When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie) novel Chapter 18

It seemed every time Clyde and I had a day in, it ended with slamming doors. He's had a way of getting under my skin for three years, always spewing the nastiest stuff.

Naturally, I gave as good as I got. It was just mutual destruction, right? Bring it on. I'd been through the wringer twice over. I was not scared.

I couldn't remember his last insult, only that I turned over and fell into a deep sleep. Lucky me, with my frail health, otherwise, I'd never get any rest.

The next day, Hanley showed up at the office, all apologies. "Ms. Crawford, I'm sorry about last night. My buddies had a bit too much to drink. They didn't mean any harm. And, uh, I hope you could put in a good word with Mr. Patterson. He seemed steamed yesterday."

Hanley seemed genuinely concerned, probably scared after seeing Clyde's fury up close.

Clyde's reputation preceded him, being with different women, yet I was the one he called his wife. Everyone said he was deeply in love with me and that I hurt him, so he acted out. But he'd hurt me as much over the years. Did that make us even?

I shook my head, letting go of our past dramas, and smiled at Hanley. "Mr. Hanley, you jest. I was out of line yesterday, and Mr. Patterson probably scared your friends. Please apologize for me."

"And about our partnership?" My gaze sharpened. That was my genuine concern.

Hanley said, "You and Mr. Patterson reached out. Naturally, we'll continue our partnership. But let's keep the unqualified out of this project, shall we?"

The "unqualified" was a dig at Clyde's latest fling, Kayla.

Maybe to save some face, Hanley made his statement in front of the whole Design Department.

Word got to Kayla in no time.

When Clyde called me into his office, I saw Kayla's face streaked with tears. "Melanie, how could you go behind my back to Mr. Hanley, getting me kicked off the team? I was the project lead."

"Fine, you lead, I'm out." I rolled my eyes at her. "Clyde didn't tell you he was there, too? Deal with him."

The doc's advice was to keep my spirits up to prevent the cancer from returning. With chemo waiting in the wings, getting bent out of shape wasn't an option.

I'd decided to adopt a no-nonsense attitude. Cross me, and I'll clap back.

Unfamiliar with my temper, Kayla tried to say more, but colleagues from the Administrative Department were already signaling to her.

"Kayla, it's just one project. The Patterson Group has plenty more. Let it go this time."

Once Clyde spoke, it got practically settled.

Kayla looked at him, unwilling to give up. "But I've organized the materials..."

Arriving on-site, Hanley looked solemn. "Ms. Crawford, we must scale back by at least two inches here. And we'll need to recalculate these materials to minimize losses."

I was deep into the blueprints and the site's current state, feeling the headache build.

Before I could take pictures, a mob armed with bats and shovels barged onto the site.

"We won't leave without an explanation today!"

"That's right! Your construction is disturbing our peace. You owe us compensation!"

"If you don’t pay, forget about continuing work here!"

Facing a protest was new to me, but Hanley seemed used to it, directing security to handle the situation. But as the two groups clashed, someone fell to the ground, and chaos erupted.

"They're attacking us! Call the police!"

"They're out for our heads just 'cause we want some compensation!"

As the shouts grew more absurd, I backed away, fearing getting caught in the melee. My life was too fragile for front-line battles. But the crowd seemed unstoppable, and someone charging with a shovel made me want to pull Hanley away for cover. Instead, my legs gave out, and I fainted.