ManyWriters

Melody has an eating disorder and can only consume food I prepare.
To ensure she has hot meals on time, I quit my job to cook for her.
Later, I accidentally overheard her conversation with a friend.
"Melody, why did you lie to Ethan about having an eating disorder?"
I heard her chuckle softly and say, "How else would he be willing to quit his job?"
"At the time, he was an obstacle to my junior's career. I'd do anything as long as my junior could achieve his goals."
It turns out that what I thought was a mutual commitment was, from beginning to end, just my one-sided love.
Well then, I'll let go and wish you both the best.

A Gentle Misplacement

The ringtone was a special one Delia had set for Donavan.


Donavan's dejected voice came through the phone.


"Why did she have to leave so early? She didn't even give me a chance to be filial to her."


Donavan came from a single-parent household. His mother had raised him alone since he was little, but she passed away during his senior year of college.


Melody gripped the phone tightly and asked with concern, "Have you been drinking?"


Donavan didn't answer and continued, "I really want to go be with her."


Melody became alarmed and quickly turned her car around.


"Don't do anything stupid. I'm coming over right now."


The sword that had been hanging over my head finally fell.


I looked at her and asked, "Melody, didn't you say you'd come with me to visit the graves?"


She replied impatiently, "Can't you be more understanding? Donavan is about to kill himself. I need to go check on him first."


I grabbed one of her hands and pleaded, "We're almost at the cemetery. Can we just go put some flowers on my parents' graves and change the offerings? It won't take long. You can go to him right after, okay?"I hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Melody, I'm begging you."


She stopped the car and looked at me coldly, "Ethan, how can you be so heartless? What's more important, human life or visiting the cemetery?!"


I clenched my fists and glared at her angrily.


"Is Donavan really that important? Who's your husband, him or me?!"


I held my cheek, looking at her in disbelief.


"Ethan, can you stop being unreasonable? I'm really disappointed in you."


"Don't say things that could be misunderstood anymore. Don't affect Donavan's career."


"If you're so keen on visiting the cemetery, then go by yourself."


"It's not far anyway. Get out and walk there yourself."


She stopped the car and opened the door on my side.


I felt a chill all over, with an overwhelming sadness in my heart.


"Melody, it's pouring rain right now. You're making me walk there by myself?"


"You're treating me like this for an outsider?""


She said coldly, "You know my personality. Don't make me repeat myself."


Of course I knew her personality. She always meant what she said.


At first, that's exactly what attracted me to her—that fierce independence.


I never imagined that the bullet from years ago would strike me between the eyes today.


As soon as my feet hit the ground, Melody drove off without hesitation.


The splashing water soaked me from head to toe.


Like a walking corpse, I made my way to my parents' graves.


They looked at me kindly from their black and white photos, as if asking where the person was that I'd been promising to introduce to them for so many years.


But I didn't want to introduce her anymore.


When I got home, Melody still wasn't back.


"To capture someone's heart, you must first capture their stomach. I'm so glad I met you."


In the video, Melody was eating. The dishes in front of her were clearly freshly made.


The dishes looked absolutely perfect in every way, and she was eating with complete satisfaction.


Yet when she ate the food I cooked, more often than not she'd chew a few bites and spit it out.


"Then she disparaged my cooking, saying it was completely worthless: "Ethan, do you think you can control me just because I can only stomach your cooking? Is this even fit for human consumption?"


Chapter 3