Due to the complexity of my earlier surgery, a less invasive method wasn't feasible, resulting in scars that remain prominent, some appearing quite red and alarming.
In reality, they only saw a fraction of it. The lower scars would've probably scared them even more.
Lucky for Clyde, he had Kayla by his side, or he might've noticed something was off with me.
I had a good look at the woman in the video. Sure, our builds were somewhat similar, but there were flaws. To ensure "my" face was in the video, she always faced the camera, her chest in view, inadvertently proving it wasn't me in the footage.
Evelyn briskly walked over, buttoning up my shirt and glaring at Clyde. "How can you not trust your wife but believe what others say? Shouldn't you be the first to defend Melanie's innocence? If you had just told everyone from the start, Melanie wouldn't have had to go through this humiliation."
All eyes were on Clyde, and he stumbled over his words before saying, "I didn't know."
"You didn't know?" Evelyn looked at him incredulously. "Wasn't Melanie's surgery a major one? You didn't know? Don't family members have to sign on for surgeries?"
Everyone knew I had no other family. Clyde was it.
Clyde looked at me, his voice hoarse as he finally asked, "Melanie, when did you have the surgery?"
"The day you and Kayla went public." I tossed his shirt aside, staring at him blankly. "While you and she were setting off fireworks at the beach, and she announced it on social media, that was when the doctor told me I needed surgery."
"Why didn't you tell me? If you had told me earlier, this wouldn't have happened!" He clenched his fists, stepping closer with a look of anger as if it were all my fault.
I smiled at him bitterly. Even at this moment, he dared to question me.
I retorted fiercely, "I called you, but you didn't answer. I asked you for money, but you sent me away because Kayla had a cut on her hand. While I was in surgery, you two seemed to have returned to our place, right? You even bought her my favorite cupcakes. And then, you seemed to have also bought her a diamond necklace or earrings, I can't remember."
My gaze fell on the beautiful diamond necklace around Kayla's neck. Then I looked back at Clyde. "It was just a surgery. At worst, I could have died during surgery, but clearly, that's not as important as your time with your mistress."
I meant to mock him, but my words sounded more indifferent and detached than intended because I was merely stating the facts. For months, there were so many signs that I was not well, but Clyde never noticed.
Why? Because he didn't care.
No one spoke. Only Clyde looked at me, his eyes red with emotion.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)