Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law

Chapter 286: Same

The man blinked again, more rapidly this time, his eyes beginning to glisten. Her words stirred something deep inside him. Did she really remember? Was there a trace of recognition behind those eyes?

He took a small, hopeful step forward, instinct urging him to close the distance—to hold her, to embrace the daughter he’d lost so long ago. But before he could reach her, she offered a faint smile and turned toward Marianne.

"Both of you make a beautiful couple, Miss Thomas," she said lightly, as she nodded at him again and then walked away, without another look..

The man stood still, watching her go, his chest tightening with a longing he couldn’t name. He had to physically stop himself from calling her back, holding her, hugging her and crying about how he had finally found his little star back.

Slowly, he turned to face his wife, confusion shadowing his features. "What did she mean by the words that I still look the same?" he asked uncertainly.

Marianne sighed softly and stepped in, wrapping her arms around him in a quiet hug. "I know you thought she recognised you," she said gently, her voice warm but careful. "But just now... what she meant was that you look the same as the pictures I’d placed in the library."

The man gave a slow, perfunctory nod and leaned into her embrace, the hope draining from his eyes. He sighed, a low and tired sound. "Does she really remember nothing at all?"

Marianne looked up and shook her head as sse thought to the picture at which Melanie had paused for a moment but then sighed,"I don’t think so. For a moment there, it did look like she might have recognised a picture but then she got distracted and did not even give it a second look. I guess we will have to talk to her directly." noveldrama

Melanie stood still near the elevator and as soon as the door opened, she almost jumped into the thing and took in a deep breath. But as soon as she was alone inside, the polished walls seemed to be closing in on her. Her breath hitched. A sudden wave of heat rose up her neck, and a fine sheen of sweat broke across her brow. Her fingers trembled as she pressed the button for the ground floor.

She could feel her heart thudding. Her chest ached as if something were pressing down on it, squeezing the air out and she had to focus entirely on drawing in deep breaths. Even as she did that, she could not help butt think," Why couldn’t she breathe?"

She leaned against the wall, pressing her palm flat against the cool metal in an effort to ground herself. Her head was spinning, but her thoughts remained locked on one thing.

Adam. She had to find Adam. Or rather she needed Adam to get to her.

The elevator doors opened, and she stumbled out, gasping as if she’d broken through the surface of deep water. She pushed through the lobby in a blur, barely aware of the people around her, and rushed out into the daylight.

A cab waited at the curb. She didn’t hesitate or even think, just said," Go to LuxeArt, at GreenOaks road." Even though telling the address almost made her feel faint, she held on.

As the cab pulled away, she fumbled for her phone, her hands slick with sweat. She managed to find Adam’s name and hit call. Her other hand pressed hard against her chest as if trying to calm the storm inside.

Melanie’s hand shook as she held the phone to her ear, her breathing shallow and ragged.Come on, Adam... please. The call rang twice... three times... four. No answer.

She swallowed hard, trying again, but the effort of simply keeping her head upright was becoming unbearable. The edges of her vision were blurring, and the weight in her chest only worsened. It felt like her own body was slipping away from her.

She dropped the call and fumbled through the screen, her fingers barely obeying her. Her thoughts were fractured, jumbled, but she knew one thing—she needed to reach him, somehow.

She opened her messages and typed,"Something’s wrong. . I don’t know what. I’m in a cab to LuxeArt. She hit send, followed by the quick sharing of her location as her eyes closed.

***

Unknown to her, just outside the building, two men had been waiting beside a black SUV, partially hidden behind a parked delivery van. One of them, lean with wiry arms and a scar along his jaw, slammed his palm against the hood as he’d seen the cab drive away.

"Bloody hell. Did you see that? She just slipped into a cab so quickly! We’ve lost our chance."

"She was supposed to be talking and waiting as he continued," She was too uick. We timed this. Marianne shoukd have walked her out. You were watching the exit, weren’t you? Why were you not more alert!"

"I was watching. She ran. She ran."

The first man paced angrily for a moment, then turned sharply. "Doesn’t matter. We have the plates. She didn’t even check for tails. We can still intercept the cab and get to her. The tranquilizer we’ve give her must already be in effect."

As the two did, they were already following Melanie to intercept her. "She’s slumping," the one in the passenger seat muttered, squinting. "Barely upright. The dose is working."

"Then this is the time," the driver said grimly. "We overtake at the next bend."

As the road curved, the SUV surged forward with a sudden burst of speed. They overtook the cab smoothly, then braked hard, blocking its path. The cab screeched to a halt with a jolt.

The driver cursed, leaning out of his window. "What the hell—"

But before he could say more, both men were out of the SUV and striding toward the back door of the cab, eyes locked on Melanie’s motionless figure inside.

"She won’t even fight back. Get the doors. We drag her out, take her away and we’re done."

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