The silence between the women came to a comforting lull, and the atmosphere recovered a modicum
of peace.
"I have been in the Gu family for nearly six years now," Melinda said gently, breaking the quiet. There
was no emotion to her voice, no hint of nostalgia, or even a semblance of joy. She said it as though she
was about to tell a story that belonged to another person, a story that wasn’t hers.
"In the eyes of most people, I was a living Cinderella, a poor girl who managed to marry into a rich
family. Many girls were jealous of me, and they often made their feelings known one way or another."
Melinda had wasted five years being tied to Jonas in a loveless marriage. For the first four years she
had been chasing him, and then she had finally realized the truth for what it was: the man she had
loved in her best years could never be hers. "A Cinderella," she murmured, and a self-deprecating
smile crept into her face. "I was the object of everyone's envy, but what was there to be envious of?
What kind of life have I been living all these years? I have become a lesser person than I used to be,
shackled to circumstances that only serve me misery."
Even the servants in the main villa, while not all, seemed to be looking down on her. A mistress who
was beneath her servants. Such was the life her husband gave her.
"In truth, I was no different from all those other girls." Melinda took a deep breath. She was about to
relive all the time she wasted on Jonas, and Queena found herself listening attentively, much to the
older woman’s chagrin.
"I fell in love with Jonas at first sight. I kept thinking to myself how nice it must be if I were to earn the
love of such a man. He was... perfect, practically. He had all the qualifications most girls our age were
looking for in a romantic partner.
Except, perhaps, that he is a little aloof. But that only added to his appeal. He was so out of my league
—out of anyone’s, really—so I strove to become better and worked hard in hopes that I might catch his
eye."
A sliver of emotion had laced her tone, and a light little smile played on her lips. Even her eyes had
curved into little rainbows.
Regardless of everything else, that part of her youth was among her most treasured memories. And in
spite of the pain that followed, the emotions she harbored at that time made her feel more alive than
ever in her life.
"I did so many stupid things just to try to get close to him. I got myself into a lot of minor troubles, made
a lot of questionable decisions... Just so I could keep him in my sight.
That was all it was, at the time. At first, I thought I would be content just watching him from afar, he was
just so out of reach. I never expected that our grandfathers had such a connection, and that I would
end up getting married to Jonas after all."
She had thought then that life had given her the most glorious surprise. She had thought of little else
during that phase, wrapped as she was in blissful oblivion. The only thing that mattered was the fact
that she was going to have a place in Jonas's life.
Her own grandfather had voiced out his reservations, but she plowed on willfully and all but thrown
herself into the marriage.
Back then, if she had possessed even a third of the sanity she now had, she would never have been so
hasty to dive into a world that was so different from the one that she had known before.
Jonas was like an irresistible, magnetic beacon to her young and naive self. She loved him too much,
and couldn’t bear even the thought of being apart from him.
She had soon been violently awakened to the cold and bitter reality of where she stood in his life,
though. It had always been a source of pain for Melinda to recall those days.
Although she had resigned herself to the sad truth, she always regretted the way her younger self
threw away her best years for a man.
Even now, while she nurtured a deep sense of calm, she couldn’t help the strong emotions that
seemed to claw their way up to the surface, demanding to be acknowledged.
At that point, Queena had already been listening to her daughter-in-law rather intently. Melinda was a
storyteller, after all; she had a gift for capturing people’s attention with words and immersing them into
the stories.
Feeling somewhat gratified, Melinda told her mother-in-law everything. She held nothing back, feeling
as though her burdens were being eased as she gave voice to all that she had bottled up for the past
decade.
Queena was looking at her quizzically. Apparently, this girl chased after her son out of pure love and
sheer perseverance. There was no glamour to her actions and her intent after all.
At the time of their university years, Jonas had amounted to nothing more than a clerk in one of the
family’s subsidiaries, and no one had known his identity. Moreover, he wasn’t qualified to hold any high
position, and wasn’t even being considered a candidate to inherit.
And yet this slip of a girl had already been following him around, hoping to catch his eye.
And when she really thought about it, it was because of Melinda that her son was slated to inherit
Soaring Group. If his grandfather had not asked Jonas to marry Melinda, Jonas would not have been
so quick to get to the heart of the company.
Nelson’s conditions to the request gave way for Jonas to learn the ropes in their business sooner than
anyone would have had intended, and now he was more than capable to take the reins and lead.
By all rights, Jonas had been the one who had nothing—nothing that mattered significantly anyway—
and Melinda came into their lives and handed him everything.
Queena felt something within her ease, and she couldn’t help chuckling at Melinda’s antics when she
was young. "You really were seeing everything through rose-colored glasses."
And Melinda laughed along with her. She regretted the decisions that sprang from her emotions, but
never the emotions themselves.
She may have found herself down in the dumps several times, but she had always been hopeful, and
never desperate. And she was rather proud of that.
"Did your Grandpa Nelson tell you all about me?" Queena asked, her face taking on a somber
expression.
Over time she had developed the belief that love was a fleeting emotion, and always treated it as
something dispensable. She had her fair share of romantic tragedy in her own marriage after all.
But listening to Melinda talk about her young and pure love, Queena felt like someone had yanked her
off her feet, like the world tilted beneath her, and when she was upright again she was seeing a whole
new perspective. It was as much an abrupt shock to her as it was a breath of fresh air.
"I know a little," Melinda said softly, looking at her mother-in-law’s lowered head. The older woman
looked... defeated, weary from old burdens she had carried for many years.
Melinda briefly marveled at the stark transformation of this woman before her from the gorgeous and
arrogant socialite image she always projected to other people.
Queena took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. Her eyes took on a dark look of self-mockery
as she began to talk about her ridiculous past.
