Emily walked into the room and closed the door. Her droopy eyes widened and a smile stretched on
her lips. She looked completely sober.
People in the entertainment circle usually had a stronger threshold for drinks. Emily pretended to be
drunk just to get closer to Jonas.
Emily pulled out the cellphone from her pocket and immediately texted Yulia, instructing her what she
needed to do next.
At the Gu family, Yulia read the message and smiled. She went to the small villa where Melinda lived.
Melinda was all alone in her room, reading books. Yulia couldn't help but admire Melinda at times. She
was unfazed by the chaos in her life and read books that were hard for Yulia to understand.
"Melinda, I want to watch a horror movie but I'm too scared to watch it alone. Can I sit here and watch it
with you?"
Yulia asked as she walked into the room with a laptop. She placed it afar and wore the wireless
earphones to not disturb Melinda.
Melinda glanced at Yulia and continued to read her book.
She was used to Yulia hanging with her and didn't bother to stop her.
Yulia knew that it would take time for Jonas to return home from Emily's house and decided to execute
her plans accordingly.
Jonas returned home at ten in the evening. Yulia heard Jonas's car in the yard and came downstairs at
once. He got out of the car and accidentally saw a lipstick mark on his face through the rearview mirror.
Just when Yulia's plan was about to collapse, she immediately hurried towards him. "Jonas!"
Jonas was taken aback by Yulia's sudden entry. "Why did it take so long for you to return home?" Her
eyes widened with surprise and she covered her mouth with her hand.
"Why is there a lipstick mark on your cheek?" she asked before Jonas had the chance to wipe it off. His
entire body froze.
Jonas followed Yulia's gaze and realized that Melinda was standing behind him. Her cold eyes seemed
to be shooting daggers at him.
"Jonas, are you..." Yulia glanced at Melinda and back at Jonas. "Are you having an affair with another
woman?"
she asked cautiously. Happiness bubbled in her heart when she saw that Melinda was staring at Jonas
in shock. Yulia shut her mouth and shook her head.
She had left her earphones in Melinda's bedroom on purpose. Yulia knew that Melinda would run
downstairs and bring it to her.
Melinda scoffed at Jonas and went back to her room.
Jonas's heart sank when he saw the disappointment in Melinda's eyes. He punched the air in
frustration.
Yulia looked at Jonas and opened her mouth to say something but she saw him glare at her.
"Jonas, you..." She cleared her throat and continued, "You shouldn't do this to Melinda. It's unfair. Do
you have any idea how upset she would be?"
Yulia grabbed her laptop and immediately left. Jonas rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand until
his skin turned sore.
Jonas walked into the villa in a trance. It seemed like a horrible nightmare. The living room was dark
and Jonas was too upset to turn the lights on. He followed the dim light in the corridor and went
upstairs.
Melinda sat on the bed, staring at the wall. She couldn't shake the image of the bright lipstick mark on
Jonas's cheek.
Her husband had been returning home with the scent of a woman lingering on his shirt, and today, he
had gone a step further by coming home with a lipstick stain.
"Mellie," Jonas called softly.
He was anxiously standing by the door, hesitant to walk in. His face was pale and he looked uneasy.
Melinda turned around and glanced at him coldly. The disappointment in her eyes was gone. Her face
was expressionless as she looked at Jonas like he was just another man.
Jonas didn't have the heart to see her stony face. It looked like she had become numb.
Jonas wouldn't have felt bad even if she had yelled at him but her serene face pricked him like a thorn.
"What happened today was a small mistake. I can explain everything."
Jonas's heart sank when she saw her staring at him with vacant eyes.
But he knew that he had to clarify the confusion, or else it would be too late.
"Emily was drunk tonight. She suddenly kissed me." Jonas swallowed loudly. "It happened too quickly
and I didn't have the time to push her away."
Jonas didn't cross his limit with Emily. It was just an accident and he hoped Melinda would trust his
words. Melinda stood up and crossed her arms across her chest.
"She was drunk? None of this would have happened if you hadn't gone out for dinner with her. Anyway,
you all have your reasons."
She sneered and glanced at Jonas's cheek that had turned red because he had rubbed it too much.
Melinda was disgusted by it, so she quickly turned away.
"We are just friends," Jonas said weakly. "We hadn't seen each other for days, so we had dinner
together."
