She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 536

"Well... your building is way too high-end. The elevator stopped on the 20th floor, and I thought I was at the lobby, so I got off. Turns out everything below the 20th floor is the luxury amenity deck. I got distracted wandering around the entertainment lounge and lost track of time."

After hanging up, Everett sat against his headboard, staring blankly at his phone.

Melanie wouldn't ask him something like that out of nowhere...

He wondered if someone had spotted him sneaking out of her luxury complex at two in the morning.

In truth, what he had just told her was only half the story.

Rosevale Heights was indeed unimaginably opulent, far beyond what he was used to.

He really had stepped off on the wrong floor, mistaking the 20th for the lobby.

But he hadn't been playing games or exploring the amenities.

He had been spiraling in depression because Melanie had rejected his subtle request to come up to her apartment. He had collapsed into a high-end massage chair and stared into space for hours.

Without realizing it, he had fallen asleep.

When he woke up, it was almost 2 AM, and he had hurried out of the building in a panic.

Everett refused to let Melanie know that she had left him such a devastating emotional wreck.

They always said unrequited love was a one-man war, and Everett couldn't agree more.

Because that was exactly what it felt like.

Sometimes, he couldn't help but harbor resentment toward fate.

It felt incredibly unfair.

When he first fell in love with her, she was engaged to his best friend.

Now he was still hopelessly in love with her, she was finally divorced, and yet she already had a new boyfriend.

To Everett, it felt like they were perpetually missing each other.

Or rather... he was just always one step behind her.

He buried his face in his hands, consumed by crushing despair.

"I would never dare punish you..."

With a gentle gesture, he motioned for her to step out of the car.

They stood shoulder to shoulder in the cool night air.

At this hour, the dense forest was utterly abandoned. It was just the two of them.

"It really is the perfect spot to bury a body," Melanie noted dryly, causing Preston to rub his temples in exasperation.

Suddenly, a faint glow appeared deep within the trees.

At first, it looked like a stray star had fallen to earth, a single flickering light in the absolute void.

Melanie's eyes widened.

Before her, more and more lights began to gather, illuminating the darkness and transforming the desolate woods into something out of a dream.

Finally, she understood why Preston had driven her all the way out here.