Until the Melody Fades

Jane stood behind him, looking a little embarrassed. "Sorry, Miss Quinn, but the heater in our room's broken. Can you let us use your shower, please?"

Out of instinct, I was going to refuse, but Evan sneered as if he could read my mind. "What, are you worried that we're going to dirty your room, Miss Quinn? Don't tell me you're that stingy.

"Or maybe… You've got someone hiding in there that you don't want us to see?"

Utterly baffled by his audacity, I tugged the door open as hard as I could. "Well, come in then!"

After Jane went into the shower, the two of us were left in the room. The sound of running water filled the air, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Evan stared straight at me the entire time, and the pressure of it was so much it made my scalp tingle. Just as I was about to turn around and escape to the balcony, his voice rumbled, "How much longer are you going to avoid me, Melody?"

He stepped forward to grab my hand and I, panicking that he might see the needle marks, jerked my hand away.

Evan froze mid-grab, his fingers closing on empty air. The very next second, his eyes reddened. He strode forward, pressing me hard against the wall.

"You blocked my number, deleted my contacts, and now you're avoiding me like the plague? How much longer are you going to run away from me?

"Why did you break up with me out of the blue? Was it because my project failed, and you thought I wasn't good enough for you? Or was there someone else that got your attention?

"What did I do wrong, Melody? Please, can't you tell me…?"

His voice was so raw it broke apart at the edges, and his eyes were wet, glimmering like a lake about to spill over.

My heart was about to shatter into pieces, but what could I say?

Was I supposed to tell him that I was going to die of cancer? Or that I heard his mother call me a shameless woman?

Was I supposed to say that I heard him promise his mother he'd marry someone she was satisfied with?

Well, maybe that was better. I didn't want to ruin his life any further.

I turned my face away, forcing a lie out in a brittle whisper, "There's no reason, Evan. We're just… Not right for each other."

His breath hitched and he froze, staring straight at me, before he suddenly laughed.

"Wow. Great! You're really something, Melody!"

He bit down on his words with bitterness, pulling out his phone and tapping on one of the photos of him and Jane. As quickly as he could, he tapped a caption and posted the photo on social media, before shoving his screen in my face, forcing me to read it.

[With the right person, at the right place.]

"There! You said we weren't right for each other, right? I'm with someone who's suitable now, so are you satisfied?!"

A metallic taste rushed up my throat, and my entire body was in so much pain that I could barely stay on my feet.

Something in my expression must have given me away, because the fury in his eyes faltered, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.

"Melody, are you…"