Ayanna Cambor, the crush of my childhood friend, Dorian Harmon, makes fun of me for being a mute.

She purposefully pours melted dark chocolate into my thermos. Then, she howls at the top of her lungs.

"As a mute, you can't complain even when you swallow something bitter."

Later on, Ayanna takes advantage of the situation by forcing me to stick my tongue out. She insists on making me show everyone whether or not a mute's tongue is different from a regular person's tongue.

I look at Dorian instinctively. After all, he has promised me that as long as he's around, he won't let anyone bully me.

But he merely shoots me a cold glance.

"Just stick your tongue out and show it to Ayanna. It's not anything major to cry over."

I can only hold my tears back as I quietly conceal the school transfer application that I've just received.

It's true that transferring schools is no big deal. In that case, there's no need for Dorian to know about it.

Melody's POV

While in the classroom, Dorian Harmon handed me a new thermal flask.

"Melody, your mom brewed you some herbal medicine. Drink it while it's still hot," he said, his expression cold.

I reached for it instinctively and downed the contents in one go. But today's medicine tasted different from usual—it was extremely bitter.

In fact, it was so bitter that my face twisted in agony, and I didn't even notice the tears slipping out.

After I finished drinking everything, I automatically stretched my hand out and smiled at the expressionless Dorian. After all, whenever I drank this herbal medicine, he would always have candy or dried fruit prepared for me.

But this time, he only said with disgust, "No candy. You're all grown, and you still need candy with your medicine? How childish."

As soon as the words left his lips, Ayanna Cambor—who had been standing next to us, watching all of this unfold—suddenly burst out laughing while clutching her stomach.

"As a mute, you can't complain even when you swallow something bitter. You're way too easy to fool, mute girl. You're really going to believe whatever Dorian says?"

She looked at me, the smile still plastered on her face. "That's not herbal medicine in your thermal flask at all. It's melted dark chocolate—the 100% cocoa powder kind."

I froze for a moment, a touch of bitterness rising in my heart. Still, I signed to Dorian, asking for confirmation.

"Is what she said true?"

Dorian turned his head away and looked elsewhere, not saying anything. Whenever he encountered a difficult question, he always chose silence.

I had my answer. I picked up the thermal flask and was about to throw it into the trash when Ayanna stopped me.

She pouted and asked, "Dorian, that 100% pure dark chocolate is so bitter, but why isn't she saying anything? Is it because she doesn't want to?"

Dorian patted her head indulgently. "I don't know, and I don't care."

His answer made my chest tighten.

The bitterness in my chest surged, even more intense than the aftertaste of the pure dark chocolate.

But Ayanna clearly wasn't satisfied with Dorian's answer. She stomped her foot and threw a tantrum.

"Don't tell me you couldn't bring yourself to mess with your childhood friend! Did you secretly replace the 100% dark chocolate in the thermal flask with something less bitter? No, I have to try it myself!"

With that, she swiftly snatched the thermal flask from my hand and took a sip of the remaining residue. But she couldn't even handle one sip, spitting it straight out onto the floor next to my desk.

"You're just asking for trouble," Dorian teased as he took out some tissues from his pocket to wipe her mouth.

"The tissues aren't enough," Ayanna said. "It's really bitter. Here, you should try it too."

She grabbed his arm and burrowed into his embrace, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

After a brief kiss, the two separated.

Ayanna's cheeks flushed pink. "Congratulations on passing the test, boyfriend."

She hooked his pinky finger with hers and turned to me with a victorious smile.

"See that? Dorian is my boyfriend now. You're not allowed to act cute around him and ask for candy anymore. Got it, mute girl?"

Dorian looked at me and said coldly, "Still not leaving? What? Didn't get enough of a show?"

I turned around blankly.

Only when I reached a place with no one around did I finally raise my hand to wipe away the tears at the corners of my eyes.

My secret crush… had come to an end.

Melody's POV

Dorian and I had grown up together, but our statuses were worlds apart.

Dad was the driver for his family, whereas Mom was their housekeeper.

When Dorian was ten years old, he secretly sneaked out to prepare a birthday surprise for his mother, Mrs. Harmon.

As the driver, Dad was responsible for driving him and, at his request, brought me along too.

That day, heavy rain poured down, making the roads nearly impossible to drive on. On top of that, we ran into enemies of the Harmons, seeking revenge.

To protect us, Dad was beaten so badly that one of his legs was shattered. Even though the Harmons were very grateful and spent a lot of money to treat him, his leg still ended up permanently disabled.

And because of that incident, I also lost my ability to speak.

Dorian blamed himself deeply and stayed by my side constantly. He told me that the Harmons would cover all my medical expenses until I could speak again.

He also promised me that even though I couldn't speak, as long as he was around, he would never let me be bullied. He would wait—wait until the day I could speak on my own again.

He hadn't lied.

Over the years, he had really done well. Whenever someone mocked me or showed even the slightest hint of malice toward me, he would fight back on my behalf.

But there were also things he didn't understand.

For example, although it looked like the Harmons were paying for all my medical expenses over the years, in reality, Mrs. Harmon only paid for the most basic monthly consultation fees.

The real costs—the big ones—like medication and tests, were still covered by my parents themselves.

Recently, my condition had finally shown slight improvement. My parents wanted to take me to a better hospital, but their income was meager, and they couldn't afford better medical care for me.

After much consideration, they decided they would quit their jobs at the end of the year and transfer me back to a high school in our hometown.

