When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

Kayla was at a loss for words, simply sitting quietly to the side, holding Clyde's hand.

Meanwhile, I was patiently waiting for the lawyer to get everything sorted out. The legal department at Patterson Group was top-notch, so dealing with these kinds of issues was a piece of cake for them.

"Want something to drink? Something sweet?" Clyde suddenly approached me, looking a bit awkward.

He genuinely thought I might be having a sugar low.

Vinson stood up instantly. "No need, I'll go get it."

Clyde shot him a fierce glare before taking the seat Vinson had just vacated. He pulled out a few pieces of candy from his pocket and handed them to

me.

"If you're having a sugar low, you should always carry some candy with you. Just pop one if you feel faint."

"It's all your favorite flavors. I'll get you some imported chocolate another day."

At that moment, I was indeed taken aback. Back in college, Clyde wasn't flush with cash, but he always managed to pull out various snacks from his pockets. I've always had a sweet tooth but was also concerned about my figure, so I always hesitated to indulge. He never gave me too much, just a little bit, even selecting the chocolates carefully.

Just as I was about to take the candy from his hand, Kayla's voice, filled with discomfort, rang out.

"Clyde, I think I'm having an allergic reaction. It's so itchy."

She squirmed uncomfortably, then stretched out her arm.

Her arm was indeed covered in scratch marks and had swollen up. Remembering how she claimed to be allergic to dog hair and insisted on sending Rocky to the pound, my gaze towards her turned colder. I had clearly seen her playing with a colleague's Corgi before. To upset me, she really would do anything.

Clyde, noticing the scratch marks on her arm, panicked and hurriedly stuffed the candies into my hand.

"Kayla, stop scratching or it'll leave a scar. Let's go to the hospital."

He remembered I was still there, only when he reached the door. Turning back to me, he said, "I'll be right back, wait for me."

I didn't respond, just looked towards the interrogation room. Because I knew, he wouldn't come back. It was always like this.

Vinson, passing by the two, scoffed and then handed me a milkshake.

"It's your favorite. And here's some water; if you're hungry later, I'll go grab something to eat."

I smiled, surprised he remembered my favorite milkshake. Truth be told, I didn't really care for that milkshake; I drank it often in school because it was cheap. Three bucks a bottle, even Clyde could afford it. I could feel Clyde's gaze grow heavier, but I pushed the milkshake aside, opting for a bottle of water instead.

"Vinson, I don't like that milkshake anymore. It makes me feel sick."

Clyde seemed about to approach, but Kayla held him back.

"Clyde, it itches."

Clyde then nodded, leading her away.

It wasn't until the evening that Jade's issue was finally resolved. Naturally, she was unrelated to the case; the other party was just

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unwilling to compensate and tried to pin the blame on her. Jade came out and hugged me tightly.

"Melanie, I just remembered, you had chemo today, right? Why didn't you call me?"

A lump formed in my throat, leaving me speechless. She had been through questioning and was still worried about me?

Vinson patted us both. "Now that it's over, let's go eat. You must be starving?"Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Jade nodded enthusiastically. "Tomorrow, I need to get some grapefruit leaves to cleanse the bad vibes."

We left the police station in high spirits, discussing what to eat on the way. Suddenly, I noticed a familiar car in the rearview mirror. Taking a closer look at the license plate, it indeed was Clyde's. He actually came back?

"Melanie, how about we go for a hot pot? Let the fiery spice chase away all the bad luck!"

I nodded with a smile, though my eyes kept darting back to the rearview mirror. Vinson seemed to notice Clyde's car following us, making several turns, but it seemed like he couldn't shake him off.

The three of us ended up spending over an hour at the hot pot restaurant, and Clyde's car remained parked outside.

Suddenly, a heavy rain began to pour down without any warning. Clyde rushed out of his car, grabbed an umbrella, and ran to the hot pot restaurant's entrance. Jade saw him too and looked at me worriedly.

"Clyde... sigh, let's go."

I nodded slightly, knowing we probably wouldn't be able to go back to Jade's place tonight. Seeing me come out, Clyde quickly held the umbrella over

me.

"Be careful not to get wet; the rain's heavy."

Jade tugged at me, but I didn't move. I knew Clyde must have something he wanted to say to me.

"Vinson, you go ahead and take Jade home. I need to talk to him."

Hearing this, Clyde let out a long sigh of relief. Vinson looked at me, then, without saying anything, left with Jade Clyde, holding the

umbrella, escorted me to the covet

then quickly ran back to the driver's seat. Watching him sprint through the rain, he looked just like he did back in college. Whenever it rained, he would always come to pick me up from my dorm or the library.

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He was always so careful not to let me get wet, tilting the umbrella more towards me every time. I looked down at my clothes, indeed, not a drop of rain on me. He got in the car, vigorously wiping the rain off his face, and gave me a goofy smile. Instinctively, I reached out to touch his face.

Then, the distinctive ringtone of a cell phone interrupted the moment.

I immediately withdrew my hand.

Kayla's timing couldn't have been more perfect.