Melanie's Radio of Love Free Preview

My brother married you only because your voice resembled Sophia's. The two of them are childhood sweethearts. If you have any shame left in you, don't be a cuckoo in the nest anymore! You're just a substitute. Sophia has returned, and they are now celebrating Ben's birthday together. Just wait until Ben divorces you!

"Benjamin, let's get divorced," said Melanie Davis with trembling hands as Jadyn Moore's mockery rang in her head.

As it turns out, he didn't come home all night because he was celebrating his birthday with another woman, huh? Melanie thought. Not only that, he married me because I sounded like her… No wonder he liked making me call him Ben repeatedly.

Benjamin Moore fixed his gaze intently on Melanie, his voice icy. "What did you say?"

Melanie pressed her lips together tightly. Her eyes were reddening at the corners, but they were filled with determination nonetheless. "I said, let's get divorced."

She took out a suitcase and began packing, moving swiftly with a sense of urgency, whereas Benjamin turn grimmer and clasped her wrist. "You were the one who begged me to marry you."

His grip hurt her, and it was then Melanie realized her genuine feelings were nothing more than pleas to him. Instantly, irony and regret entangled within her heart.

At that, she retorted through gnashed teeth, saying, "In that case, isn't divorce exactly what you want?"

They were well aware of how their marriage came about in the first place.

She thought that as long as she played the role of Mrs. Moore well, she could eventually win his heart. But in reality, it was merely her wishful thinking all along.

With tearful eyes, she stared at him with resentment, and Benjamin suddenly let go of her as he squinted his eyes.

"Do you know what divorce means?" he asked.

Melanie remained silent, her face momentarily paling.

At that, he monotoned on her behalf, saying, "Once you walk out that door, you will no longer be Mrs. Moore. According to the terms of our marriage agreement, you won't receive a penny from the Moore Family. What awaits you is the life you had before."

"Huh, as if anyone knows I'm Mrs. Moore!"

It was only after Melanie got into the cab that she let her tears flow, but she quickly wiped them away, leaving no trace behind.

Inside the massive mansion, while Benjamin wore a grim expression, his phone rang non-stop, and he eventually answered it.

"Ben, are you home?"

"Yes," replied Benjamin as he got up to stub out his cigarette.

"Let me ask you this, then. Now that Sophia's back, when are you going to divorce Melanie?" Jadyn eagerly asked on the other end of the line.

Benjamin, on the other hand, turned even grimmer upon hearing the sensitive word. "When did I ever say I wanted a divorce?!"

Jadyn was silenced at once, and she took a gander at the woman next to her before gritting her teeth, saying, "But didn't you marry her simply because—"

"It's not your place to meddle in my affairs," Benjamin interjected icily, but just as he was about to hang up, an oh-too-familiar voice came from the other end of the line. "Ben, are you still mad at me?"

Benjamin fell silent upon hearing her voice, his gaze fixed on a forgotten bracelet on the coffee table. He picked it up and played with it in his hand before saying curtly, "It's late. Get some rest." Then, he hung up.

"Ben? Hello? Ben!" Jadyn gazed shockingly at the disconnected phone, her voice filled with incredulity. "What is the meaning of this? Does he not want a divorce?"

Meanwhile, Sophia looked at the disconnected phone with profound emotions for a long while before asking softly, "Jadyn, do you think your brother has developed feelings for his wife?"

"No way!" The young woman frowned. "I heard it with my own ears that Ben admitted to marrying Melanie because her voice resembled yours, and you already married someone else. That was why he chose her in the end, but there's no way Ben would fall in love with Melanie."

"But…" Sophia's fists clenched involuntarily as she recalled the moment he saw her earlier that night. There was everything but joy on his face. "Feelings might inevitably develop over time."

"Well, that'll be even more unlikely," said Jadyn while gazing at Sophia in bewilderment. "You and Ben have known each other since you were kids, and it's only been like, what, a year since Melanie married my brother. She has nothing on you."

At that, Sophia seemingly relaxed. "But you saw it yourself tonight. He was distant toward me." His demeanor toward her was no different from how he treated others, but it wasn't like that before.

Jadyn patted Sophia's hand in response, comforting her as she said, "Trust me, Sophia. You're all Ben wants, and I can assure you that he will never fall in love with a substitute. Back when you left without a word, Ben searched for you for six whole months only to learn that you had married someone else. Naturally, it's understandable that he feels somewhat resentful. Just coax him however possible. He'll eventually forgive you."

