A Weight She Refused to Carry

The more Melanie spoke, the more venomous her gaze became.

She had an innocent, beautiful face and a sweet, melodious voice. But the words that came out of her mouth were like sharp daggers, stabbing into Shermaine's heart.

Melanie grinned as she watched Shermaine's face grow paler, expecting to see her explode in anger. But to her surprise, Shermaine simply took a deep breath.

Suddenly, Shermaine reached out, snatching the sample bottle from Melanie's hand. Her voice was calm, but there was a clear trace of mockery in it.

"Is this the big brand you think it is? How unfortunate—its value doesn't even measure up to a fraction of what I use. You probably don't know, but everything that touches my skin is handpicked by Ezra. He even has specialists customize them for me because I've always pursued something unique. From the looks of it, he doesn't seem to put as much effort into you."

The mockery in Shermaine's voice made Melanie's face twist in anger.

Shermaine's eyes stayed cold as she continued, "Yes, I've known about you for a long time. But guess what? I never came looking for you because you're not even worthy of being my rival. You only live for the approval of men and measure your worth by their attention; someone like you would never be a challenge for me. If you hadn't insisted on constantly showing up in front of me, I wouldn't have bothered to speak to you at all. You think that man's everything you've ever wanted, huh? Well, you can have him."

With that, Shermaine stood up, preparing to leave.

But before she could, Melanie suddenly grabbed her arm and flashed an unsettling smile. "Shermaine, don't think I don't see through you. You act so calm, but deep down, you're more frustrated than anyone. He may not treat me well, but at least he cares about me. Let's see who he cares about more."

Before Shermaine could react, Melanie screamed and jumped down the slope where they were standing.

As Melanie leaped, she still held onto Shermaine's arm, nearly dragging her down with her.

Shermaine barely managed to steady herself, but she twisted her ankle.

The sudden commotion drew everyone's attention. Ezra was the first to rush to Shermaine's side, grabbing her to steady her, his eyes red with worry. "Shermaine, what happened?"

Shermaine shook her head, about to speak, when someone suddenly yelled, "Melanie fell!"

At that, Ezra immediately released Shermaine's hand, abandoning her without hesitation. He rushed to find Melanie, not caring that Shermaine lost her balance and fell again.

The sharp pain in her tailbone made her head spin.

Shermaine watched, heart sinking, as Ezra ignored everything to search for Melanie, her blood turning to ice.

The rest of the group exchanged glances, trying to shield Shermaine from the scene.

As she watched the chaos unfold, the words Melanie had spoken echoed in her mind.

It all seemed pointless to Shermaine.

She gently pushed away the hands of the students who came to help, her voice hoarse as she said, "Tell Ezra I've got things to do and I'm leaving."

Ignoring their attempts to keep her there, Shermaine limped away.

When she reached the side of the road, in a place where no one could see, she couldn't hold back the tears.

She fought to hold back the sobs, telling herself that it wasn't worth crying over a man like him.

Soon, a taxi pulled up to the curb. Shermaine got in, and the driver asked for her destination.

Her gaze remained blank as she stared out the window, her voice barely audible.

"Please take me to the airport."