Chapter 15: Chapter 15: A Mirror of the Past
And then, she turned to Melanie.
Melanie lingered by a rack of dresses, fingers brushing soft silks and glittering fabrics.
His arm was draped across the empty side of the bed.
He turned to Rose. “You didn’t tell me we’d run into your dear sister.”
Rose laughed mockingly. “Oh, I talk about you all the time. It’s just funny watching you play dress-up. How long until Westwood gets bored of you, Melanie? Six months? Three?”
That shut him up.
She hadn’t seen the scene unfolding.
Melanie’s heart stilled.
Had he really held her? Or had his mind conjured it up?
“You can play perfect wife now, Melanie… but we both know why Leo married you.”
“We’ll be back before lunch,” she told Leo with a nod. “Don’t miss us too much.”
“Who are these people?”
His mother was already beside her, impeccably dressed, giving her an approving look.
But just as they turned to leave, Adrian’s voice rang out again—low and smug.
Then to Melanie, “Or should I say, Mrs. Westwood?”
Adrian stepped forward. “Come on, Melanie. You really expect people to believe you married Leonard out of love?”
Leo’s mother’s smile dropped slightly. She looked between them, then turned to Melanie.
Melanie stiffened, her spine straightening instinctively. Adrian wore a gray suit, sleek and polished, but she didn’t miss the tightness in his expression when he looked at her.
Leo’s mother blinked. “Younger sister?”
“Wow. Didn’t think you’d crawl out of your husband’s mansion to shop like the rest of us.”
The warmth. The scent. The softness against his chest. He remembered whispering something—a plea. He didn’t know what exactly, but it had felt real.
His hand grazed the sheets. Cool.
Leo’s mother’s expression didn’t change, but the frost in her eyes was unmistakable. She studied them both, slowly.
Melanie stepped closer, her voice icy but calm. “I’d be more worried about Adrian if I were you. You know he still looks at me like he regrets everything.”
Adrian opened his mouth, but Leo’s mother raised one hand.
“Yes,” Rose replied, still smiling, though her eyes gleamed with challenge. “We’re family. Well, we were—before she decided to jump ship and marry into money.”
And somewhere inside her… something clicked into place.
—
The silence that followed was thick.
Leo woke up slowly, the room still dim with the soft light of dawn pressing against the curtains. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the silence. Something felt… different.
Her half-sister stood behind her, a wicked smile stretched across her perfect face. Dressed in designer heels and a bright red dress, Rose looked exactly like the kind of person who enjoyed stepping on others.
Just then, Leo’s mother stepped out of the changing room, wearing a flowing emerald dress.
“You really think you’re the center of my world, don’t you?” Melanie replied, her voice dangerously quiet. “I married Leonard because he saw me when you used me. Because he never needed to lie about who he was.”
Melanie inhaled slowly, refusing to let her smile falter. “And here I thought you’d finally learned to keep my name out of your mouth.”
Melanie stiffened, but before she could retort, Adrian added coolly, “And I’m her husband. Melanie’s ex-fiance, actually. Small world, right?”
Downstairs, the manor was already bustling. A quiet hum of movement. He caught a glimpse of Melanie by the front door, dressed simply in jeans and a pale blouse, her hair tied in a loose ponytail. She looked… soft.
He wasn’t sure what terrified him more—the idea that it hadn’t happened at all, or the realization that he wanted it to.
“Come, dear,” she said quietly, placing a hand on Melanie’s arm. “You don’t owe them a second more.”
Melanie turned toward her with a practiced smile, ignoring the venomous eyes behind her.
“You look stunning,” Melanie said, her voice steady.
She turned slowly.
Leo sat up, dragging a hand through his hair. He didn’t dream often. And when he did, it was usually full of shadows from the past. But last night… it had felt grounding. Warm. And that terrified him more than the nightmares ever could.
She was already up.
“Melanie! What do you think? Too much sparkle?”
Her gaze shifted to the couple standing a few feet away—Rose’s sneer barely disguised, and Adrian’s arms folded like he belonged there. Melanie stood rigid, her expression unreadable.
His voice dripped with sarcasm.
They made their way into an upscale boutique on the top floor. The older woman selected a few gowns for herself, then disappeared into the changing room with a promise to model her favorite one.
There was a pause.
Adrian’s jaw twitched.
Adrian scoffed. “Right. So now you’re in love with the man who owns half the country. How convenient.”
Leo dragged a hand through his hair, exhaling hard.
Leo’s mother beamed and turned to the boutique staff. “We’ll take it. And Melanie, find something for yourself, alright? Anything you like.”
Her scent lingered faintly on the pillow. So did the feeling of her pressed against his chest, her soft breathing in the dead of night.
A voice.
“You married him because I left you,” he said cruelly. “You needed to prove something. Admit it.”
Rose’s smile flickered.
Before either of them could say more, Adrian walked in.
“Maybe,” she said calmly. “But at least he’s not the type to sneak around with my sister while planning a wedding.”
Melanie paused, her spine straightening—but Leo’s mother turned first, her expression calm but cutting.
Rose.
Melanie didn’t flinch. “Is that what you’re going with now? Bitterness disguised as politeness?”
Melanie’s heart pounded. This wasn’t just tension anymore—it was the slow unfurling of a war.
Before Melanie could respond, Rose stepped forward with a sugary sweet smile. “I’m Rose. Melanie’s younger sister.”
She didn’t plan to.
Melanie could feel the tremble of fury under Rose’s fake smile.
Sunlight poured through the tall windows, casting soft rays across the bedroom. Leo stirred, one arm still outstretched across the empty bed beside him. His fingers twitched slightly, as if reaching for something—someone.
This wasn’t over.
Had he dreamed it?
Then she noticed the tension in the air.
Westwood Mall was crowded, as usual. Security kept a respectful distance, but even still, the attention was unavoidable. Especially when Leo’s mother, a woman who carried elegance like perfume, walked in beside her.
“No, I’m asking because I’d love to hear you finish that sentence in front of Leonard himself.”
Melanie sat quietly in the back seat of the sleek black car, dressed in a pale blue blouse and jeans. Leo’s mother had insisted on the shopping trip, and Leo had sent her off with a brief nod, handing her the black card again with a single command: “Use it.”
“Didn’t think billionaires allowed strays in their homes,” Rose continued, eyes sweeping over Melanie. “Oh well. I suppose anyone can buy class these days.”
For a second, he froze.
“Ladies,” he said smoothly, flashing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Did someone mention my name?”
Then—
“Excuse me,” she said, her voice now sharp as glass. “What did you just say?”
She narrowed her eyes.