At that, Sophia drooped her eyelids and smiled gently. "You're right. There's still a long road ahead."

Melanie returned to her apartment in the wee hours, and as she opened the door, a musty smell hit her nose. She suppressed her tiredness and quickly made the bed, after which she took out her phone, looked at the black profile picture, and ultimately pressed the block button.

With that, every trace of Benjamin was removed from her life. Tears fell onto the screen as she glanced at the water cup and medicine on the coffee table. Expressionless, she consumed them and lay down.

After waking up, everything would start anew. She no longer wanted to live for someone else; she wanted to live for herself.

One month later, at Moore Tower, Henry Green received a courier envelope to the CEO's Office with his contact information, but the recipient's name was Benjamin.

Curiosity got the better of him, and he opened it. The words that met his eyes made his hands tremble, and he immediately turned to the last page to find the all-so-familiar name. He let out a sigh.

Having received numerous documents before, this was the first time he had delivered such a tricky one. Now, he understood why Benjamin was in a bad mood early in the morning. The man had always been reserved, but on this day, that handsome face could be described as exceptionally cold.

Meanwhile, inside the CEO's office, Benjamin sat in his swivel chair, seemingly holding something in his hand. Upon hearing a voice, he glanced at Henry and quickly concealed whatever he had.

"Mr. Moore, I have a document here that requires your signature."

At that, Benjamin picked up a pen but paused after seeing what document it was. He stared coldly at the prominent words, then looked at the signature bearing her name before asking calmly, "Where is she?"

Henry might be Benjamin's assistant, but he was also his junior in school, and they were good friends outside of work. As such, he genuinely wanted to read something from Benjamin's face, but unfortunately, there was nothing. Hence, he quickly lost interest.

"I didn't see her. It was a delivery."

Although it was working hours, he couldn't help but wonder how Melanie could heartlessly divorce him.

"What in the world did you do, though? How did she agree to divorce you voluntarily?"

However, Benjamin merely stared icily at the beautifully calligraphed 'Melanie'. Her writing reflected her personality, but he was in no mood to appreciate it. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, revealing a hint of annoyance.

Henry, on the other hand, was astonished. Apart from when Sofia wanted to break up with Benjamin, he had never seen the man with so much emotional turbulence over something and someone. Even in deals worth billions, Benjamin could remain impassive. To put it nicely, he was calm and mature, but in reality, he was just cold and indifferent.

"Did you take your anger out on her?"

Benjamin remained silent, simply lighting a cigarette before saying indifferently, "She prepared a whole table of food and waited for me all night."

Henry nodded in response, having an epiphany. "Your doting wife waited at home while you secretly met with your old lover…"

Benjamin shot Henry an icy glare in response.

Henry quickly shut up and tapped the divorce agreement on the table after looking at it. "What? Looks to me like you never expected her to divorce you, or did you never take divorce as an option?"

After a long pause, Benjamin took a drag from his cigarette. The smoke floated lightly in the air as he spoke softly. "Indeed, it has never crossed my mind."

Which question did he answer, though?

Nighttime at Bramble City TV Station, in the recording studio for the late-night radio program…

"I just found out today that my boyfriend only dated me because of someone else. It's because I resembled his ex-girlfriend. He couldn't forget her, so he settled for me instead. Should I break up with him?"

Melanie froze in place in response, and when the staff in the control room saw her spacing out, they waved their hands anxiously, urging her to respond.

Melanie finally came to herself, and she pursed her lips before speaking into the microphone. "Love should be beautiful and pure. A relationship is like a glass of water; only the person drinking it knows its temperature. But if it were me, I think I would choose to be my unique and irreplaceable self rather than a substitute."

The person on the other end seemed to have burst into tears. Melanie didn't rush her either; instead, she played a sentimental song for her.

"Thank you. I think I know what to do now."

"I hope you'll meet someone who will truly love you in the future." After ending the call, Melanie said softly, "Alright, that's the end of tonight's program. See you tomorrow."

After taking off her headphones and walking out of the recording studio, she found two missed calls on her phone. Though the number wasn't saved, the owner had already been seared into her mind. However, she merely deleted the call logs, grabbed her coat, and left.

As she walked out of the TV station, she said goodbye to her colleagues, and when it was just her alone, a black Maybach slowly pulled up in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing a sharp and distinctive profile.