The hour grew late. Melinda was a very good listener; she never interrupted, and her demeanor always
gave the impression that the speaker had all of her attention. Queena found herself speaking of parts in
her past that were difficult to say, and felt her heart lighten as the words came out of her mouth.
She never expected to find a confidante, not in these matters anyway. But there she was, sitting on the
floor, pouring her heart out to the daughter-in-law she had always kept in contempt—for no real reason,
it now seemed.
When she was finally done, Melinda reached out to rub the older woman’s shoulder in a gesture of
comfort. Queena had led a difficult life, too.
But she had Jonas. Melinda’s baby, on the other hand, was not saved.
Melinda felt terrible at the pang of malice that came with that thought, and she waved it off as she
spoke, her words directed to herself as much as to Queena.
"Let bygones be bygones. Don’t be trapped in the past. You now have endless opportunities to devote
your passions to your family, or your hobbies, your studies and paintings. There is so much more to
explore in life."
"Jonas..." Queena whispered, and her eyes filled with tears. "I’m so proud of him." He had grown into
an excellent man, the perfect prodigy to carry on the Gu family line.
Queena recalled all the things she had done to antagonize her son, and a sob escaped her lips as a
streak of guilt lanced through her.
Melinda could sense the direction of her mother-in-law’s thoughts, and something occurred to her:
there must be something to Jonas’s upbringing that made him become the man who caused her so
much suffering.
Nevertheless, this was neither the time nor place. "It’s getting late. The floor is cold, and so is the wall.
The blanket wouldn’t do much, Mom. Let me take you to your bedroom."
Queena finished her glass of honey water, and felt a great deal better, although she was still struggling
to navigate around her relationship with Melinda. Their whole interaction that night was a revelation of
some sorts, and she knew she needed to do some thinking.
Even so, as soon as she sank into the bed, she fell into a deep sleep before Melinda even left the
room.
The next morning, Melinda rose early and went downstairs to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast.
Last night had been a heavy episode in their lives, and was sure to take some toll on the family.
She wanted an opportunity to ease the atmosphere, and lighten the tension between the family
patriarch and her mother-in-law.
Nelson bumbled into the kitchen just as everything was bubbling on the stove. "Good morning,
Grandpa."
Melinda had been going back and forth among the countertops. A few servants were nearby, and
helped with the trifle tasks, but all in all it was Melinda who was hard at work, just as she had intended.
Nelson went to the garden after that to go over his morning exercises, humming to himself with
pleasure at the sight of Melinda being the ideal, skilled wife.
They were soon gathered in the dining table, Queena having woken up earlier than usual. Yulia,
though, was still asleep.
They shared an amicable meal, even joking with each other. It was as if the previous night did not
happen, and all parties involved were grateful at this development.
"Mellie, are you free today?" Queena asked out of the blue as the dishes were being cleared.
They were in the kitchen, Melinda preparing a pot of tea for Nelson after giving instructions to set aside
some breakfast for Yulia.
In truth, Queena had been hesitating since the meal. She wanted to spend some time with her
daughter-in-law.
She now realized that Melinda’s company was so much better than Yulia’s; the latter only spun toxic
conversations, while Melinda’s presence itself brought comfort, even if she kept silent the entire time.
"I do," Melinda said, a little surprised. "Is there something you want me to help you with?" As a matter
of fact, she had a bunch of drafts she needed to go over, but that could wait.
She was good at what she did anyway; she could breeze through the entire writing process if it came to
that. She could afford slacking off for a day or two.
"I really like the winter clothes you picked for me last time." Queena still had a hint of hesitation in her
voice. "I was thinking that I want to buy some more."
Melinda saw the older woman’s subtle fidgeting with her fingers, and smiled. Her mother-in-law was
quite embarrassed.
"What a coincidence, then! I also have something I want to buy at the mall. Let’s go together."
"Okay." Queena’s face brightened. She knew Melinda knew it wasn’t easy for her to invite her
daughter-in-law out, and was grateful for her easygoing and considerate nature.
They shared a warm smile.
Their little interaction didn’t escaped Nelson’s notice, and when the women left to prepare themselves
for their outing, he remained in the dining room with his tea.
His mind went over the events of the last few days since Queena’s return, culminating in the
harmonious way the two women walked upstairs, their arms entwined.
Nelson chuckled to himself as he sipped his tea. It tasted better than it ever had in a long time.
Queena was dressed in one of her many purple cheongsams, the simplicity countered by her gorgeous
jewelry. Melinda, on the other hand, opted for a much simpler suit.
She wore a white sweater over khaki trousers, and plain white sneakers. She topped it off with a large
olive green coat.
They were in the foyer just as Yulia came downstairs, and she stared in shock at the way Melinda was
holding Queena’s arm. "Aunt Queena!"
The two women turned at her somewhat urgent exclamation, and Melinda felt a degree of trepidation
as she looked at Yulia’s wild eyes. She had a bad feeling about this.
Yulia strode halfway towards where they stood. "Are you going out? Wait for me! I’ll go change my
clothes really quick and come with you."
It seemed like last night’s events didn’t prey on her mind either.
Queena shot her a cold look, and said, "No. Mellie will accompany me today."
Yulia’s eyes darted back and forth between the two women. Clearly something had changed in their
relationship. It didn’t occur to her that Queena’s treatment also had to do with her behavior this entire
time.
"We’re going to be late," Melinda said, breaking her rioting thoughts. "I’ve asked the servants to set
aside some breakfast for you. We’ll be going now."
As she closed the door behind her, she flashed Yulia a faint smile. No matter how subtle, Yulia
recognized the triumphant edge to that smile.
It mocked her, and for a long time after the women drove off, she just stood there, fuming.
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