Chapter 8

The rain drenched Melody's clothes and soaked into her skin. She stared at the cuts on her palm and suddenly remembered the first time Joshua brought her home to meet his parents. Jessica had given her the gold bracelet, their family heirloom, and told her, "You are the only daughter-in-law that I'll ever acknowledge." Joshua's friends had also smiled widely at her as they said respectfully, "We'll also only acknowledge you as Josh's only future wife. We'll even call you Mrs. Gretchen in advance!" But now, Jessica was acknowledging someone else as her daughter-in-law, and Joshua's friends were also calling someone else Mrs. Gretchen. The most upsetting part was that their words told Melody that they all knew about Angel's existence even longer than she did. However, they had all collectively kept it from her and lied to her for Joshua. She had been the only clown all along. Melody sat on the ground in the middle of the road. Passersby hurried past her, but none of them offered to help her up or hold an umbrella over her head. After getting back from the rain, Melody fell very ill. She had a high fever that wouldn't go away, and she was always in a groggy, half-conscious state. "She's been having a fever for more than three days now! Why hasn't the fever gone down yet?" The doctors kept whispering and discussing among themselves, but none of them knew the reason why. The atmosphere in the room was tense and suffocating. In the end, Joshua chased everyone out of the room with a dark expression on his face. He finally sat down in the chair next to the bed and held Melody's hand. His eyes were red with concern. "Mel, please, get well as soon as you can…" However, Melody still lay unmoving in the huge bed, looking as pale as a ghost. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she didn't move a muscle. A few nights later, Melody finally woke up from her deep slumber as her fever had gradually gone away. However, she realized that she was too weak to move, and her throat was all parched and dry. She tried her best to make a sound. But just at that moment, she suddenly heard a loud banging outside her door. Then, she heard Joshua's hushed whisper against the door. "Didn't I tell you to stay out of her sight?" Angel's voice appeared next. She sounded pitiful as she said, "But my baby is missing its daddy. I even brought a surprise for you. Wanna see it?" There was the sound of clothes being taken off, followed by heavy breathing. "Why are you wearing such an outfit?" Angel just laughed sultrily, making Joshua's knees go weak. "But don't you like it?" Joshua's breathing just got louder and more ragged. Melody couldn't bear listening to them anymore. Just as she was about to bury herself deeper under the covers, her door suddenly opened wide. "It's cold doing it outside. Let's do it inside here." Melody then witnessed the entirety of Joshua's and Angel's lovemaking as she stared at the shadows and reflection in the windows, cast by the faint light in the corridor. They were at it like rabbits in the corner of her bed. The rain outside the window got louder and heavier. Melody could hear the rain pelting angrily against the glass windows. A cold gust of wind blew into the room where the windows had been left slightly ajar, turning Melody's heart equally as icy-cold as the weather outside. … After finally recovering from her fever, Melody looked even weaker than before. The sparkle in her eyes was completely gone. She pulled a thick cover over herself and leaned back on the couch, staring at the scenery outside the window as she fell into a daze. While she was as calm and cool as a cucumber, Joshua seemed as antsy and fidgety as a cat on a hot tin roof. His eyes were full of panic and worry. Melody hadn't eaten a single thing ever since she woke up. She wouldn't move no matter how he tried to coax her. He kept having the maids serve her bowl after piping hot bowls of chicken noodle soup, but Melody still remained in her usual position without even giving him a glance. Joshua was panicking, but he tried to mask his feelings by kneeling down beside her and beg. "Mel, please, eat something, okay? I know you don't have an appetite because you're ill, but you need to take care of your health. "I've been worried sick because of that fever you had. If something worse happens to you, I'm going to go insane."