Cage

Chapter 123

“Clyde, have you ever had any dealings with Talbot? What do you know?” I prodded, hoping to see if Clyde would be upfront with me.

Merritt mentioned Clyde has been investigating for years, and Kayla said the same thing. So, had he come up empty–handed?

Why did he harbor such hatred toward Talbot if he hadn’t uncovered anything? I guessed Clyde might have found some clues, but not enough to press charges.

Maybe he didn’t want to worry me, so he kept it to himself

Clyde helped me lie down, his face expressionless. “Talbot didn’t show up for our wedding, hardly cares about you, and suddenly, he’s here? He must have an ulterior motive. We haven’t been in touch for years and don’t need to start now. He’s manipulative.”

Clyde just told me to rest up, dodging the subject.

Whenever I tried to ask anything more, he’d skillfully change the topic. “The police found your necklace at the scene. The diamond should be fine. I’ll get you a new chain. After all, we can’t lose that necklace. It was my gift to you.”

“Or was it your way of keeping tabs on me?” I tilted my head to look at him, feeling mixed emotions. I hated being monitored, even if it was by Clyde. But without his necklace, it might have taken much longer to find me.

Who knows, when he found me, would I have been dead or suffered another breakdown?

Clyde’s face turned red, and he pretended to focus on peeling an apple. “You keep talking about divorce, yet keep getting into trouble. I worry about you. The necklace won’t have a tracking device this time, but could you consider getting a smartwatch? One that could track your location just in case you need help.”

Watching him nearly peel the apple to its core, I took the knife from his hand and quickly peeled it myself. “Why don’t you just get me one of those kids‘ watches? Then I can play Tetris whenever I want.”

I handed him the neatly peeled apple, and he took a big, almost aggressive bite. “That works. Or, you could stay with me forever. We’ll never be apart again.”

His gaze was intense, filled with an emotion I knew well.

Just as I was about to look away, he held my chin up. “Melanie, I won’t divorce you. Dream on. I can’t let you go. You’ve always been the one I love the most.”

Clyde added, “I’ve made many mistakes before, thinking you’d abandon me, and I had to punish you. But I was wrong, so wrong. When you got kidnapped, I lost my mind. I can’t live without you. Please give me one more chance, just one, okay? We won’t divorce.

119

From now on, it’s just you and me.” He seemed desperate to prove his sincerity, his speech quickening with urgency.

Seeing my silence, he leaned in for a kiss, but I put my hand up to stop him. “Clyde, I can’t have children. Is that fine with you?”

I looked straight at him, suddenly wanting to hear his response.

He paused with his expression confused. “Melanie, with the advanced technology, you don’t have to worry. Once you’ve recovered and I’ve detoxed, we can think about having kids again. I only want our children, our own. Okay?”

He hugged me tightly, and I could feel his heart pouncg against his chest. But I just closed my eyes, feeling no future for us.