"Alice, why didn't you inform us that you were coming home?" Thomas asked. "Mel and I didn't do anything. Don't get the wrong idea!"

When Thomas woke up and noticed me standing there, he scrambled off the bed and hastily put on a shirt.

Melody was awoken by the commotion. Her eyes were still hazy with sleep when she mumbled, "I've been scared of the sound of thunder since I was a child. I can only fall asleep with Thomas cradling me whenever it storms. Alice, you're not going to be petty over something as small as this, are you?"

I was near tears by how infuriated I was with them. But after leaving the hospital, I promised myself that I would never shed another tear for Thomas.

"There's nothing that I have to be petty about," I replied. "Don't worry. Even if you have sex in front of my face, I won't stop you!"

I left after saying my piece. I was afraid that I would start crying if I stayed.

Thomas chased after me, grabbing me furiously.

"Mel and I are innocent. As her elder, how could you say something so outrageous to her? Do you have any idea of the emotional damage you're going to inflict on her with your words? Go back and apologize to her!"

I batted his hand away. I felt like I was on the verge of a breakdown when I yelled, "Mel refuses to eat. Mel will suffer emotional damage. Mel this. Mel that.

"Thomas, did you worry about me for even a second? I was bedridden in the hospital for 25 days. I almost died!"

The displeasure on Thomas' face morphed into guilt when I brought up my time in the hospital. "It's not that I didn't want to visit you when you were in the hospital. Mel was traumatized after the explosion. I had to take care of her and couldn't find the time to visit you."

His words extinguished the flames of injustice that were burning in my heart, leaving nothing but a bone-deep disappointment. I had so many things I wanted to say to him, but the words disappeared at that moment, along with my tears.

There was no point in fighting for him any longer. Thomas didn't love me anymore—his words were all the confirmation I needed to hear to answer any lingering questions I still had.

Melody was calling for Thomas. He frowned as he gazed at me. "That's enough for today. Don't spout nonsense to Mel again," he said before taking his leave.

Throughout our entire conversation, he never asked about my well-being even once.

"I can give up on him completely now…" I murmured to myself.

I was rooted to the spot for a long time before I finally left to pack my luggage. Other than my identification documents and a few sets of clothes, I threw everything else away. In the end, I was only left with a dozen portraits that Thomas had drawn of me when he was still pursuing me.

My friend who was majoring in art had teased me then, saying, "There's not a lick of skill in the execution, but these portraits are overflowing with his feelings for you. I couldn't reproduce his works even if I tried!"

These portraits had convinced me that Thomas truly loved me. I scoffed to myself. I carried the box of discarded items and went outside before setting it on fire.

Coincidentally, Thomas had sought me out then and stumbled upon the scene. He rushed over and shoved me aside. Not caring about being burned, he thrust his hands into the flames to retrieve the portraits that hadn't completely disintegrated yet.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice trembling.

I wanted to tell him that I didn't want the portraits any longer, but instead I said, "The portraits were eaten by moths."

We were always arguing in the past few years. I was exhausted. I didn't want to argue with him anymore.

Thomas hesitated for a second before he tossed the portraits he had saved back into the fire. "Mel is terrified of insects. I'll draw new ones for you in the future."

"No need."

There wasn't going to be a future for us.

The flames first grew bigger before shrinking in size. It was eventually extinguished, leaving only a heap of ashes behind. It was reminiscent of my relationship with Thomas.

"There are five more days left."

After sweeping the ashes into the trash bin, I updated my status on Twitter. I then made my way to the guest room that was located furthest away from the master bedroom to rest.

I woke up to a number of notifications. My friends were teasing me over my status, asking me if I was that eager to become Thomas' bride.

Thomas had also left a comment that read, "I'm also looking forward to the day you walk toward me in your wedding dress."

He was the biggest cheater in the world when it came to love! I was already exhausted by his antics, and yet he still wanted us to play the role of a couple that was madly in love with each other. Unfortunately for him, I no longer had the energy to keep up the farce.

I didn't reply to any of the comments and instead went downstairs to freshen up.

When we were having breakfast, Thomas asked, "Ally, did you make an appointment for us to register our marriage today?"

I did indeed make an appointment to get our marriage registration this afternoon. However, I no longer wanted to get it.

Before I could get a word in, Melody draped herself all over Thomas.

