Perched above the scene, I watched Dexter with a mocking smile. “Dexter, should you not be thrilled
that I’m gone? Who are you trying to fool with that act? It was you who brought me down!”
“Just go back and wait for the results, Mr. Fitzgerald,” Robin said, clearly not a fan of Dexter. His
disdain for Dexter’s two–faced behavior was palpable.
“Dexter, you’re truly despicable!” Ste was still charged with emotion as she pointed at him. “Aren’t
you getting married? Go back to your precious Melody and get married!”
I stood by Ste, my gaze icy as I looked at Dexter.
At this point, I had no energy left to hate him. I was just a sacrificialmb for Melody, taking the brunt of
a disaster meant for his beloved.
With that, the debt I owed him was now paid in full.
Dexter remained still, his belief in my misfortune evident.
“Dexter…” Ste handed her coat back to Robin and pulled a wrapped gift from her purse. “I’m sorry; I
didn’t want to give this to you because I don’t think you and Melody deserve Phoebe’s wedding gift.”
Her voice broke as she spoke. I wanted to wipe away her tears, to embrace her, but I was powerless.
“Three months ago, Phoebe came to me,” Ste’s whole body shook, “she talked about studying
abroad, and asked me to keep it a secret.“.
She must have been thinking that if I had left the country sooner, I wouldn’t be lying here.
“She wanted to escape from you, Dexter. Every moment, she dreamed of leaving you, yet you believed
she was desperate for your affection.” Ste’s voice wasced with sarcasm. “Your pitiful ego, it’s
tragic.”
“Enough…” Dexter frowned, clearly not fond of this talk.
“She tolerated and indulged you not because she was weak, but because she was repaying a debt!
That day. Phoebe told me that it’s easy to repay money, but a life, a rtionship? She didn’t know how
to settle that.”
Ste extended the gift to Dexter. “These past years, she worked multiple jobs, sold her designs,
tutored, all without spending a dime of the Fitzgerald family’s wealth, saving every penny to pay back
what she owed you.”
Ste pulled out a card from her purse. “This is Phoebe’s savings, over a million in four years. Ever
since her parents passed, she’s been scrimping and saving, believing one day she could pay off her
debt to you.”
15:04
Dexter averted his eyes, refusing to take the card.
“Take it. Didn’t you always say I owed you too much? Take it…” My voice was hoarse as I questioned
Dexter.
But he didn’t ept it.
“Do you know how hard Phoebe worked for this wedding gift? She tutored those spoiled brats in the
wealthy districts, enduring their tantrums, oftening home battered. She worked night. shifts at 24–Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.
hour diners, barely sleeping five hours if it wasn’t too busy.”
Ste’sugh was bitter. “She worked over a month to scrape together this thousand dors for your
wedding gift, wanting to earn it before she left for abroad.”
Dexter didn’t want to hear it, but Ste insisted on telling him. “This card holds her life’s savings, a
testament to her determination to repay you.”
Frustrated, Ste tossed both the gift and the card at Dexter.
“Take your damn money and get lost. Never show your face to Phoebe again. She despises you; she
never wants to see you.”
I nodded in agreement with Ste’s words.
Indeed, ver wanted to see him again, not even in death.
“She’ll be fine. I’ve said it before, if something happens to her, I’ll die with her. She’ll be okay.” Dexter
murmured, his voice gravelly with emotion.
I thought he was utterly ridiculous, to a ludicrous extent.
Die with me? Why? Are you even worthy?
“Dexter! Get back here! The hotel just called–Melody… she tried to take her own life at the hotel!”
Hank, who had stepped aside to answer a call, rushed back in a panic, announcing Melody’s attempt.
I watched as Dexter’s face turned even paler, his expression increasinglyplex.