Alfred halted in his tracks.
After a while, he instructed Leslie, âFind a hotel for her to stay.â
Leslie personally untied the ropes on Melora. When he saw that she was unharmed, he choked back his tears. âYouâre okay!â
Melora remained dazed as she looked in the direction where Alfred had left.
Her heart slowly sank.
Alfred stood by the windolearly in the morning. As Leslie put a coat on him, he said softly, âSince Miss Cookâs right hand is injured, she may have to train her left hand in the future. What plans do you have for her now?â
Alfred lit a cigarette.
After a moment, he murmured, âKeep her. Sheâs still useful.â
He wanted Caylie to be his âlover.â That way, if anyone wanted to make a move against someone close to him, she would be the first person to go after. To put it bluntly, she would be his filter against people who wanted to harm the people he loved.
And she wouldnât be able to refuse him.
Leslie fell silent.
Alfred turned his head and smiled bitterly. âWhy are you so shocked? This is who Iâve always been. The others always say that Iâm ruthless and cunning, no:
However, even a ruthless person like him had a soft spol.
And now, he was going to see her.
Meanwhile, several bodyguards were on duty outside a suite of the best hotel in Coldbridge.
Inside the suite, Melora held a box of food and ate tearfully.
Before meeting Alfred, she rarely cried. Even when she said she had taken sleeping pills when dating Robert, it was just to scare him. At that time, she had thought her infatuation with Robert was love.
But now that she had truly experienced love, she realized how superficial she had been.
Melora couldnât finish her food. The more she ate, the more she felt like throwing up.
Later on, she felt so nauseous that she was unable to bear even the slightest scent of food. She began vomiting in the bathroom.
This was unusual because she usually had a good appetite.
Melora rubbed her belly, feeling lost..
She remembered that Alfred didnât take precautions when they had sex for the last time over a month ago.
Am I pregnant?
Melora raised her face and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her complexion was deathly pale.
She rushed out of the toilet immediately because she wanted to buy a pregnancy test kit. She wanted to know if she was truly carrying Alfredâs child. If she really was pregnant, she wanted to ask him if he wanted the baby.
The bodyguard at the door stopped her and said politely, âMiss Melora, Leslie has instructed us not to let you go out.â
Meloraâs lips trembled. âI donât feel well. I just want to go downstairs and buy medicine.â
The bodyguard hesitated.
In the end, they allowed her to go downstairs with two people assigned to follow her.
There was a twenty-four-hour pharmacy just across the street from the hotel. After buying it and keeping it in her pocket, she hastily returned to her room.
A minute later, two red lines appeared on a pregnancy test kit.
Melora stared at it blankly for a long time. When she realized what she was seeing, she covered her mouth.
She was pregnant.
She was carrying Alfredâs child.
All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door followed by faint footsteps. Melora recognized it as Alfredâs footsteps.
Gently touching her belly, she slowly walked out.
They had just been apart for two hours, yet they felt somewhat distant from each other.
Meloraâs lips trembled. She wanted to tell him that she was pregnant, but he spoke first.
After sitting down on the couch, Alfred stroked the armrest lightly with his slender fingers and deliberated for a while before he spoke. âMelora, youâve seen how dangerous it is to be by my side.â
Melora stared at him defiantly. She wanted to tell him that she wasnât afraid.
As if reading her thoughts, Alfred looked at her with an amused smile. Then, he asked calmly, âBut what can you do for me if you continue to stay by my side? Can you shed blood for me like Caylie? I need someone like her by my side, not a little crybaby like you, Melora.â
âDo you like her?â Melora mumbled.
âI admire her!â Alfred patted the crease of his pants. âShe lost her right arm and I did that to her.â
You should be scared. You should return to Barnwood immediately.
Melora didnât understand what he meant.
Smiling. Alfred said bluntly and cruelly, âI admire women like her! You are adorable, Melora, but youâre only suitable for passing the time when everything is peaceful. I am not destined to live in peaceful times, do you understand?â
He added viciously, âYou will never understand any of this!â
Melora was dazed by Alfredâs words.
At that instant, it dawned on her that Alfred did like her but just not enough for him to give up what he currently had. His love for power and money was far stronger, so she wasnât a good match for him..
Is Miss Cook a good match for him, then?
Melora didnât ask the question despite wanting to. Slowly, she lowered her eyes.
He was a man of great ambition, and he had made it so clear to her. Would it matter if she tried to tie him down with a child?
The dim lighting cast a hazy glow on their final silhouettes together.
In the end, Melora didnât tell Alfred about her pregnancy.
She merely looked up and said softly, âThen I wish you a bright future, Mr. Lodge.â When Alfred gazed at her, she turned away.
âLeave quickly! Otherwise, I canât guarantee that I wonât pester you.â
Alfred slowly stood up.
He hesitated for a moment, thinking if he should give her a pat on the head, but he gave up in the end. It wasnât until he was holding the door handle at the entrance that he said in a low voice, âMelora, Iâm sorry!â
He apologized for not being fully emotionally prepared for this encounter and for the absence of a happy ending between them.
