When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie) novel Chapter 95

Perhaps Merritt hadn't expected me to stand my ground so firmly, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

Kayla, on the other hand, looked smug. Me clashing with Merritt was exactly what she wanted.

Before Merritt could get angry, I jumped in with an explanation, "A college buddy invited me out for dinner, her cousin just got back from abroad."

"Last time, when Isla caught me in a compromising situation, a drunk called me a sassy nun and tried to rip off my wig. Her cousin was just trying to help, what more do you want to know?"

"Do we need to summon Isla's spirit to find out who put her up to this, to smear my name?"

Merritt wasn't the type to act on impulse. Looking at Kayla by his side, I had a hunch.

Sure enough, Merritt's expression soured, and his gaze toward Kayla wasn't as warm as before.

"Clyde, what's Melanie talking about? Ghosts and spirits, and here I am, pregnant!"

Kayla put on a scared face, trying to inch closer to Clyde, but he sidestepped her.

He stood up, took my hand, and said, "Grandpa, if it's all a misunderstanding, we should head back."

Without hesitation, he led me away.

He was silent the whole ride back, but his pursed lips said plenty.

He didn't bring it up, and I didn't offer any explanations.

Believe it or not, it was all the same to me.

Eventually, he couldn't hold back. "Didn't you say you were meeting Eliana?"

"Her cousin just got back. We had dinner, and Eliana had to leave early."

He seemed to choke on my explanation before finally mumbling, "Her cousin doesn't seem like good news, knocked a man out with one punch."

I looked at him, speechless. Had he forgotten he could do the same back in college?

Finally, I sighed, "He's a doctor. That guy had liver issues; he didn't even hit him hard."

After saying that, I felt my explanation was pointless and decided to drop it. But Clyde clearly wasn't convinced, continuing to probe.

When we got home, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Clyde! He's a doctor. I'm dying, and he was here to see me. Are you happy now?"

He was taken aback for a moment, then looked at me impatiently.

"Melanie, why do you always do this? What's the point in cursing yourself? Even if you're upset, there's no need to say that. Ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy?"

I closed my eyes, no longer wanting to argue, and headed straight for the room.

I had warned him plenty of times. He had many opportunities to understand my condition, but he never took them.

He had time to track down where our wedding rings ended up, time to confirm which hospital I visited, but never bothered to check which department I was in.

He didn't care about this and I was truly exhausted.