get moldy. It’s a good thing Julian comes to see us every week." Mrs. Donovan complained lightly, and only then did Melody notice Julian sitting to the side.
He had become much more elegant and mature, so composed he no longer resembled the rash young man from back then.
"Melody, have you been well?" Julian acted with poise, showing no awkwardness over the rejection of his confession back then. They had all grown up and matured.
Melody sat down across from Julian and pushed a stray strand of hair from her face behind her ear. ’To think he’d see me in such a sorry state.’ "I’m fine. What about you? It’s been almost seven years since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it?" Melody tried her best to hide the pain in her heart. They had grown up together; it went without saying that Julian knew her extremely well.
"I’m the same as always. Even though I don’t like working in the business world, my family insisted I go into commerce. Things are on the right track now, I suppose. The company is running pretty well."
Feeling a little uncomfortable being stared at, Melody turned to look for her parents, only to find they had already left the living room and were nowhere in sight.
"Are you looking for your parents? They went upstairs just now." Seeing her distraction, Julian prompted her. "Melody, what on earth happened to you? Why are you so out of it? And you, who always pursues perfection, how could you not even notice your makeup is smudged?"
Melody froze, then gave an awkward laugh and wiped the corner of her eye. She had put on heavy makeup, and combined with the tears she’d shed earlier, it had started to run.
"It’s nothing. It was raining earlier." Melody lowered her head and smiled, not wanting him to see through her.
"Nonsense, it wasn’t raining at all!" At some point, Julian had moved to stand in front of Melody. He reached out and wiped away her smudged makeup.
Melody raised a hand to block his and stood up. "Maybe it was..."
"Maybe it was what? Is he not treating you well?" Julian pressed on relentlessly, closing in on Melody almost hysterically.
Melody slowly raised her head and looked at him, now just inches away. "’He’? Who are you referring to?"
"Are you still trying to hide it from me? All our classmates know you got together with Dominic Thorne after graduation."
Melody gave a bitter smile. ’How could that be? When we graduated, Dominic Thorne didn’t even know I existed, let alone that a girl had liked him for four whole years. Everyone’s wishful thinking was nice, but how could things possibly go as smoothly as they all hoped? It was nothing more than a fantasy.’
Melody was silent for a long time before she finally spoke, her voice distant. "Dominic Thorne? I don’t remember knowing anyone by that name. That’s ancient history, from who knows how many years ago. Why bring it up now? It’s not like I’m just standing still."
As if he’d just heard the best news of his life, Julian grabbed Melody’s shoulders and pulled her into his arms.
"If that’s the case, then that’s wonderful. I always thought you two were together, so I didn’t want to disturb your happiness. You’re right. We shouldn’t stand still. We should look forward, Melody."
In his arms, Melody felt like she was clutching a lifeline. She grabbed his sleeve and bit her lip. ’It’s true what they say, a heartbroken woman is the easiest to move.’ Her tightly shut heart felt as if it had been pried open. ’There’s more than just Dominic Thorne in the world. It’s not like he’s the only one for me.’
’That’s right. Anyone could do. As long as she was willing to spend the time getting to know someone, getting close to someone, maybe she would find that person to be much better than Dominic Thorne.’
Melody fiercely wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. ’Why am I still crying for that man?’
"Julian, let’s be together." ’Yes, maybe she would find true love. Maybe she just wanted a man who would dote on her. Maybe there was a light at the end of the tunnel after all. But all of this was just a "maybe."’
’Or maybe, in the end, the first one is still the best. But she was sick and tired of that feeling of wanting something she could never have.’
’Once you’ve decided to start exploring a new landscape, you can’t keep looking back at the old one.’
Julian tightened his arms around her. He had finally heard the words he had wanted to hear since they were children. Thankfully, it wasn’t too late. "Okay. I’ve always been right here waiting for you, waiting for you to turn around. It seems my wait wasn’t in vain." Julian’s heart was filled with relief and satisfaction as he held Melody.
Melody, however, was filled with a storm of conflicting emotions. ’Am I just using Julian? Will this end up hurting him?’
