Melissa sat alone outside the operating room, her hands clasped tightly together as if sheer force of will could influence what was happening behind the closed doors.
The harsh fluorescent lights cast pale shadows across the empty corridor.
Nurses hurried past from time to time, their footsteps echoing against the polished floor, but Melissa barely noticed them.
Her attention remained fixed on the red light above the operating room doors.
For the first time in years, she found herself praying. Not for herself but for Nancy.
A slow breath escaped her lips as she bowed her head.
Everything would be fine, she told herself. It had to be.
Yet the knot in her stomach only tightened.
Attachment was dangerous in her line of work.
She had learned that lesson long ago.
Getting involved clouded judgment. It made people reckless.
It made them hesitate when they should act and trust when they should doubt.
Melissa had spent years building walls around herself, ensuring that no one got close enough to matter.
That was how she survived. That was how she stayed effective and yet, here she was waiting outside a hospital operating room like a worried family member.
The irony wasn't lost on her. Melissa leaned back against the cold wall and closed her eyes.
The moment she had looked into Nancy's eyes, something inside her had shifted. She had seen exhaustion. She had seen grief.
But more than anything, she had seen loneliness.
The kind of loneliness that settled deep inside a person's soul and refused to leave.
Nancy had been holding on for so long. Holding on to hope. Holding on to memories. Holding on to Lena.
The thought made Melissa's chest ache. Slowly, she lowered her gaze to the floor. She knew the truth.
The evidence was undeniable.The news.
Every piece pointed to the same heartbreaking conclusion. Lena was gone.
Gone in a way that no miracle could undo. Yet Nancy didn't know.
Hope could be cruel like that. It convinced people to wait for doors that would never open.
To listen for voices that would never call their names again.
Melissa swallowed hard. How was she supposed to tell her?
How could she look into Nancy's eyes and destroy the one thing keeping her together?
The words felt impossible. Lena isn't coming back.
The sentence echoed in her mind like a death sentence.
Melissa squeezed her eyes shut.
How could she tell Nancy that the person she had hoped to be here is gone?
That no amount of waiting, praying, or wishing would bring her back?
A lump formed in her throat. For a moment, Melissa hated herself because she had spent her entire career uncovering truths.
And now, faced with the most important truth of all, she found herself wishing she could keep it hidden forever.
The operating room doors remained closed. The corridor remained silent.
And Melissa sat there alone with a burden that felt heavier than any secret she had ever carried.
Sooner or later, Nancy would wake up.
Sooner or later, Melissa would have to tell her.
And when that moment came, she feared that the truth wouldn't just break Nancy's heart.
It might destroy what little remained of it.
Melissa's phone rang, the sharp sound cutting through the silence of the hospital corridor.
She answered on the first ring.
"What's up?" she asked, keeping her voice low.
"How's it going?" Audrey replied.
Melissa glanced toward the operating room doors. The red light above them was still on.
"Nerve-wracking," she admitted. "The doctors have been in there for a while."
A soft sigh came from the other end of the line.
"The surgery is going to take hours."
Melissa rubbed her forehead. "I see."
For a moment, neither woman spoke.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and uncomfortable.
Then Audrey broke it.
"Have you seen the news?"
Melissa frowned. "I've been busy."
"You're going to want to watch it immediately it's important"
A feeling of unease settled in Melissa's stomach.
"You know how I feel about watching the news."
"It isn't just any news," Audrey said. "It's about Ariana and Roberto."
Melissa straightened in her seat.
"What happened?"
Audrey let out a humorless laugh.
"Let's just say it didn't go well."
The words landed like a punch to the gut.
Melissa's expression darkened instantly.
"That bastard," she muttered.
"I thought you'd say that."
Audrey paused before adding firmly, "Call them."
Then the line went dead.
Melissa stared at the phone for a second before lowering it.
A sense of dread crept over her.
If Audrey was this concerned, then whatever had happened was serious.
She quickly opened a news application and searched for the latest reports.
The moment the livestream appeared on her screen, her jaw tightened.
The courtroom footage played across the display.
Reporters crowded outside the courthouse while legal analysts debated the judge's ruling.
Melissa listened carefully. With every passing second, her anger grew.
By the end of the segment, she was seething.
Her grip tightened around the phone.
The plastic creaked under the pressure.
"Unbelievable."
The judge had dismissed the case.
Worse, he had practically said Roberto is of criminal descent. And the issue with Jessica is a problem.
Melissa rose from her seat and paced the corridor.
Her pulse hammered in her ears.
Years of experience had taught her how corruption worked.
She had seen judges bought. Witnesses intimidated. Evidence disappear.
But this?
This was so blatant it was almost insulting.
The judge hadn't even bothered to hide it. Melissa stopped walking.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"He thinks I was bluffing."
The realization settled over her like ice.
When she had issued her warning, he hadn't taken it seriously.
He had assumed she was making empty threats.
Assumed she lacked the evidence.
Assumed she lacked the courage. A cold smile touched her lips.
That was his mistake.
Because Melissa never made threats she couldn't back up.
She looked down at her phone again.
The judge's face filled the screen.
Confident. Smug. Untouchable. For now.
Melissa exited the livestream and immediately searched for Ariana's number.
If the judge wanted to play games, that was his choice.
But he was about to learn something very important.
Melissa had spent her entire life uncovering secrets and powerful men always had the most to hide.
As her thumb hovered over the call button, her gaze drifted once more to the operating room doors.
Nancy was still fighting for her life.
Ariana was fighting for justice.
Somewhere in the middle of it all, Melissa was carrying enough secrets to destroy entire careers.
The judge had made his move. Now it was her turn.
A week had passed, and every day had blurred into the next.
Sunny had been balancing more than anyone should have to.
