Chapter 335: Here
"Here," Cadence said, placing a small, carefully cut slice of mango cake on the table in front of her. "I made this for you. Don’t you love it?"
He untied his apron slowly, folding it over the back of the chair with what he probably thought was casual grace.
Melanie stared at the plate for a long moment. Her fingers curled into her palms, nails digging into the skin. Then she looked up and gave him a thin, polite smile.
"Actually," she said quietly, "I used to like mango cake. Not anymore."
Cadence frowned and shook his head, almost like he was disappointed in a child. "Mel. I know you’re angry with me. But how can you say that you don’t like mango cake just because of me? That’s not fair." He gestured vaguely at the kitchen behind him. "I’ve been controlling myself, haven’t I? Just like I promised you. I didn’t hit you. Not even once. Even though you’ve been... well, you’ve been pushing me a lot these past few days."
Melanie let out a sharp breath. Her smile dropped.
"And I’m supposed to applaud that? You want me to thank you for doing the bare minimum and not hurting me? Is that the new gold standard, you cad?"
Her voice rose just slightly at the end, but she continued to stare at him calmly. It didn’t matter if this man tried to hit her. She needed to find a way to get off this island and if the only way to do that was to going to be in an ambulance, then so be it. She already knew that the doctor and the machines had been brought especially for her. And now, they had already left, so if he ended up hurting her, he would have to take her off the island for first aid.
So, she continued coldly, "I’ve told you before. I’m not Melody or Mel. Whatever fantasy you’re clinging to isn’t me. And for the record," she said, glancing back at the cake, "the world does not revolve around you. Actually, you got one thing right. I used to like mango cake. I even made it for someone I was with once. My ex. He loved it. But he also broke me in ways I doubt I can fully recover from. So now? Every time I taste that damn cake, I remember him. And I hate it."
She didn’t raise her voice, didn’t try to shock him. She just laid it out in a quiet and bitter but final. She had suffered for three years of her life, all because of Spencer Collins. And somehow, that Mango cake had become a representative of him. They’d eaten that cake on their ’wedding’, after all.