"Thomas, I just remembered that a basketball tournament that I've been looking forward to is starting this afternoon."

Thomas pinched her face lightly. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Melody pouted before retorting, "Like I said, I just remembered! It's not like I forgot on purpose! If you're not free to accompany me, I'll be fine going by myself. Besides, I won't be losing out since there'll be plenty of hot guys hitting on me. Who knows, I might even meet the love of my life!"

She rose to her feet and prepared to take her leave.

Panicked by her words, Thomas grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace. "I didn't say I wasn't going to go with you!"

He looked at me with a troubled expression. "Ally…"

My words were dripping with disdain as I spat, "The bride and groom both need to be present for a marriage registration. Does the law require you to be Melody's partner to watch a basketball tournament too?"

Thomas' face darkened. "Mel just has a playful streak. She's been looking forward to this tournament for a long time. Are we going to disappoint her just because we need to register our marriage?"

"You never planned to listen to me from the start, so why are you even asking for my opinion?"

"Alice…"

"That's enough! It's not like I'm stopping you from going. Besides, we've already postponed our marriage registration three times. Nothing's going to change if we add one more time to the list.

"Melody is the most important person in your life. You should go with her."

The me of the past would have gotten angry and argued with him about his decisions. But I couldn't even muster the energy to start an argument with him now. Besides, I also no longer had the desire to register our marriage.

As he saw I wasn't putting up a fight, Thomas' face softened. "I see that you've matured. Don't worry, there are three more days till the wedding. I promise you that we'll definitely register our marriage before the ceremony!"

He left with Melody after making that promise. She acted coy with him, telling him that she didn't want to walk. He scolded her playfully for being lazy before scooping her up into his arms.

Melody giggled as she snuggled against him. She turned to look at me, showing me her middle finger before shooting a provoking smile in my direction. "Thomas won't be coming home tonight. He's going to have fun with me, so don't get in our way, Alice!"

I was sick of their ridiculous behavior. I aimed my phone at Melody and recorded her actions before saving the video to a folder that I had created for her and Thomas. It was filled with videos and pictures of them being overly intimate with one another.

I organized the folder before sending it to a staff member who was in charge of the wedding ceremony.

"Hello, I would like to change the videos and pictures that will be shown during the wedding ceremony to those in this folder. Thank you."

I updated my status on Twitter again. "Four more days to go."

Since they were so fond of showing off their love for each other in front of me, I was going to lend them a hand. In four days, everyone would know all about how touching their love story was.

The next day, Thomas called me. "I won't be going home today or tomorrow. The tournament lasts three days. Melody rarely has this much fun. I've watched over her since she was a child, so I'm worried that she'll be bullied if I'm not by her side."

I gave him a callous reply before hanging up. I then stopped by Bastion Group to process my resignation.

On the way home, I updated my status once again. "Only three more days left."

Thomas didn't return even after the basketball tournament ended. Instead, he called me again. "I… I can't come home today either. Mel is hosting a stag party for me. She said it's the last time I can go wild before I get married.

"I know that we have rehearsals scheduled for the day before the ceremony, and I also know that things have been hectic. But Mel really put her heart into planning this party for me…"

Thomas was probably aware of how ridiculous his actions were. He was someone who could justify every single one of his actions normally, but it was clear that he had no substantial ground to stand on in this case.

Melody's whining came through the receiver. "Thomas, I know we had to kiss as punishment for losing the game, but you didn't have to be so rough and tear the skin on my lips!"

Thomas disconnected the call before I could say anything. I gathered up all the things that I had bought for him—his clothes, his daily necessities, the lights, the furniture, and the eating utensils. I gathered up everything that had a connection to me in the villa and got someone to throw it all away.

"It's the last day!"

I looked around the villa which was visibly emptier than before, and I updated my status on Twitter once more.

Thomas commented, "Don't worry, my dear wife. The party won't affect our wedding ceremony. I'll be on time tomorrow. Just wait for me to marry you!"

I had no plans to marry him, whether he was on time or late for the wedding ceremony. I didn't reply to his comment as I lay with eyes wide open on the bed until dawn broke on the horizon.

On the day of the wedding, Thomas had a whole entourage with him when he came to pick me up. I picked up my suitcase and boarded the helicopter that Louis had arranged for me right in front of their faces.