When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

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It was supposed to be next week that I'd go in for the termination, but this clarification seemed like a good opportunity to handle things differently.

I got in touch with Dr. Warren Chandler, asking him to cancel the original appointment and secretly schedule a new one.

Over the phone, I could sense his disapproval.

"Melanie, you know the state of your health. Postponing it might not be wise."

"I've already consulted with the head of OB-GYN. We'll go through the procedure together, don't worry."

"But now, the Patterson Group needs the child I'm carrying to clear the air..."

I didn't hide anything; he was not only my doctor but also a friend.

Warren paused for a moment, "Alright, the date stays the same, no record of it. Let's leave it at that."

The call ended abruptly.

He must be upset, dealing with a patient as stubborn as me, but I couldn't blame him.

But I was out of options. I couldn't just stand by and watch the Patterson Group keep going down this road.

The press conference was quickly arranged, and I'm not sure what Merritt said to Clyde, but he agreed to it. In the meantime, Rachel seemed down. Every time I went upstairs, I found her with red, swollen eyes. We were past pretending, so I opted to ignore her.

It seemed Merritt had said something; Clyde wasn't treating her as well anymore.

I had to discuss the press conference details with Clyde, just when Rachel burst out crying and ran off.

Clyde hesitated, about to follow her, then stopped when he saw me.

"What's up?"

"The press conference agenda."

I dragged him back to the office, emotionless, as we went over the details.

He furrowed his brow, "You used to be less cold."

"We're not close."

I kept my eyes on the documents, avoiding his gaze.

Trying to act indifferent was exhausting.

Seeing my agitation, he instinctively reached for the pen I was spinning.

"How many times have I told you not to do that? It's distracting, you..."

Our eyes met, his filled with surprise.

He held the pen, seemingly puzzled by his own reaction.

He always hated it when I spun pen,

bayecially during exams,

claiming it was distracting

But I couldn't break the habit.

Eventually, I almost stopped writine

altogether, and he stopped

commenting on it. Contenoyes

I leaned in, about to ask if he remembered anything.

"Mr. Patterson, may I come in?"

Searful voice broke the

swho

and Clyde snapped back to reality.

"Come in, what's wrong?" he replied.

"You didn't have lunch; the afternoon tea you love is here."

Rachel acted like I wasn't there, sitting next to Clyde and unpacking the food.

"I got everything you like."

I thought I was the only one who knew Clyde that well.

But watching them enjoy their afternoon tea together, I felt like an outsider.

"Mr. Patterson, I'll leave if there's nothing else."

"I'll leave the press conference agenda here. I'll bring the ultrasound report with me."

Clyde didn't even glance my way, dismissively waving me off.

As I turned to leave, Rachel suddenly spoke up.

"Melanie, your child won't make it, right?"

I glared at her, and she looked back, smug.

"The grandfather said your child is unwanted, right?"

"It's none of your business."

I stormed out, barely holding back my anger.

Grandfather? She had some nerve.

But knowing this was all with Merritt's blessing, I closed my eyes briefly.

Now Clyde favored her, whether he remembered or not, the Patterson family would accept her.

Gently touching my barely-there bump, I realized there was no sign of it yet.

Tears welled up, but I took deep breaths to calm myself.

A child unloved by its grandparents, possibly malformed, indeed had no place in this world.