When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

Lisa locked her eyes on Clyde as she spoke. I couldn't peg down Lisa's personality since our paths rarely crossed, but it was clear she had a bit of a cunning streak, albeit not overly so. My interactions with Talbot and his family were minimal, leaving me puzzled about her current vibe. Yet, her blatant pursuit of Clyde, devoid of subtlety, made it obvious she was there for him.

Maybe Clyde's reputation as a charmer made Lisa so confident. Regardless of her reasoning, I wasn't keen on having her around.

"Lisa, I'm afraid this isn't a good idea," I said.

"How so? Don't you two live in that huge apartment? It's hundreds of square feet, and you can't spare some for me?" She pouted at Clyde. Her coquettish demeanors were strikingly similar to Kayla's.

Clyde leaned closer to me in response.

I found myself in a bind. "Clyde and I don't live together. If you want to stay at the apartment, ask him."This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .

I told her I stayed in the apartment left by my late mother, and Clyde lived elsewhere.

Under the table, Clyde's hand squeezed mine, though my face remained expressionless.

"If you want to live with him, you ask him," I said, loud enough for those nearby to hear.

The attention shifted toward us, making it awkward for Lisa to insist on staying, yet her eyes sparkled with hope as she looked at Clyde. "So, are you two heading for a divorce? Already living separately?"

"Nowadays, divorce isn't a big deal, but you've got to think about the family's interests, right?" She didn't even look at me once, focusing all her attention on Clyde.

As far as my family was concerned, I

was the only one left. She saw

fas

el

herself as the future Mrs. Patterson,

already planning her role in the

Crawford family's future, boasting

about their recent successes.

"Clyde, Melanie might not be your ideal wife, but you've been together for years. Even though I'm her cousin, I must speak fairly. Melanie can be truly stubborn, often lacking flexibility..."

"Lisa, haven't you and Melanie been out of touch for nearly twenty years? How would you know her character?" Clyde casually wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Melanie is my wife, and divorce has never been on the table. You seem eager for her to become a divorcee, don't you? Criticizing my wife in front of me, no matter how well the Crawford family is doing, is just plain rude."

Lisa was shocked by Clyde's sudden hostility, panic evident in her eyes.

"No, Mr. Patterson, you've got it all wrong. I just thought if young people find they're not compatible, divorce isn't the end of the world."

"Your concern is unwarranted. Sorry,

but we've got another engagement. We'll be taking our leave." Clyde grabbed my bag and took my hand, leading me away. I offered Lisa an awkward smile, noting the frustration in her eyes. Clyde was a ma for drama.

As we hastened to the car, Clyde finally slowed down. "Melanie, about earlier..."

Before he could continue, I got into the car, leaving him momentarily stunned and visibly irked.

I blurted out, "Are we going home or not?"

At the mention of home, his face lit up with a smile, though he still huffed as he got in.

"If you dare bring up divorce in public again..." He huffed once more, unable to finish his sentence. I just smiled and looked out the window, amused by the scenario.