However, between my reluctance to leave Dorian and my fear of a new environment, I had originally planned to stay and finish my senior year here.

But now, I only wanted to escape immediately.

…

That afternoon after school, I went to the Harmon residence as previously agreed upon.

As soon as Mrs. Harmon saw me, she got straight to the point.

"Melody, Dorian has always been protective of you since you were kids. Even if he owed your father a debt of gratitude, that should be considered repaid by now.

"Since your parents will no longer be working for this family, I suggest you go back with them as well."

She was smiling, but her words carried clear pressure.

My expression remained calm as I showed her the transfer application I'd just written on my phone.

Then I typed, "Don't worry. I've already prepared the transfer application. I'll submit it to the school for approval tomorrow and will transfer to my hometown school next semester."

Mrs. Harmon clearly didn't expect me to agree so easily. But almost immediately, she made another request.

"Mel, could you please not tell Dorian about this transfer just yet? He's going to marry Aya in the future, and their relationship has only recently started making progress.

"Plus, it's his senior year, and the workload is heavy. If he finds out about your transfer, it'll more or less affect him.

"Wait until winter break, then you can tell him. That way, he'll have the whole break to get used to life without you, okay?"

I nodded and typed, "Don't worry. I won't tell him."

Once the matter was settled, I stepped out into the snow, ready to leave.

Suddenly, Dorian jumped out from nowhere, holding a large box of candy, startling me. Before I could react, he had already shoved the box into my hands.

"Sorry about what happened today, Mel," he said, ruffling my hair. "My parents have always wanted me to marry Ayanna, but I've kept refusing."

He sighed, looking somewhat helpless.

"But recently, our family's capital chain ran into problems, and we urgently need the Cambor family's help. Ayanna said that if I could win her over, she'd ask her father to help us. So, what happened this morning with the pure dark chocolate in your thermal flask… I'm really sorry."

Melody's POV

I nodded and signed to Dorian, "Don't do that again."

He mistook my distant expression for lingering anger.

"I don't actually like her," he said, grabbing my hand. "Being with her right now is just a temporary measure. Wait for me, okay, Mel?"

He looked at me earnestly, his gaze sincere.

It was too cold outside, and I couldn't help sniffling. Frowning, he took off the scarf around his neck and draped it over me.

In the moonlight, with the snow reflecting around us, I could clearly see some telltale red marks on his neck.

I might be mute, but I still understood that those marks could only be left after the most intimate acts. So, I avoided his gaze and didn't respond.

Dorian kept pressing, "Mute girl, what does shaking your head mean?"

My steps faltered. He only called me that when he was anxious.

"Are you saying you don't mind, or that you don't forgive me?"

I pressed my lips together and continued walking.

He chased after me and asked, "Mel, did my mom say something to you just now? Is that why you're ignoring me?"

I sighed and quickly signed, "No, I'm just cold and want to go home. I've gotten used to drinking herbal medicine now. I don't need candy anymore."

I pushed the box of candy into his hands. "Keep these for your girlfriend."

With that, I quickened my steps, so I didn't see him standing there frozen in place, holding the box of candy.

But I heard him shouting behind me, "Trust me, Melody Fowler! Once the Cambor family's funding comes through, I'll come back to you immediately and protect you! You have to wait for me!"

The world around me was silent. I heard every word clearly, but my footsteps never stopped.

"Dorian Harmon, I don't believe you anymore," I thought to myself.

My parents were heading back to our hometown the next day. I just wanted to cherish the time I had left with them.

When I got home, Mom happily told me that they'd already found a suitable storefront. They'd also asked Mrs. Harmon for leave and planned to go home to apply for a business license.

Looking at my parents, full of energy and enthusiasm, I signed my encouragement, "Mom, Dad, I hope the business does really well."

Mom placed a piece of braised pork onto my plate, her voice full of reluctance. "We're still worried about you, Melody. Once we get the business license, we probably won't be coming back to Liddingston much.

"You've always been a picky eater since you were a kid. I'm not even sure if you'll get used to the cafeteria food.

"Also, even though the weather's getting cold now, you might still sweat after PE class. If you took your jacket off beforehand, make sure you put it back on right away. Don't catch a cold."

Mom continued rambling on, whereas Dad said nothing. He just handed me a bankbook.

"Mel, this is our savings over the years. We've set aside what we need for opening the store, so there's not much left, but there should be enough to cover your treatment costs for several years.

"Once we go back home, you have to remember to go for your follow-ups as scheduled. You can already make simple sounds now, so you definitely can't skip the treatments just to save money."

Each of their words hit me, one after another, making the tears already brimming in my eyes nearly spill over.

I could only grip my fork tightly and lower my head, desperately shoveling food into my mouth.

Mom noticed something was off with my mood. "What's wrong, Mel?"

I shook my head, then took out my transfer application.

"Mom, Dad, I want to go back home with you," I signed. "I can't bear to be apart from you."

Mom immediately nodded happily when she heard this.

"Your dad and I were hoping you'd come back with us, too. You can't speak, and we won't be at your side… And you've always been the type to only share the good news and keep the bad to yourself. We can't help but worry that you'll be bullied and we won't even know about it."

As she spoke, she started tearing up as well. I threw myself in her arms and cried so hard until I could barely catch my breath.

…

Early the next morning, I saw my parents off at the door.

Coincidentally, we ran into Dorian.