Chapter 178: Heartbreak
"It’s rare we have a day off like this. Let’s go get a drink."
"Okay." Melody Monroe nodded. "I’ll go take off my makeup first."
"I’ll wait for you outside," Rose Shaw said before turning and heading out.
Melody Monroe hurried to remove her makeup. When she got outside, Rose Shaw was sitting in the car, smoking. The ashtray was already stuffed with cigarette butts.
She pulled open the car door, took out the ashtray, and emptied it into a nearby trash can. Her eyes landed on the cigarette in Rose Shaw’s hand. After a moment’s hesitation, she tossed the ashtray into the trash as well.
"Melody Monroe, why’d you throw away my ashtray!"
Melody Monroe walked over and snatched the cigarette from Rose Shaw’s hand as well. "How many have you had today?"
How many had she smoked? Rose Shaw gave a bitter laugh; she couldn’t even remember.
"Get in the car."
Melody Monroe sat in the passenger seat. Rose Shaw started the car and drove to her usual bar.
Worried that Melody Monroe might be recognized, Rose Shaw requested a private room.
Melody Monroe had just sat down when a waiter carried over two dozen beers.
Rose Shaw grabbed a bottle and started chugging.
Looking at Rose Shaw, Melody Monroe had already guessed.
’Rose Shaw must have found out about Christopher Sterling and Lana Sheffield’s engagement.’
’In the original novel, the male lead’s parents, Christopher Sterling and Lana Sheffield, were not a loving couple.’
’Lana Sheffield fell for Christopher Sterling at first sight. She didn’t hesitate to call off the marriage her family had arranged for her, insisting on marrying him instead.’
’But after they had their son, Elijah Sterling, they began to live apart.’
’Lana Sheffield took Elijah Sterling and lived with the Sheffield Family for eight years.’
’It was only later that Christopher Sterling brought Lana Sheffield and Elijah Sterling back to the Sterling Family estate.’
’Lana Sheffield never changed her spoiled and domineering ways. She would often give Christopher Sterling the silent treatment and meddled in Stellaris’s affairs. She wanted to control her husband and son—her need for control was downright pathological.’
’Melody Monroe felt the original author was just biased. Lana Sheffield was just as outrageously dramatic as the original Melody, yet in the end, she was somehow completely redeemed!’
’She ended up with a doting husband, a filial son and daughter-in-law, and a blissful life surrounded by her grandchildren.’
’And then there was the original Melody...’
’Fucking hell. As if the main story wasn’t enough, the original author actually wrote side stories to continue it.’
A wave of resentment surged in Melody Monroe’s heart.
"He’s getting married," Rose Shaw said suddenly.
"The man you like?" Melody Monroe could only pretend she didn’t know, asking softly.
"Yeah." Rose Shaw didn’t hide it. She picked up another bottle, ready to chug it down.
Melody Monroe quickly grabbed Rose Shaw’s hand. "Rose, stop drinking! What’s the point of drinking yourself into a stupor here alone? Does he even know? If you really love him, if you can’t accept this, then go fight for him!"
Rose Shaw stared blankly at Melody Monroe. "Can’t accept it? What right do I have to not accept it? I have no right. Besides, it’s impossible. I could never win him."
"Melody Monroe, do you know what it’s like to secretly love someone? To only dare to keep it in your heart, never letting it show, to be the only one in the whole world who knows."
"Maybe I didn’t understand before, but I do now."
"I don’t have the right to fight, to compete for him! But I’m just so miserable... so miserable I feel like I’m suffocating." Rose Shaw suddenly burst into tears.
Melody Monroe understood the depths of Rose Shaw’s sorrow.
That experience had destroyed Rose Shaw’s spirit long ago. Her only emotional support now was Christopher Sterling.
"Melody Monroe, can I have a hug?"
Melody Monroe wrapped her arms around Rose Shaw. "Rose, I know you’re hurting. If you want to cry, just cry. Let it all out. If you really can’t have him... what about letting him go? If you let him go, you might find someone even better for you."