Chapter 6

The day before she left the country, Melanie visited a cathedral, tucked beneath towering trees. Ever since the miscarriage, she had been haunted by the same dream. Every night, a bloodied infant would cry out to her in agony. As such, she had reached out to a well-known priest to perform a ritual. But the moment she stepped onto the cathedral grounds, she saw a tall man praying in the center of the sanctuary. She would've recognized that back anywhere. Nearby, someone whispered, "Did you hear? Mr. Fuller's girlfriend is terminally ill. He trekked all the way here just to pray for her." "The final stretch was steep. He nearly fell off the cliff and almost didn't make it back!" Melanie stopped short at the sound of their hushed voices. Zachary's arm was wrapped in gauze, but blood still seeped through. She remembered him being a man of no faith. He never set foot in places like this, and his home was devoid of anything spiritual. Zachary once won a prayer charm from a cathedral in Kiora during a company event. At the time, he'd handed it to Kevin without a second thought. Even when Melanie wanted to light a candle in memory of her mother, he had simply stubbed out his cigarette and said flatly, "The dead won't come back. Doing things like this is just for the living to feel better." Yet, here he was, praying in a cathedral. He looked so devout that he almost seemed desperate. A bitter smile tugged at Melanie's lips. The irony stung like a harsh slap. As it turned out, Zachary wasn't faithless. He just never had someone worth praying for. … By the time Melanie left the cathedral, dusk had fallen. A chilly breeze swept through the valley, and she pulled her coat tighter around her. She had just set foot on the stone steps when a shadow leapt out of the trees. The figure moved too fast. Melanie didn't even have time to scream before a hand clamped over her mouth. Then, everything went dark. When she came to, she was slumped against a tree. Nearby, a group of paramedics rushed toward the cliff with a stretcher. "Hurry! The victim's down there!" Melanie braced her hands against the ground and staggered to her feet. Before she could even process what was happening, a tall figure strode toward her, the cold wind seeming to follow in his wake. "Melanie Lloyd, I thought you were just blowing off steam when you cursed Yasmin. I can't believe you actually pushed her off a cliff!" Zachary snarled, his fingers closing hard around her throat as he slammed her against a tree. He added, "You're lucky she survived. She hit a rock on the way down. If she hadn't, I'd have buried you with her!" Melanie's breath caught in her throat. But one look at his accusing gaze, and she understood everything. "I-I didn't…" She managed to choke out the words. Zachary's voice was icy as he snapped, "You're still denying it, huh? You and Yasmin were the only ones here, and now she's at the bottom of the cliff. Do you really expect me to believe that it's a mere coincidence?" Melanie clawed at his hand, struggling to breathe. Just as her vision began to blur, Kevin came running, breathless. "Mr. Fuller, they pulled her up!" In an instant, Zachary released his grip and rushed toward Yasmin. Melanie, on the other hand, doubled over in a fit of coughs. Through her tears, she saw Yasmin on the stretcher, clutching Zachary's sleeve. Her face was stricken with fear, and she whimpered, "Zachary, I'm scared…" Zachary held her hand tightly. "I'm here. No one's going to hurt you," he reassured her in a low voice. After he helped Yasmin into the ambulance, he turned to speak to Kevin. Seconds later, Kevin marched over to Melanie, seized her wrist, and said, "Apologies, Ms. Melanie." Before she could respond, he dragged her to the cliff's edge and shoved her off. A sickening weightlessness seized Melanie. Then, she slammed into the rocks, pain splintering through her bones. Kevin stood at the edge, his voice icy as he stated, "Mr. Fuller says you've crossed a line. This is your punishment, so you can experience what Ms. Yasmin did." With that, his footsteps faded into the distance. Now, Melanie was all alone. Agonizing pain racked her whole body. Still, she gritted her teeth and tried to climb up. But every time, she never made it far. Eventually, she curled up between the freezing rocks as despair crashed over her like a tidal wave. She wanted to confront Zachary. Yasmin barely had any time left, so why would Melanie want to hurt her? Right then, a chill settled in Melanie's chest. Deep down, she had always known the truth. In Zachary's eyes, she would never measure up to Yasmin, and he would never believe her. … There was no signal in the mountains, and Melanie knew she couldn't afford to stay still any longer. So, she forced herself to her feet. She then dug her nails into the cracks between the rocks. Her palms were scraped open and bleeding. She kept stumbling and falling, only to drag herself upward each time. Melanie climbed and tripped, over and over again, until her body was raw and slick with blood. At last, she made it up. But by then, the cable cars had stopped running. With no other way down, she staggered along the mountain path, bruised and battered. By the time she got home, the sky was already beginning to lighten. She barely managed to clean her wounds before curling up in bed and passing out. Half asleep, Melanie heard the door burst open. A beat later, someone yanked her from the bed and hurled her onto the freezing floor.