Chapter 13

Melody looked up at Krystal when she heard her name. Krystal was gorgeous, but her no-fuss demeanor was even more eye-catching. Her white shirt had nary a wrinkle, and her high-waisted black pants accentuated her waistline perfectly. The way she looked at Melody was unapologetically arrogant and filled with disdain. It was a gaze that would make anyone uneasy. Her words were phrased as a question, but her tone indicated that she was not concerned about Melody's answer at all. Instead, it sounded more like she was merely notifying Melody. Melody looked at Jeremy, and their eyes happened to meet. However, his gaze barely lingered on Melody before he asked, "What has us discussing a case have anything to do with her? Why do you even need to ask for her permission?" Krystal responded casually, "Didn't Dr. Franklin say you're leaving together?" "When did I say I would go with her?" Jeremy asked. Their exchange sounded monotonous, but no one noticed how humiliating it was for Melody, the subject of their discussion. Everyone in the department more or less knew that Jeremy didn't care for his fiancée, Melody. His comments now were completely disregarding her dignity as well. Both sympathetic and entertained gazes fell on Melody. She couldn't ignore them even if she tried. However, she could only pretend not to notice. Each breath triggered an ache in her chest. Melody tried her best to control how she sounded, striving not to appear overly pitiful. "It's a doctor's job to discuss cases, so you don't have to ask me, Dr. Finnigan." Krystal raised an eyebrow before responding, "That's true. You won't understand anyway." With that, she looked at Jeremy and asked, "Shall we go?" Jeremy nodded and gathered the other doctors who had also joined in earlier. However, he hadn't made it two steps before he stopped in his tracks and turned back to look in Melody's direction. His eyes were dark, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if he wanted to say something. Melody's bright eyes stared back at him. Perhaps due to her hearing impairment, Melody's eyes were especially pretty. They were bright and clear, with not even a trace of murkiness. Jeremy stood there staring for a second before he turned to look at Harold, who was standing close. "Are you not going to join us upstairs? I remember you had a patient with meningioma before." Harold felt speechless. "I only want to get off work and go home. Oh, forget it. You young lads are truly passionate. I guess I'll join you." As he headed toward Jeremy, lightning flashed across the sky outside. It looked like it was going to start raining soon. It always rained a lot during Jembina's rainy season. Harold hadn't walked two steps before he turned back to Melody, Tiffany, and some other nurses who hadn't left yet. "Be careful on your way home. Especially you, Melody. You… You need to be extra careful." Because of her hearing problems, those in her department often looked out for her. Harold, in particular, was like an always-concerned parental figure. Even Harold knew it wouldn't be convenient for Melody to go home in such weather, but Jeremy remained oblivious. By the time Melody looked up again, Jeremy had already strode off without saying anything else to her. Tiffany glanced at Melody and said tentatively, "Dr. Chesson is a notorious workaholic. Melody, you…" Melody knew Tiffany wanted to comfort her and tell her not to take Jeremy's behavior to heart. Melody nodded and used the same gentle tone she had used multiple times before to excuse Jeremy's behavior. "I know. Dr. Franklin and the rest of them are heading back to discuss the case, so it looks like it's quite a complicated one. They're going to have to work hard." Tiffany felt bad for Melody. Even as an outsider, Tiffany felt uncomfortable after hearing what Jeremy and Krystal had said earlier, so she could only imagine how Melody felt. Melody's lashes trembled, and she said softly, "Besides, they're right. I'm just a nurse, so I can't do what doctors do. It'll be good enough that I don't add to their troubles." … The wind and rain were fierce on Melody's way back. By the time she got home, she was nearly soaked through. After she washed up and tidied around, she went to her closet and retrieved a box. It contained all the presents Cheryl and Jeremy had gifted her up until she was 18 years old. Then, the presents stopped coming. That year, Cheryl passed away, and Jeremy didn't remember her birthday. All the beautiful memories abruptly ended when Melody was 18. … As expected, Jeremy didn't return home that night. However, when Melody was about to get lunch the next day during her lunch break, Jeremy walked over. He tapped his fingers on the reception desk and said, "Come with me."