His little girl would eventually meet a good man again, while a person like him was only fit to live in the realm of power.
Alfred left.
After hearing the sound of the door being opened and closed gently, Melora slid down onto the soft carpet and began to cry silently.
After that, she returned to Barnwood, but she didnât dare to go home.
Instead, she went to the house at Broadway Alley and lay lifelessly in there every day, surviving on whatever little food that was left in the refrigerator.
Since she didnât know how to cook, she simply boiled food in water.
Every night, she would wake up in fright because she would dream that her Mr. Alfred had come back. He would gently carry her to bed and pat her bottom while scolding her for not being obedient.
When she woke up, there would be tears at the corners of her eyes.
But he never came back for her.
When she finally got over him, it was already two months later. Her baby bump had started showing. which made her even more afraid to go home.
She didnât dare to let her family know she was pregnant, let alone that it was Alfredâs child in her belly. She hid here and there with no credit card or money and began wearing simple clothes.
She moved into a rental apartment of just over twenty square meters, learned to do odd jobs, and earned a meager wage to support herself. She even learned how to make simple scrambled eggs.
Eventually, she had to count every money she spent. Even a cup of milk tea would seem too expensive to her.
Occasionally, she would see Alfred in the news.
He was as confident as ever, and she could tell that his clothes were very expensive. When she looked at her own shirt which cost twenty-nine, she felt that they were now living in two completely different worlds.
Her time with Alfred was just like a dream.
After Melora left, Alfred developed a bad habit of checking his phone frequently.
However, there was not a single word from her.
He didnât even receive any messages from her on special occasions or holidays.
Alfred would drop by the Miller residence occasionally, but Melora wasnât there, and it wasnât appropriate for him to ask her whereabouts as an elder.
He had asked Leslie about it and was told that she had gone away for a retreat.
At home. Lucia would sometimes bring him burritos seasoned with pepper at night. Although he didnât like it, he would eat everything as if he were eating Meloraâs share.
He went back to being the respected Mr. Lodge as he used to be, but his heart was no longer whole.
He began to enjoy spending time with Eras and his friends, including Ingrid because these people remembered Melora and would ask about her during their gatherings.
Every time they asked about her, Alfred would just smile and say, âSheâs just a kid. She might be off to see, the Northern lights with her friends now. She must have forgotten about me completely!â
His friends would all agree with him, which would make him smile more warmly and confidently.
Only afterward did he know what it meant to feel heartbroken.
Spring had passed. Soon, it was autumn.
Ingrid was getting married. When her fans organized an exhibition for her, Alfred attended it to show his support.
Ingrid and her fiancé walked alongside Alfred. As they discussed some current affairs, Ingrid couldnât help but feel that Alfred was distracted.
She was about to ask him about it jokingly when she spotted a tall figure that vaguely resembled someone from behind in the distance.
Ingrid quickly stopped Alfred and asked, âMr. Lodge, do you see her? Isnât that Melora?â
Melora...
Alfredâs heart twitched.
He followed the direction that Ingrid was pointing at and saw a woman. Her silhouette did resemble Melora, but she was dressed plainly and seemed to be six months pregnant. How could she be his Melora?
At the moment, the woman was carrying a large stack of documents that seemed to weigh a lot.
Seeing that she was struggling to climb the stairs, Alfred asked Leslie, âDonât they have an elevator here?â
Leslie replied, âThe elevator is for guests. The workers have to avoid using it usually.â
Alfred nodded.
However, when he saw the woman just now, he couldnât help but think of Melora. He wondered where she was now and, in the end, couldnât resist calling her.
A phone rang abruptly on the second floor of the theater. When the woman carrying the stack of documents heard it, she dropped everything onto the floor.
The workers nearby cursed simultaneously.
Melora apologized softly and quickly hid in the restroom to answer the call. Alfred asked, âAre you having fun?â
She covered her mouth tightly as she slowly slid down. She nodded vigorously and replied, âYes, Iâm having a great time!â
Alfred remained silent for a while before saying, âThatâs good! This means that our breakup is the right decision.â
Melora closed her eyes and let out a soft hum of agreement.
Melora waited for Alfred to hang up the phone. Then, her phone slipped from her hand. She cried alone. in the restroom for a long time. Alfred, on the other hand, went to the adjacent restroom and quietly washed his hands.
They were just a wall apart.
Whenever Melora thought of the past, she felt as if her heart was being poked with needles.
Even though she had returned to the Miller residence, the hardships she had endured often resurfaced in her dreams.
On the way back to the Miller residence, Melora remained quiet and didnât utter a word.
Leslie wanted to say something but didnât know what to say.
The car finally stopped at the Miller residence entrance. The Miller family members all rushed out to greet Melora the moment they saw her.
Little Berthold rushed over and called her âMommyâ in a soft voice.
His fair skin and brown-colored short hair made him resemble Alfred a lot. Melora hugged her son with all her strength.
Henry, who was holding Crystal, patted Meloraâs shoulder gently. âDonât cry, Melora. Iâll take care of you.â