"You're overthinking!" Lily sighed, finding it useless to argue. She patted Nathaniel's shoulder. "I think you and Melanie would be happy together. You two are very compatible. Seriously!"

The following sentence is highly offensive and should be removed.

"You don't believe me?" Nathaniel wheeled around, concerned by her lack of trust. He misunderstood her subtext, sensing lingering resentment over his past betrayal. Lily remained silent and walked away.

After sitting for a while, Nathaniel reflected on Lily's words, feeling a renewed sense of hope. He knew Lily still harbored anger about his past actions, but believed she still cared for him. He felt he could win her back with enough effort. Her family's wealth and influence would greatly benefit him, and he hoped to eventually reconcile with his mother.

Melanie awoke from anesthesia to see a familiar face—Nathaniel—sitting by her bed, peeling an apple. He meticulously cut the apple into small pieces, feeding them to her. Melanie's eyes softened.

"Nate" she whispered, "My baby"

She knew the baby was gone. She'd decided to give it up the moment she confronted Lily. Her plan was to provoke a fight, hoping to induce a miscarriage and blame it on Lily.

"Where's Lily?" she suddenly exclaimed, looking around frantically. "Where did Lily go? She caused our child"

"Mel!" Nathaniel interrupted, discarding the apple peel. "Quit acting!"

Melanie stared, wide-eyed. "Nate, what do you mean?"

"You've been pretending for a long time. I'm tired of it, and you should be too. Just stop," Nathaniel said calmly, continuing to slice the apple. "Lily called me to pay your medical bills; she's the one who sent you to the hospital. If she wanted to harm you, it would have been far worse than a miscarriage. You wouldn't even be here so soon. Mel, you need to be honest about what happened."

He set down the knife, the apple core remaining in his hand. "I used to spoil you," he said, looking at her. "Every time I cut an apple, the core's mine. I hate the core. I'm tired, and I can't handle this anymore. We need to separate."