"It looks like you guys missed each other too much. That's why you decided to meet her. I know that
Emily is a heavy drinker and she wouldn't get drunk easily. How many drinks did you have with her?"
Jonas flinched at her tone. He didn't know how to make her understand that it wasn't his fault.
"It was an accident," he croaked.
That was all he could say. There was no evidence to prove his innocence. Melinda closed her eyes and
took a deep breath. Jonas and Emily had met each other after he promised his wife that he would cut
all ties with Emily.
Melinda knew Jonas too well and couldn't believe that it was just a casual dinner.
"You bastard!" Melinda cried out. Her loud voice reverberated across the silent room as the word
continued to ring in Jonas's ears for a long time. He shuddered in shock.
He knew that nothing could make Melinda trust him.
"I just... I just wanted to thank her for helping me. Emily is just a friend."
Melinda wasn't ready to believe him. Every word that came out from Jonas's mouth seemed like a lie to
her.
Melinda felt that the incident was a warning to stay away from Jonas. Emily had returned from filming
and Jonas had immediately gone to meet her. Moreover, Yulia's words and actions made her
uncomfortable.
Melinda took a deep breath and looked at Jonas. "I want you to stay away from her. This is my last
request, Jonas."
She pushed Jonas out of the room and closed the door. She leaned against the door and slumped to
the floor. "You go back to your room. I'm exhausted and I need to rest. Leave me alone."
Jonas fisted his palms tightly as his nails sank into the flesh, forming crescent-shaped cuts. He
gradually loosened the grip and his shoulders drooped as he trudged to his room. He felt that Melinda
was moving farther from him and the crack in their relationship got wider.
Nothing seemed to fill the gap.
Melinda couldn't sleep well at night and her whole body ached when Mary woke her up in the morning.
Mary usually let her sleep late but she was too anxious. She continued to wake Melinda up until she sat
up.
"Mary, what happened?" Melinda asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Jonas's mother is back. I don't think it's a good idea for you to wake up late."
Melinda's eyes snapped open and all traces of sleep disappeared from her face. Jonas's mother was
back.
Queena went abroad and Melinda almost forgot that she was a part of her life. The news about her
arrival brought back bitter memories.
"Mary, is she at home now?"
Mary shook her head. "The servants in the main villa told me that she would be here before lunch.
Everyone's busy there."
Queena sought perfection and always found fault in others. Everyone went through a tough time
because of her.
Melinda knew that she despised her. Queena always watched Melinda with vigilant eyes and found a
reason to complain about her. She hated Melinda and her family.
Queena felt that Melinda was inferior to her and didn't deserve to be with her son.
If Melinda slept longer, Queena would make it a point to taunt her.
Melinda quickly washed her face, brushed her teeth, and went to the main villa. She saw that the
servants were busy with their work. Nelson had also left for the company. Yulia was the happiest of
them all as there was finally someone to control Melinda.
Queena returned at eleven in the morning. Jonas immediately came back from work to see her.
"Jonas, I heard that you're doing a good job in the company. I'm proud of you."
Queena beamed with joy. Some of the members of the board of directors were her friends. She was
joyous to find that Nelson had a tendency to give full power to Jonas.
"It's a shame that my wonderful son has a wife like you,"
Queena said, scowling at Melinda. She couldn't stop worrying that her precious son had gotten married
to a worthless woman like Melinda.
She felt that Melinda came from an ordinary, illiterate family and that Jonas deserved someone better
than her.
Melinda was unaffected by Queena's insults and smiled at her.
Melinda's calmness annoyed her even more.
"Don't get offended. Jonas can easily find a woman who is a hundred times better than you are,"
Queena said with disgust. Melinda stood in a corner and waited for Queena to finish. Once she finished
insulting her, Melinda turned to leave.
But Queena stopped her.
"I don't think we need to live in separate villas. I want the two of you to move back here."
Melinda wanted to refuse. Moving back meant that she probably had to sleep in the same room with
Jonas and she wasn't ready for that. Her mind flitted to the lipstick mark on his cheek and she became
furious.
"Okay, Mother. I'll make the arrangements right away," she said.
Although Melinda was not happy with the decision, she was left with no choice but to heed to it.
Otherwise, Queena wouldn't let her live in peace.
Agreeing to her would save a lot of trouble.
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