When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie) novel Chapter 14

The day after, Brenda told me she had sorted everything out, and that was when I realized she was supposed to leave early that morning.

"Melanie, I've wanted to talk to you about this for a while," she started, her voice laced with a hint of hesitation. "But I was worried about how it might affect your recovery. I was on the fence about taking Rocky with me. I only went through with the paperwork because I thought, what if you couldn’t take care of him?"

Brenda’s son had been urging her to move to Aurorea for the longest time, but she was in a dilemma because she was concerned for me and Rocky. To speed up her departure, her family even shelled out more cash.

I insisted on giving her the money, but she shook her head at me. "Sweetheart, I know things haven't been easy for you. Which family around here is short on cash? Only you."

My financial struggles and my poverty were an open secret in our neighborhood. Clyde bringing women home was no news to anyone. To them, I was a pitiful, tragic figure.

I never hid my troubles but also never spoke of them voluntarily.

Maybe only Clyde thought he was being super good to me, what with all the money he'd given me, more than a lot of folks could bring in their whole lives.

Leaving the airport and watching the planes overhead, I didn't know where Rocky was, but I knew he'd be well-cared for and have a long, happy life.

Returning home to the empty house, it felt devoid of warmth. Despite it being summer, the place was chilling to the bone.

The doctor had advised me to keep up my nutrition and take my medication with more chemotherapy sessions in the pipeline. I cooked myself pasta, but it was so awful that I left it untouched.

Back in my room, lying in bed, I thought about how starting work the next day might help shake off this feeling of loneliness. Before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep.

That was until Clyde, reeking of alcohol, climbed into bed, startling me awake. "Babe, why didn't you wait up for me?"

He was drunk, his head bobbing against my shoulder, his voice carrying a tone of hurt.

I tried to push him away, but he was pressing down on my sore spots without realizing it. "Babe, why have you lost so much weight? Why aren't you eating? I saw the pasta you made for me. I ate it all. It was delicious."

Clyde continued, "I bought you some cupcakes and iced coffee. Come on. Get up and have some. Eating more will help you gain some weight."

He clumsily got up, fetching a bag from the doorway.

When I saw the packaging, tears welled up in my eyes. It was from the cheapest bakery near our school, always bustling but not particularly good. I always chose the least expensive options to save money.

Watching Clyde insert the straw into the coffee and bring it to my lips, I couldn't help but take a sip. It tasted terrible, all artificial flavor. But I smiled genuinely for the first time in what felt like forever.