When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

Freya might not have been tall, but her stance as a police officer gave her an air of unwavering justice.

Clyde's face darkened as he released his grip. "Officer, I just wanted a word with her."

Freya scoffed, "A word about what? It seemed to me that you were abusing someone."

Jade and I exchanged glances, finding Freya's unreasonable yet adorable demeanor amusing.

Clyde stepped forward, clearly displeased. "Officer, I was merely speaking to my wife. Is that something the police need to get involved in?"

"Your wife? Oh, how could I forget? I thought the woman you hugged at the station, Ms. Osborne, was your wife!" Her voice was loud enough to catch the attention of many shoppers around us, even amidst the midday crowd.

Unphased, she even raised her voice a bit more. "I've seen you at the station several times, and you never stood by Melanie. Now you're sticking with her. What for? Divorce? It's not to prove her innocence, huh? The cyber unit saw through the video as a fake in a heartbeat, and you're telling me the tech department at Patterson Group couldn't?"

Perhaps Freya was one of those cynical cops, bursting like a firecracker with indignation.

Clyde was speechless, caught off guard by Freya's questioning.

"Officer, did you need something from me?" Wanting to ease the tension, I quickly pulled Freya aside.

She glanced at me. "Aren't you, the person involved, going to report this?"

I asked, "Didn't Patterson Group file a report?"

Freya rolled her eyes at Clyde, leaving me speechless.

So, Clyde hadn't reported it and just sent a legal notice? Was that supposed to be for the general public, or what? My head was buzzing, vision slightly blurred.

Jade quickly supported me. "Feeling dizzy?"

I waved it off. "Officer, this matter... The Patterson Group will handle it internally."

Clyde approached with a blank expression, instinctively standing before me. "I'm her husband. I can handle this without police intervention."

"That won't do. The other party is spreading offensive videos and slandering others. The police cannot ignore this." Hands on her hips, Freya looked defiantly at Clyde.

"Let me tell you. The law is vast and misses nothing. Don't think the Patterson family can cover the sky with one hand."

"I'm just here to gather information. Don't interfere with my investigation."

She tried to push past Clyde, but he didn't budge.

Clyde questioned, "Going at it alone doesn't seem right, does it?"

Caught off guard, Freya then turned to me, saying, "I'm friends with Melanie. Is there a problem with me asking her? Whoever spread those rumors, I'll see them brought to justice."

I nodded awkwardly, not wanting to discourage her.

Before leaving with Jade and Freya, Clyde stopped me.

Impatient, Freya glared at him. "Clyde, your wife almost got killed here, and I'd advise you to gather evidence instead. Covering up could land you in jail, too!"

We hurried out of the mall and quickly ushered Freya into Jade's car.

She looked uneasy. "I was just passing by."Content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

"I understand, thank you, Officer Freya."

Freya complained, "I just can't stand the way Clyde acts. He's so indifferent to you, that kind of..."

Before Freya could finish, Jade cleared her throat loudly.

Freya licked her lips, not mentioning the incident

the car. "Melanie, if you know

somethin, and moved to exit

something or have evidence, why not give it to me? I know you're a person of integrity. But for your own sake, you shouldn't let these people manipulate you, right?"

She paused, not closing the car door but staring intently at me.

I shook my head helplessly. "Sorry, I don't have any evidence. But I can tell your investigative direction might be right."

Freya already suspected Kayla, so letting her investigate seemed like a good plan.

The Patterson family always covered their tracks well, leaving no evidence behind. So, it would likely lead back to Kayla if there was a problem.

I returned to the office with Jade, and the atmosphere was oddly tense.

Suddenly, Kayla's ranting voice echoed from someone's phone, drawing my attention to the gossip group.

Kayla was stopped by security at the

entrance, trying to push her way in amidst a crowd of onlookers, no longer caring about her image and wailing.

Lina leaned in, whispering, "Mr. Patterson fired her as soon as he returned and even offered her compensation. Isn't this crazy?"

Before I could grasp what was happening, whispers filled the air.

"Mr. Patterson went through with it. Didn't the receptionists livestream it?"

"Did Mr. Patterson fall out of love that quickly? I thought Kayla would last at least six months!"

Without thinking, I rushed to the elevator, feeling something wasn't right. When I reached the lobby, Kayla had fallen to the ground. "Clyde, you bastard! You have no right to fire me!"

"I'm carrying your child. I'm the savior of the Patterson family. I have to stay!" Ignoring Clyde's furious glare, she continued to plead. Suddenly, Kayla's eyes locked on me, her emotions spiraling. "Melanie, you wretch!"

"Melanie, Melanie!" She stretched her hand as if to grab me.

Stopping thirty feet away, I watched in horror as blood trickled down her leg.