Aria parted her lips to retort but was stunned speechless by Melanie's next move. Melanie burst into sobs, appearing genuinely heartbroken. Aria's heart skipped a beat.
From a distance, Vivienne's anxious voice called out, "Melanie? Why are you crying?"
Melanie wiped her tears as she hurried towards Vivienne, repeating verbatim what had just transpired.
Vivienne's expression soured. Glancing at Aria, she understood the sensitivity due to recent events but couldn't ignore the unpleasant implications of her words. "Melanie, go upstairs and take a rest first."
Melanie nodded obediently and ascended the stairs. Sometimes, it was unnecessary to spell things out; planting a seed of discontent was enough.
Forcing a smile, Vivienne addressed Aria, "Aria, you should rest too." Vivienne believed they had done everything they could for Aria's family, going beyond their duty, but breaking the law was a line they couldn't cross. Morality mattered.
The victims deserved justice, and perpetrators couldn't evade punishment.
Back in her room, Melanie fetched her phone and scrolled to Asher's contact. Staring at the number she knew by heart. Once upon a time, she held feelings for Asher, yet never confessed nor revealed her true emotions. She should have been more assertive. How else would Asher know she loved him?
Recalling this, Melanie gritted her teeth, wishing she could scold her former self. How could she have trusted Aria so blindly?
Besides hating Aria and Ethan, she despised her own naivety more.
Asher had been a school sensation in high school, a bright and gentle lad with good upbringing and a comfortable background. His admirers would have formed a queue circling the school. When his family hit a rough patch during his senior year, causing him to miss over a month of school, he returned changed, colder despite retaining his ethereal charm.
Melanie, then a freshman, had admired him from afar, cherishing him like an unattainable love. Discovering Asher tutoring to earn money, she inferred his financial strain. Reflecting on it, she was glad she hadn't simply handed him money. Instead, she hired him as her tutor, a decision that proved she had some wisdom.
Asher tutored her for nearly two months until June approached, signaling the halt of lessons before his college entrance exam. Melanie recognized she shouldn't hinder his studies. Moreover, when she cautiously inquired about his stance on relationships, Asher's response saddened her. He believed studying was a student's primary task, and romance belonged to adults.
She, a mere freshman, was far from adulthood. Thus, she devoted herself to her studies, aiming to attend his university. Finally, reaching her second year in college and adulthood, she was ready to confess, only to be doused by Aria's cold water.
Aria had said, "Melanie, you and Asher aren't on the same path yet. He's a senior, starting his business with nothing, whereas you have everything. If you confess now, how will others perceive him? They'll think he's clinging to your status! Everyone will assume he chose you to avoid decades of struggle. Wouldn't you be erasing all his hard work before? Is that what you want?"
