Chapter 100
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Back then, I laughed at him and said, “And what if you don’t keep that promise?“”
“Then punish me!” Derek practically shouted, full of fire and blind confidence. “Punish me! Let me lose Joanne forever! Let Joanne never look at Derek again for the rest of her life!“}
His face lit up with all the certainty in the world, as if he truly believed love was unshakable simply because he said so.”
“But I’ll never give you that chance!” Derek added, grinning like some teenage boy making reckless vows. “Joanne, I’ll love you forever.”
And now?
Now I sat across from him at a café table, watching him deflate in real time. His face, once filled with bravado, now looked pale, tired, and drained of conviction.
Just desperation.”
I met his eyes, calm and steady, and said, “You already know the answer, Derek. So why are you still clinging to the past? Derek, it’s time to move on.“}
I picked up the ring from the table, turned it in my fingers once, and then dropped it into the trash without hesitation.
Then, I paid for my own coffee and said, “I’ll be leaving now. And please, stop bothering my staff.”
That was the last time I saw him.
After that, Derek finally stopped showing up.
My life gradually returned to a peaceful state. I believed that would be the end of it. However, a few weeks later, gossip began. to circulate once more.”
This time, it came from Angela.
“Joanne,” she said, eyes wide like she just won the gossip jackpot, “you will not believe this. Derek got tricked into sleeping with Melody!“}
1 blinked. “What the hell?“}
“Right?” Angela scoffed, shaking her head. “He’ll fall for anything with a pulse. And now guess what? Melody’s pregnant. I swear, even pigs don’t reproduce that fast.”
She barely took a breath before steamrolling on. “And because their families go way back, they’re obviously getting married. Yep, you heard right. They’re getting married.”
I continued organizing the shop’s accounts, unfazed. My best friend nudged my arm and narrowed her eyes at me.\
Angela squinted at me, nudging my arm. “Why aren’t you asking me what happened next?”
I glanced up and smiled. “Do I need to?”
She rubbed her nose with a dramatic little huff. “Well, I guess not, huh.”
Then, just like that, her eyes lit up again as if she’d been saving the best part for last.
“Still! You’ve gotta hear this. Derek and Melody? Completely cursed. I mean it. They started fighting right after they signed the marriage license. Like, day one chaos.“”
Angela then whipped out her phone and showed me her screen, “The doctor who treated them is a buddy of mine. He sent me the video.”
Before I could say no, she hit play.”
Melody was collapsed on the hospital floor, experiencing a complete meltdown.”
“How can you say the baby’s not yours?! It’s yours, Derek! It has to be yours! Don’t you have any sense of responsibility?!” she screamed through tears, her voice raw and full of anguish.
But Derek was one step ahead. He pulled out a printed paternity test that he had secretly obtained behind her back, using amniotic fluid extracted without her knowledge.”
“Look at this!” he shouted in the video. “I didn’t wanna say anything until I had proof, but I saw you with Tyler! You think I’m gonna raise his kid like it’s mine?”
He exhaled sharply and shouted, “Melody, do you have any shame?!“W
Right then, they started screaming over each other, full–blown commotion erupting.
In the end, the baby didn’t make it.”
Word spread that Tyler, the same Tyler who’d grown up with Derek, one of his so–called childhood friends, was the real father, When Tyler found out, he was furious. He stormed over to Derek’s family, demanding answers.
That lit a match. A full–blown fight erupted between Derek’s family, Melody’s family, and Tyler’s family. It wasn’t just a scene; it was a full–on war.
Everything unraveleri #
1:36 AM
Everything unraveled.
Derek’s life became a never–ending cycle of betrayal, scandal, and emotional landmines. He was trapped on a carousel of his own making, spinning in circles and trying to clean up the mess he helped create.”
And me?”
I listened to it all as if I were watching a soap opera from a distance, detached and unconcerned.
Because honestly, it has absolutely nothing to do with me anymore.”
(The End)
