When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

I laid it all out on the table, and, in the end, Clyde grudgingly agreed, his temper flaring. He accused me of being blinded by money, and I didn't argue with him. After all, I still needed to survive.

However, since I had agreed to take responsibility, my first order of business was to track down the person in charge at Radiant Systems. He was looking to save face, and I was willing to swallow my pride for the sake of the project.

I found Hanley was attending a dinner party that night, so I quickly changed and rushed over.

The moment I entered the private room, Hanley's face darkened. "Ms. Crawford, tracking me down here seems inappropriate. It is a private gathering."

"I upset you today, so of course, I had to come and apologize." I poured myself a beer with a smile and downed it in one go.

I shouldn't be drinking, but I knew I couldn't get out of it tonight.

Hanley wasn't the kind to make someone's life hell over someone else's screw-up, and I knew he couldn't afford to push back their project.

Seeing my state, he frowned. "Ms. Crawford, you're so thin. If you're not feeling well, you shouldn't..."

"Oh, come on, we finally have a beauty who can hold her liquor. Why are you stopping her?"

A portly man stood up, looking at me with ill intent.

I wasn't familiar with these types of gatherings and didn't know who he was, but he seemed on good terms with Hanley, likely another company executive.

Feeling embarrassed, I looked at him. “Sorry, I'm not much of a drinker.”

“And as Mr. Hanley knows, I've just left the hospital. If it weren't for apologizing to Mr. Hanley, I wouldn't drink."

My words gave Hanley enough face, and his expression softened significantly. He sized me up and asked with a furrowed brow, "You've lost too much weight. Was it a serious illness?"

I was honest. "I had surgery and shouldn't be drinking. To apologize to you, I even skipped my antibiotics today."

"Ms. Crawford, you shouldn't drink. Let's discuss work matters at the office instead."

Once Hanley spoke up, I knew I had managed to negotiate successfully. He only needed me to show the right attitude, especially since I was still officially Mrs. Patterson.

But a few others kept egging me on to drink, especially the portly man, who was leering at me. "Ms. Crawford, right? You had surgery, huh? Show me the wound, and I'll let you off. How about that?"

He reached to grab me, and I had to fight the urge to hit him with the bottle, stepping back.

Suddenly, someone kicked the door open, and Clyde walked in expressionlessly, "Want to see my wife, huh? Let's hear it."

Seeing Clyde's displeasure, Hanley quickly tried to smooth things over. "The guys are just a bit drunk, Mr. Patterson, no offense meant. We're just concerned about Mrs. Patterson. She's just left the hospital, after all."

The others sobered up quite a bit and started apologizing to me.

I quietly stood behind Clyde, looking down as he exchanged pleasantries with a few people.

Eventually, he and Hanley shared a drink, and then he took me and left.

I had only had one drink, but I still felt a bit drunk. Leaning against the car, I felt a pain in my chest again.

Clyde sat beside me silently, like a block of ice, and I instinctively moved away.

When we got home, he practically dragged me inside. Dropping my high heels, I collapsed onto the sofa, dizzy.

He seemed to stand at the door for a long time before finally asking, “Where's the dog?"

Barely opening my eyes, I was surprised he even remembered Rocky.

I said in a low voice, "Gave it away."

"That's marital property. You dared to give it away?" He looked at me, displeased, and I covered my eyes with my hand, not wanting to see his temper "I saved Rocky with money from my necklace sale. It has nothing to do with you."

Suddenly, Clyde grabbed my collar but relaxed when he saw the necklace on my neck.

"Are you sick?"

I pushed him away and went straight to the bedroom, wondering what had gotten into him.

We had only shared a bed during the first month of our marriage. And after that, he rarely came home, leaving the bedroom all to myself.

But he acted strange, suddenly hugging me from behind and then pinning me down on the bed.

When he tried to kiss me, I instinctively turned my head, but he didn't let go, forcefully turning my face toward him. "What's up? In the hospital, hurt? Not willing to sleep with me?"

His hand brushed my forehead, and then he scoffed, "Not even a scar, just looking for sympathy from men?"

He remembered the last time I had hurt my head, but sadly, he didn't bother to check my medical records.

I looked at him coldly and snapped, "Am I not responsible for the project? I'm cleaning up the mess for your mistress!"

At the mention of Kayla, his eyes turned fierce, and he bit on my lips harshly. I tried to push him away with all my might, but I was no match for him.

He sneered, "Resisting for what? If I

hadn't come today, who knows whose bed you'd be in, pretending to I

be so-virtuous? I see you're willing to do anything for money! A woman for

all men!"

I paused and started hitting his chest with all my strength. But my efforts were futile, more like tickling him.

Eventually stopped fighting and

just laughed at him. "Oh right, since

your wife has to deal with your mistress's fallout, she must be fair

game for any man, huh? It's not me who should be ashamed."