Their eyes met. His black hair was neatly groomed, and his gaze fell upon her face. "Get in."

Melanie had originally thought about walking away, but in the end, she asked, "Did you receive the divorce agreement? If you have time tomorrow, let's go to the City Hall and—"

"I don't mind wasting time with you here," said Benjamin, who then killed the engine and lit a cigarette, staring at her, his gaze deep and unfathomable, his face even icier in the night, even his tone became much frosty.

Melanie furrowed her brow tightly. It was true that there were fewer people at the TV station at night, but there were still late-night broadcasts, and it was inevitable that someone would see them. So, she gritted her teeth, opened the car door, and got in.

"What else do you want?" she asked with great impatience. Since she had made a decision, she didn't want to drag it out.

Benjamin caught the underlying message and glanced at her, asking, "Enough of this, alright?" However, Melanie still saw threat and impatience in his eyes.

Based on her understanding of him, the fact that he came to find her tonight was already his compromise.

Melanie fell silent for a moment before gazing solemnly at him. "Benjamin, I'm serious about the divorce."

Silence filled the rest of the journey until the car stopped at the residential area Melanie lived in before their marriage. As Benjamin lit up a cigarette leisurely, he reiterated, "I'm going to ask you one last time, are you sure about getting a divorce?"

Melanie didn't answer him. Instead, she got out of the car without a second thought and walked toward the residential area. However, she stopped in her tracks just after taking a couple of steps.

Thinking that she had changed her mind, Benjamin smirked, and he was about to get out of the car when he saw her turn around with a determined expression. "From now on, let's be strangers."

The man turned grim at once. However, he merely withdrew his gaze and smirked contemptuously before driving away.

…

Fortunately for Melanie, it was her day off, for she had a terrible sleep the night before. She had nightmares throughout the night—faces of Jadyn mocking her aggressively, moments of her proposing to Benjamin whose eyes were full of pity and manipulation, and images of him embracing other women.

Finally, he opened his lips. "Don't ever dream of comparing yourself to her. I will never love you."

Her phone rang just then, and she fished for it groggily, her voice hoarse with a tinge of resentment. "Who is it?"

Benjamin's hand, in the midst of signing a document, paused upon hearing her complaint. His gaze, however, fell on the new divorce agreement with unfathomable depths.

Meanwhile, Melanie had also taken a good look at the caller ID and sat up. For a moment, neither spoke; the sound of their breathing echoed from the other end of the line. She quietly clenched her phone as images from her dream resurfaced, and her heart suddenly twinged.

"Come to the company now and pick up what you want," Benjamin said ultimately, his voice cold and distant.

"What—"

"The divorce agreement."

His indifference instantly brought Melanie back to her senses. She closed her eyes, slowly loosened her clenched fist, and said calmly, "Right away." With that, she hung up the phone and muttered to herself, staring at the device. "Melanie, don't cling onto it anymore when you've decided to drop it."

Meanwhile, Benjamin stared at the decisively hung-up call, his gaze becoming colder and more chilling by the second.

"Mr. Moore, Miss Walker is here to see you."

At that, Benjamin put his phone down. "Let her in."

Sophia entered his office carrying a food container in a white midi dress and her long dark hair flowing with a pleasant fragrance. Her gaze was gentle as she looked at him.

"Ben, I made your favorite pastry. Would you like to have a taste?"

After pausing his gaze on her face for a moment, Benjamin glanced at the food container in her hand, seemingly reminiscing something.

Sophia, on the other hand, had walked to the coffee table and taken the pastries out. When Benjamin came around, he silently sat opposite her and watched as she fed him the pastry with a smile, her gaze filled with tenderness and affection. "I haven't made it since we separated. Try it and see if it tastes the same as before," she said.

However, Benjamin kept his gaze on her face. "Why have you returned?"

Sophia's smile stiffened for a split second, and a hint of hurt flashed across her eyes, but she stubbornly held her hand up. "Do you not want me to come back? You're still mad at me for what I did, don't you?" As she spoke, her eyes turned red-rimmed with oncoming tears.

Benjamin furrowed his brows and pressed his lips together in response, seemingly lost in thought when the door to his office was pushed open.

Henry's anxious voice rang out behind him, "Sir, Mrs.—Miss Davis is here—" However, before he could finish his words, Melanie had entered.