「Bell Residence」
Ever since bringing Summer Lancaster back, Caleb Bell hadn’t been to the office, instead devoting all his time to caring for her. Although his grandmother said Summer’s symptoms weren’t severe and that the one who cast the hex wasn’t some powerful master, they had simply seized on the rift in Summer’s heart. The hex had magnified the things she cared about, causing her to feel overwhelming sadness and shut herself away.
Now, Summer Lancaster had fully recovered. She would chat with Caleb Bell from time to time, but she was never willing to talk about what had happened during that period, and she absolutely refused to mention Kenneth Yates.
Since her hex was broken, it meant she would have to go back to Kenneth Yates. But this time, he wouldn’t just hand Summer back over to that demon. He had deliberately delayed telling Kenneth about Summer’s recovery because he didn’t want him to come see her.
Summer, for her part, had no intention of seeing Kenneth Yates either.
When Summer Lancaster woke up, she wasn’t particularly surprised to find herself in the Bell Family’s home. She had known for a long time that Caleb Bell’s grandmother was a Wizard—she had even met her a few times during university. Considering her missing memories from the past few days, she figured she must have been brought here after someone placed a hex on her.
’But it’s so strange. Normally, Kenneth Yates is the one most concerned about her being too close to Caleb Bell, yet now he’s pushed her over to Caleb’s side. Didn’t he want to go to the trouble of finding a Wizard for her?’
She had no way of knowing, but it didn’t matter anymore. She still remembered, right before she was hypnotized, Asher whispering in her ear about how she had been deceiving herself...
"Summer, time to eat!" The door was gently pushed open, and Caleb Bell walked to the bedside carrying a white bowl.
Summer Lancaster sat up and nodded with a smile.
"Summer, I made this myself. Have a taste?" Caleb Bell’s eyes were full of hope. It was actually his first time cooking, and he had no idea if it was any good, but it at least looked presentable.
Summer picked up the spoon and took a bite. It was bland, tasteless congee. While not exactly delicious, it was edible. ’Caleb must have just followed the basic look of congee. He probably has no idea you’re supposed to add seasonings to it.’
"How is it?" Caleb Bell sat on the edge of the bed, eagerly asking for her opinion.
"It’s not bad. For a first try, this is very good." For some reason, she was reminded of Kenneth Yates. He had made her congee once, too, but it had been a complete culinary disaster. Still, she had eaten it all.
Caleb Bell took the bowl from Summer’s hands and started to feed her.
Summer looked slightly awkward. Their relationship was just that of ordinary friends; an act like this was crossing a line. She wasn’t used to it. She already felt bad enough for staying here all this time.
"It’s okay, I can do it myself."
Caleb seemed to sense the awkwardness hanging in the air as well and had no choice but to place the bowl back in Summer’s hands.
"Caleb, don’t you have to work? You seem to have been at home these past few days." Unable to think of another topic to ease the awkwardness, Summer brought up his job.
"No matter how much work there is, I have to take care of you. Because you’re important."
Summer froze, unsure how to respond. Caleb quickly added, "My grandmother said you’re at a point where you need someone to look after you."
Only then did Summer’s smile return. She didn’t know how to face the sincere emotions of Caleb Bell. In her mind, they were just friends, and that’s all they could ever be.
"Oh, right, Summer. Next week my grandmother is going back to Anglora, and I’m going back too to handle some things. Would you be willing to go with us? Grandmother says your condition still needs to be observed for a while." As he spoke, Caleb’s hands trembled. He was hoping for a "yes." ’If she’s willing, I’ll never let her go back to Ayers Group and run into that man who hurt her.’
"I don’t think I’ll go. I’m fine now. I’m sorry to have troubled you all this time. I can go back to work in a few days. When you get back from Anglora, I’ll treat you to a meal to thank you, how does that sound?"
The light in Caleb Bell’s eyes dimmed, his expression not entirely friendly. ’Why, even now, is she still unwilling to rely on me? Why do women have to be so strong?’
"Summer, can you tell me what really happened between you and Kenneth Yates?"