She cared for Sofia, stayed by Ariana's side through her grief, and carried the constant weight of worrying about Melissa.
It was as though every person she loved needed a piece of her, leaving almost nothing behind for herself.
The exhaustion showed. The dark circles beneath her eyes had deepened, and even her smiles had become scarce.
She kept reminding herself that it was only a matter of time.
Eventually the custody case to be over but until then... She simply had to endure.
The morning greeted her with warm sunlight and a gentle breeze.
For the first time in days, the house was peaceful.
Sunny stepped into the small garden behind her home, a watering can swinging gently in her hand.
Rows of vegetables greeted her, lush and healthy despite the chaos that surrounded her life.
She smiled faintly.
"The tomatoes and cabbages are thriving," she murmured, crouching to inspect them.
Life, somehow, always found a way to continue.
She moved toward her flowers, sprinkling water over the vibrant petals as droplets glittered beneath the morning sun.
The silence was almost comforting.
Sofia had gone to spend the morning with Zara, leaving the house unusually empty.
It gave Sunny room to breathe. Or so she thought.
Her phone suddenly vibrated in the pocket of her apron, the sharp buzzing slicing through the quiet. She frowned.
"I wonder who that could be."
Dusting the soil from her hands onto the apron, she pulled out the phone and answered.
"Hello?"
A familiar voice replied almost instantly.
"Hello, Yanyan.
Sunny's eyes widened. "...Pengxi?"
A warm chuckle echoed through the speaker.
"How have you been?"
Her heart lurched.
"How have I been?" she repeated, disbelief flooding her voice.
"How have you been? I thought you were dead after that incident!"
"Yanyan, baby, calm down." He laughed softly. "What are you talking about?"
Tears welled in her eyes before she even realized it.
"I thought they had you," she whispered, her voice breaking.
"You called me... told me to leave... I thought..." She swallowed hard. "I thought you were being held hostage."
"Who had me?"
"I kept calling you afterward, but your number wouldn't connect."
There was a brief silence. Then Pengxi sighed.
"Ah... I see the misunderstanding."
Sunny held her breath.
"I was never kidnapped."
"...What?"
"I was in a casino."
She blinked. "...A casino?"
"Drunk as hell."
Sunny stared blankly into the garden. "I..."
"You sounded like you were in pain," she said weakly.
"Of course I was in pain!" Pengxi groaned dramatically. "I lost half a billion in a single day."
Sunny nearly dropped the phone.
"And to make matters worse," he continued, "my phone fell into the water during a yacht cruise."
"...What?"
Her voice barely escaped her lips.
"You..."
Her breathing became uneven.
"You cost me someone I truly care about."
Silence answered her.
"I gave her up because I thought you were dying..." Her voice cracked.
"...and you were drunk?"
"Whoa, Cheng Yanyan." Pengxi laughed nervously. "In my defense, none of that was intentional."
Sunny pressed a hand against her forehead.
"So..." she muttered.
"I don't have to worry if her grandmother threatens me?"
"The only person who has even a little authority over me is your father."
He paused before scoffing.
"And honestly, even saying that gives him more credit than he deserves."
Sunny didn't respond.
She simply stood there, muttering to herself while trying to process everything she'd just heard.
Relief. Anger. Disbelief. All tangled together.
Without another word, she ended the call.
The silence returned. Then, slowly... A smile crept across her face.
"I don't have to be afraid anymore." Her heart raced.
"I can finally tell Olivia how I feel."
Within minutes, Sunny had changed out of her gardening apron.
She hailed a cab and spent the entire ride rehearsing countless confessions in her head.
Every version sounded awkward.
Every version made her blush. Yet somehow... She couldn't stop smiling.
When the taxi finally pulled away, she found herself standing outside Bloom & Grow.
The familiar flower shop looked exactly as she remembered.
Her heartbeat thundered inside her chest.
"Here goes nothing," she whispered.
She pushed open the door. A small bell chimed overhead.
The shop was quiet. The scent of fresh lilies and roses filled the air.
No one stood behind the counter.
"Olivia?" No answer.
Sunny frowned before walking toward the back room.
Maybe Olivia was arranging flowers. She reached the door. Knocked once.
Receiving no reply, she slowly pushed it open. The world stopped.
Her body froze before she could even understand what she was seeing.
Olivia...
...was kissing Juliet.
Time itself seemed to stand still.
Sunny couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She couldn't move.
Maybe... Maybe this wasn't the best time.
Juliet's eyes slowly fluttered open.
The moment she noticed Sunny standing in the doorway, she gasped loudly.
Sunny jolted back to reality.
"I—I..." Her words tangled together.
"I'm sorry..." She stepped backward.
"The door..." She pointed uselessly toward it.
"I knocked..." Another step back.
"I'll... I'll just..." She turned.
"...go." Then she ran.
"Sunny!" Olivia's voice echoed behind her.
"Wait!"
But Sunny didn't stop. She couldn't.
She burst out of the flower shop and ran without direction, letting her feet decide where to go while her heart shattered inside her chest.
By the time Olivia rushed outside...
Sunny was gone. Several streets away, Sunny sat alone inside a quiet café.
A cup of coffee rested untouched between her trembling hands.
She stared into the dark liquid.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"What exactly was I expecting?" She shook her head.
"That she'd wait forever?" Her smile was painfully hollow.
"I should've stayed home." Her phone rang.
Olivia.
Sunny watched it vibrate across the table. She didn't answer.
A moment later, a message appeared on the screen.
Sunny, please... let's talk.
Sunny read it once. Then again.
She let out a tired sigh and locked the screen.
"Talk about what exactly?"
She leaned back in her chair, suddenly feeling every one of her years.
"I'm too old for this kind of drama."
She stood, picked up her keys, and left her untouched coffee behind.
"I'm going home."