Melanie never expected a guest to be in his office, for the one time she brought him dinner, he told her to take it back and even forbade her from ever visiting him again, saying he didn't like visitors. With that, he left for a meeting. However, at this moment, he was eating pastries with another woman.

Sophia, too, turned around when she heard the noise, only to be taken aback and took a gander at herself when she saw the person at the door.

Melanie understood her surprise all too well, for at this very moment, the two had tucked their long, black hair behind them and even wore similarly designed dresses. Even their temperaments shared some resemblance. That said, all her clothes from the past year had been sent to the villa for her under Benjamin's orders.

The man was truly despicable. It was bad enough that their voices were similar, but he turned her entirely into someone else through attire and appearance.

Her face blanched for a moment, and she gripped the doorknob tightly. Not wanting to make herself appear too humiliating, she looked away from the woman and announced forcibly, "I've come to collect my thing."

Sophia turned to look at Benjamin, the man who gazed impassively at her earlier. But he appeared even grimmer after Melanie showed up. Even though a doubt flashed across her head, she went up to Melanie and extended her hand with a gentle smile. "Hello, Miss Davis. I'm Sophia, Ben's…" She hesitated slightly before finally revealing softly, "Ben's friend."

Melanie, on the other hand, drooped her eyelids, doing her best to keep her emotions in line, or rather impassive, as she returned the handshake. "Hello. Melanie Davis."

And then, that was it. The conversation stopped there as the two women sized each other up silently.

Benjamin, for some reason, thought the sight of the two women standing face to face bothersome. At that, he got up and walked to his desk. "Come in."

Melanie nodded curtly to Sophia, withdrew her hand, and walked over. She didn't look at Benjamin but asked indifferently, "Where is it?"

The man seemingly wanted to read something from her expression. However, there was nothing but impassiveness there. As such, he handed her the divorce agreement on the desk.

Melanie grabbed it only to find that he didn't want to let go. She was left with no choice but to raise her head and look into his enigmatic gaze. "Are you not going to sit down and read through it?" he asked softly.

Melanie quirked her lips in response and turned him down. With that, she yanked the document from his hands, pulled out her pen, and swiftly signed her name on the last page.

Two copies were made, and she held one copy tightly, leaving without a word.

Benjamin maintained a grim expression throughout, his gaze fixated on her signature. Confident, graceful, and beautiful, she was indeed straightforward.

He pressed his lips together tightly as he watched her retreating figure. In the end, he still couldn't stop himself from grabbing her wrist.

Having been caught off guard, Melanie evaded, but because she reacted a little aggressively, the agreement flew out of her hand. "Don't touch me!" she exclaimed at the same time.

Meanwhile, Sophia frowned as she watched the scene, her gaze slightly dim. At that, she bent down to pick up the paper, and when she saw the title, her eyes lit up at once, filled with joy. "Miss Davis, you've dropped this."

Benjamin stared grimly at the woman before him, boring into her, seemingly wanting to see through her. However, Melanie was already on the verge of a meltdown, and she averted her gaze uncomfortably. "Thank you. I shall not disturb you two further," she said and fled after taking a hasty gander at the pastries on the coffee table.

Henry, who had been watching the scene unfold aside, followed right behind Melanie at that.

Sophia, on the other hand, approached Benjamin and held his hand with a beam. "Are you going to divorce her?"

Finally, Benjamin's gaze reverted back to her, and after a brief moment of eye contact, he gently pushed her hand away, monotoning, "Our divorce is none of your business. Also, never see me in my office again."

Sophia's face, which had been filled with smiles, instantly froze. She looked at him with unyielding resignation, then let out a long, murky breath. She maintained her gentle and understanding demeanor and cooed to him as though he was throwing a temper tantrum at her. "Okay, okay, I'll let you get back to your work."

With that, she took a profound gander at him, the smile in her eyes impossible to conceal. The fact that he was getting a divorce was beyond thrilling to her.

"Don't forget to take your things with you."

Because she was beyond overjoyed, Sophia didn't insist on staying.

…

"Mrs. Moore, let me drive you."

Upon hearing Henry's salutation to her, Melanie turned around with unprecedented impassiveness, her tone tinged with sarcasm. "Please, Miss Davis, as usual."

At the thought of what happened a few minutes ago, awkwardness enveloped Henry at once. He couldn't understand why he was worried Melanie would have the wrong idea. What's there to worry about? Hasn't she known it already?! Henry Green, you idiot! You really know how to upset someone.

