When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie) novel Chapter 33

Right after Clyde's words hit the air, the office fell into an eerie silence.

Jade slammed her hands on the desk, standing up with a fierce look. "You're siding with your mistress over your wife now? Hitting below the belt, aren't you?"

Looking like a deer caught in headlights, Kayla pressed herself into Clyde's embrace.

And there I was, watching them, thinking how much they seemed to love each other. Out of all Clyde's mistresses, Kayla seemed to be the favorite.

Kayla's earlier words echoed in my mind, saying the one unloved was the real mistress. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Jade looked at me, worry etched all over her face. "Melanie, are you okay? You're scaring me."

I waved her off, wiping away the tears that had started from my laughter. "I'm fine. $200,000, huh? Sounds good to me."

I pulled out my phone, showing the PayPal account. "Let's make it happen."

Clyde looked stunned, as if he couldn't believe what was happening, his eyes mixed with confusion, hurt, and anger. He slammed his hand on the desk, standing up so abruptly that Kayla nearly fell over. "Melanie, is money all you care about? Do you see nothing beyond dollars?"

I just watched him quietly, saw the police arrive to calm things down, saw Kayla playing the victim, and watched Jade stand up for me.

Suddenly, I didn't want to say anything. There was a time I would've said Clyde was all I saw, but not anymore.

I pushed my phone closer to him. "Keep talking. And it won't just be $200,000 to fix this."

He scanned the code angrily.

As the payment confirmation beeped, I took a deep breath and stood up. "Officer, let's drop this. I won't press charges. Jade, let's go."

The money was in my account. There was no reason to stick around and watch those two lovebirds.

But Kayla seemed to want the last word, blocking my path. "Melanie, I know you don't like me, but you must understand you're the loser in this relationship. As Clyde's wife, what did you do except for asking Clyde for money? Catching mistresses and calling the cops?"

I looked at her with disdain, not understanding what made her say that shamelessly.

"After all, he gave me that money willingly, but the jewelry you took from me was stealing." I grabbed her purse, spilling out all the necklaces and rings she had taken.

I would have forgotten about it if she hadn't come over.

I grabbed a plastic bag from the desk and dumped the jewelry inside. "Officer, these belong to me. I can take them, right?"

Before the police could respond, Clyde spoke up. "As Mrs. Patterson, they're yours. As long as you're not causing trouble, you'll always be Mrs. Patterson, and no one can take that from you."