Until the Melody Fades

"Why won't you let us out?"

In spite of Evan's chilly rage, the staff at the lake kept a firm attitude.

"Sorry sir, but since it's peak travel season, no vehicle is allowed to enter or exit without a registered reservation!"

Evan's face grew even darker, his patience thinning to a terrifying degree. But then, Jane noticed my car, and her eyes lit up as she hurried over.

"Sorry to bother you again!" She tapped gently on my window, her expression apologetic. "Evan's mother arranged this trip for us at the last minute, so we left in such a rush that we forgot to reserve transportation, and we can't get out now!

"Your car seems like it's been registered, so could you please help us out here?"

My heart sank, drowning in the cold waters.

Earlier, when Evan had called my name, I actually felt a sense of relief and happiness. I thought, for a split second, that he'd done it for my sake, for more or for less.

But in the end, he was just following what his mother arranged for him. I was the only one who remembered our 999-day promise. He just so happened to be passing by.

Gripping onto the steering wheel, my gaze met Evan's nearby.

Jane continued, "Our hotel's just close by, it's called Hotel Santiago! Could you please help us?"

Hotel Santiago was the exact hotel I was staying at.

In a daze, I heard myself say, "Yeah, sure."

With a grateful smile, Jane slipped into the passenger seat and waved towards Evan. "Come on, get in!"

Evan walked over and instinctively reached for the front passenger door, the seat he had sat in for almost two years. But just as his hand was about to touch the door handle, he abruptly turned and slipped into the back as well, squeezing in beside Jane.

The entire way there, the car was filled with dead silence. It was so awkward that I regretted agreeing to help, but Evan's voice suddenly drifted from behind me when he saw the medicine bottle I kept in the car. "What's that?"

Those were my strongest painkillers, but I couldn't let him know that.

"Vitamins," I lied quickly.

Evan sneered. "You sure know how to take care of yourself, huh?"

Jane shot him a reproachful look, a pout on her face. "Evan, why are you always so mean to her? You need to be more gentle toward girls, you know?"

She yawned mid-sentence, and Evan naturally reached out to press her head onto his shoulder, his movements practiced and gentle. "Get some rest."

Jane blushed. "Hey, we're not alone."

My vision blurred for a moment.

Back when we were still together, he used to come help me every night, skewering meat, cleaning tables, and working until late.

Once, I was so tired that I squatted by the door, unable to stand. Back then, he sat down beside me and teased me for looking like a mess, hair matted with grease and smoke.

Then, he pressed my head gently against his shoulder, and we looked at the empty road outside. Suddenly, he turned towards me, his eyes filled with nothing but my reflection.

"Wait for me, Melody. I promise I'll marry you."

But now, he was someone else's fiancé.

A crushing pain surged through my chest, wave after wave, and I couldn't tell if it was the pain from my sickness, or if it was from my broken heart.

When we finally reached the hotel, I could barely breathe. I'd just gotten out of the car when his voice hit me like a cold splash of water. "Miss Quinn, why are you still following us? Haven't we already paid you?"

I was in so much pain that the simple act of drawing air into my lungs made me shudder, and the hotel receptionist came and took my luggage for me. "Welcome to Hotel Santiago, Miss Quinn. Your room is ready for check-in."

Only then did Evan realize his mistake.

Embarrassed, he rubbed his nose and turned away, letting me continue checking in.

That night, I lay in bed, my body racked with pain so intense that my vision blurred, and I felt like I was on death's door.

Suddenly, I heard pounding on my door, over and over, urgent and unrelenting.

God, couldn't a woman die in peace?

Furious, I struggled to my feet, staggered to the door, and yanked it open.

Who else was outside but Evan?