Melanie pouted and muttered under her breath, "I guess we're being the third wheel today."

Her words were light, but Shermaine could sense the underlying truth in them. She had clearly seen the flash of jealousy and disdain in Melanie's eyes just moments before.

Melanie turned to her with a playful wink. "Ms. Stout, it's just a hike. You don't mind, right? There's a group of us here," she said, signaling her friends to chime in.

"Yeah, come on, Ms. Stout. Let us join you!" one of them said.

"We promise not to disturb you and Mr. Yarbrough. We'll just be hiking together. You're the nicest person in the world, Ms. Stout!"

Ezra barely suppressed a scoff. They were piling on the compliments, making it impossible for her to say no.

It was clear to Shermaine why Melanie had shown up today. There was no such thing as coincidence, not when she was involved.

Even Ezra, who usually kept his cool, spoke up in a tone that sounded almost too considerate. "Since we've run into each other, let's just go together. They're your students, after all. It wouldn't be right to ignore them. I'll cover everything, and I promise they won't be a bother."

Shermaine felt a sharp pang in her heart, but her face remained calm. She smiled lightly, her eyes carrying a depth of meaning. "Alright, then."

Out of sight from the others, her fingers curled into a tight fist, the pressure causing her fingertips to turn white.

The group made their way up the mountain, chatting and laughing along the way. Shermaine, however, kept her attention fixed on Melanie and Ezra.

All throughout the hike, Melanie did everything she could to get closer to Ezra. Every time she did, Ezra put on an act of annoyance, his lips tight as though he might snap at any moment. He was avoiding her like the plague.

Shermaine couldn't help but find his efforts laughable. His feigned irritation didn't fool her.

When they finally sat down to rest, Melanie slid over to Shermaine, the sickly-sweet scent of her perfume invading the air. It was the same perfume Shermaine had noticed in her bathroom at home.

"Ms. Stout," Melanie cooed, "I've been using this new skincare product lately. It works wonders, and I thought you might want to try it. After all, you're almost thirty, right? Better start an anti-aging regime before it's too late."

The sarcasm in her voice was unmistakable.

Shermaine's heart tightened with a pang of hurt. She glanced up to see that Melanie was holding the very sample of skincare she had found in her bathroom. The smug, satisfied smile on Melanie's face was all too clear.

Shermaine didn't let her get her way. With a cold, indifferent tone, she replied, "Is that something to be proud of?"

But Melanie wasn't deterred. She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "Actually, I saw you peeking at the bar that night."

The words hit Shermaine like a slap in the face. The walls she had so carefully built around her vulnerability began to crack, exposing the raw wounds she had kept buried for so long.

Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes began to sting with tears she refused to shed.

Melanie continued, enjoying every moment of Shermaine's discomfort, "The truth is, Ezra and I have been together for a while now. He loves me. He can't get enough of me, always wanting to be with me every night. You know what he told me? He said you're like a corpse in bed. It's only with me that he can feel alive, feel passion. And while you were in the hospital, I was making love to him in your bed every day. Ezra was the one who took me back there. I'm sure you'll be surprised to learn that he created the department for Yarbrough International's partnership with our group just for me. The team knows. They even call me Mrs. Yarbrough behind your back."

She leaned in closer, her voice dripping with malicious glee. "So, tell me, Shermaine, what are you even holding on to? If I were you, with everyone lying to me and turning their backs on me, I wouldn't have the courage to go on. But here you are, more shameless than I anticipated. I suggest you leave before you embarrass yourself any further."

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."