CHAPTER 377: HATE

"Derek!"

Melissa rushed after him, reaching out to stop the man from leaving the residence. When they stepped outside, she managed to touch his arm, but Derek flung his hand, pushing her away in the process.

"Derek!" She stumbled back slightly, her hand throbbing after he accidentally slapped it away. Still, she didn’t care. She reached out again. "Derek, please, just listen to me—"

"FOR WHAT?!" he shouted. "So you could lie to me again?! Melissa, I heard everything you said! What kind of explanation could possibly fix that, huh?"

He took a step closer, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward him. "Go on then. Let’s hear it. I want to see you lie through your teeth and make that make sense!"

He had come here today to test her—to see if she’d stay with him even if he had nothing. He arrived with confidence, telling Celestine he’d prove their relationship was worth fighting for. But what he found was Melissa blaming him for restricting her life, calling him worthless without his family.

He didn’t want to believe what he heard, but he couldn’t ignore it either. If anyone else had said those words, he’d have defended her, even fought them for slandering her. But they came from her own mouth.

"So?" he scoffed, his grip tightening around her arm. "What kind of lie are you going to tell me next, huh?"

She winced. "Derek, you’re hurting me."

But he didn’t let go. His fingers dug in harder.

"Derek..."

"Say it now!" he roared, finally releasing her by throwing her arm aside. "What lies are you still going to feed me? How do you explain everything that came out of that mouth?!"

Melissa stumbled back again, her arm throbbing and her eyes burning with resentment. Seeing the disgust on his face, she ground her teeth and finally snapped.

"This is why!" she screamed. "You always expect me to be perfect—to be kind, to look good, to be everything! But whenever I try to talk to you, you never even try to understand me!"

He scoffed, taken aback by her yelling for the first time.

"I have done everything for you! I devoted my life just so you could see me, so you could understand me!" Her voice cracked but grew louder. "But every time, all you ever think about is yourself!"

"Myself?" His voice trembled with anger, his eyes red at the corners. "You’re blaming me now? Melissa, when did I ever ask you to think of me, huh?"

"All the time!" she yelled. "Every time we meet, every single date—it’s always about you! I can’t even remember a time you tried to reassure me or protect me! It’s always the other way around—it’s exhausting! I’m not perfect, Derek! All these years, I’ve protected you—your ego, your pride! I had to be perfect for you, but you’re not even close!"

She panted, her fists trembling. "Even at that engagement party, you didn’t think of me! You just left me to deal with the aftermath of everything! When I tried calling, you ignored me!"

"I was having a hard time too!" she continued, her voice softening. "But whenever I needed you the most, you were always gone! What do you expect me to do?! I’m the one taking all the hits for what Lola did—it’s me and my family who’ve suffered the most! So how can you blame me for being resentful when you turned your back on me during my hardest days?!"

"Hah." A bitter scoff escaped him. His mouth opened and closed, but no words followed.

"Melissa!" Jasmine rushed forward, her eyes trembling as she grabbed her daughter’s hand. "Derek, Melissa didn’t mean any of that. She’s just—she’s in a very dark place right now—"

"No," Melissa snapped, glaring at her mother before turning back to Derek. "I meant every word. Ever since he pursued me, I’ve had to be careful. I loved you, Derek. I loved you enough to ignore the people who said I stole you from Lola."

She swallowed hard. "I loved you enough to try to be worthy of you and your family. But all these years, Derek—what have you actually done to keep me?"

Derek had only pampered her when he was pursuing her. Once they were together, the spark faded. His efforts vanished, yet he still expected perfection from her just so he could show her off.

"Other than calling me your fiancée, you did nothing for me," she whispered, shaking her head. "So yes, Derek. It’s your fault. You pushed me to this point. And it’ll be your fault until the day I die. I wish I’d never met you—I hate you. You have no idea how much."

"Melissa!" Jasmine gasped, slapping her daughter’s shoulder. She shook her head in panic, looking at Derek. "Derek, she doesn’t mean that. Melissa doesn’t hate you, she’s just—she’s not in the right state of mind—"

"Mom!" Melissa screamed, jerking her arm away. "Why are you still siding with him?! He abandoned us!"

Derek let out a dry, broken laugh. He had been with her for over a decade, but right now, he couldn’t even recognize the woman standing before him.

"You..." He laughed again, hollow and bitter. "You really... wow." He lifted a hand to stop Jasmine from speaking further, then turned to leave, but paused mid-step.

"Melissa," he said quietly, looking back at them. "Saving me years ago... was that true? Or was that just another lie?"

She didn’t answer. Her glare was sharp, her silence deafening. And looking at her, Derek realized he didn’t need an answer. Nothing that came out of her mouth—or the Youngs’—could be trusted anymore.

He scoffed. "You know, Lola... I’m glad she did what she did at the engagement party. Sure, it humiliated me, but it saved me from even worse humiliation later. You’re right, Melissa. Maybe I am nothing without my grandfather or my family name. But at the end of the day, I’m still a Lancaster."

He tilted his head, smirking darkly. "What about the Young family? Do you think you’ll survive this? No, you all deserve what’s coming."

With that, he turned and walked away, fuming. Jasmine stood frozen, her face pale with worry. But Melissa? She kept her glare fixed on his retreating figure before she scoffed.

"I hate him!" she screamed, shoving Jasmine aside before running toward her room. "Ugh!!"

"Melissa!" Jasmine cried, chasing after her before turning back toward the door. "Derek, son! Please!"

But it was no use.

Neither Derek nor Melissa stopped. Both went in opposite directions—one storming off, the other locking herself away.

Earlier, Jasmine had still hoped for some kind of reconciliation between the Youngs and the Lancasters. But now, even that last sliver of hope... was gone.