After walking out of the building, Melanie was just about to get a cab when a gentle voice rang out behind her. "Miss Davis, please hold on. Do you have time? I'd like to have a word with you."

Inside the cafe, Melanie tilted her head and looked out the window at the passing vehicles, sighing with a hint of resignation as she wondered how she ended up agreeing to have a coffee with Sophia.

On the other hand, Sophia had been observing Melanie's expression all this while, and she was rather stumped that there was no sign of sadness on the other woman’s face. "I'm sorry, Miss Davis," she said after taking a sip of coffee, baffling Melanie into turning her gaze toward the young woman. "What are you apologizing for?"

"I'm sure you already know about my relationship with Ben," Sophia said with feigned helplessness. "Since you two have chosen to walk your own paths, there are some things I think I need to explain to you."

"And what would that be, Miss Walker?" Melanie asked indifferently.

The two looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Sophia slowly began her story. "Ben and I have known each other since we were little, and we've even made a lifelong commitment. However, for some reason, his grandparents and parents didn't approve of me. They even used my mother to force us to break up. My mother has always been in poor health, and to spare her from worry and mistreatment, I reluctantly broke up with Ben.

"And to make him give up on me completely," she continued. "I even chose to leave and impulsively married someone else. I imagine Ben had to have been in great pain and sorrow during that time. Jadyn told me he was constantly drowning his sorrows in alcohol. It's clear how deeply I hurt him until he met you…"

While Melanie remained unmoved on the surface as she listened to Sophia recount their past, in actuality, her hand under the table had already clenched into a fist.

"For Ben to meet someone with a similar voice to mine at the time was probably a way of healing. I know this isn't fair to you, Miss Davis. Regardless, I want to thank you for being by his side this past year. If it weren't for you, Ben might not have been able to hold on. So, thank you. Thank you for being there for him in my place," Sophia thanked and stood up, bowing deeply to her.

However, Melanie felt a deep sense of irony. Thank me for what? For being a fool and serving as your substitute for a year? For healing the wounds of unrequited love of the man I deeply loved?

She found the sincere woman across from her incredibly glaring.

"If you love him so much as you declared, how could you bear to marry someone else?"

Sophia was taken aback, stunned that Melanie would ask such a question just when she had thought Melanie would break down and flee. Hence, she squeezed her hands and tugged at her lips before responding, "It's precisely because Ben lives in my heart that I got divorced. I came back because—"

"But despite loving each other…" Melanie interjected, no longer having the patience to entertain her. She stood up, towering over her, her tone calm and indifferent yet piercingly sharp. "You two lie in the beds of others. Your love truly endures humiliation and remains noble."

Sophia couldn't hold her composure after being stung by her words. She squinted her eyes and looked at Melanie. "Miss Davis, if I've upset you with my words, I apologize."

However, Melanie merely quirked her lips and picked up her bag, her gaze sweeping across Sophia's hurt expression. "Don't bother. After all, it was I who initiated the divorce," she said before walking away, leaving behind a bewildered Sophia watching her retreating figure.

It wasn't until Melanie was out of sight that Sophia's face turned cold. Clearly, she hadn't expected Melanie to be the one who asked for the divorce. It looks like I've underestimated her. Her earlier words were only meant to test her. Well, since she knows her place, this will be easy.

After Melanie left the cafe, she hailed a cab to her apartment, and just as she was about to exit the vehicle, her phone started ringing.

She pulled it out, and when she saw the caller ID, her gaze flickered. Still, she answered it in the end. "Hey, Grandma…"

"Do you not think a divorce is something worth bringing up with the family?" the elder's stern tone came through the phone, making Melanie grip her phone tightly. "Grandma—"

"Say what you have to say to me in my face. Come to the manor now."

"Grandma, I—"

"What? Do my words mean nothing to you anymore?"

Melanie hung her head and finally compromised. "Alright, Grandma, don't be angry. I'll come over right away."

After she hung up the phone, she sighed. "Sir, Green-Hills Enclave, please."

Melanie stood anxiously at the gate after arriving at the villa, and just as she was about to enter, she heard a car door closing behind her.

Just like that, the two who had just met not too long ago ran into each other outside of Moore Manor once again.

Benjamin's brows instinctively furrowed upon seeing her, and before he could speak, she questioned, "How did Grandma find out our plan to divorce? Were you the one who told her about it?"