Chapter 13
As I sat in the car outside of the Logan’s residence, my grip on the steering wheel tightened. Mel…ie’s voice was cold and calculated, each word stabbing me deeper
than the last as she continued.
“I planned that accident and made it seem
like I saved him. I made Niklaus indebted to
me that way,” she had confessed, her tone devoid of remorse.
My blood boiled as I processed the truth. She had fooled me for years–manipulated my guilt, my sense of duty. All the while, Rosalyn had seen through her, warning me about Melanie’s intentions. But I had ignored it,
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brushing it off as paranoia. I was blind. So
blind.
“Well, Niklaus is actually outside,” Mrs. Woods informed her, voice steady despite the
tension.
“Good,” Melanie replied. “I’ll go see him.
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And you better keep pretending like I’m invincible, or I’ll kill you if he gets to know anything ugly about me.”
The call ended. I stepped out of the car, my movements deliberate, my anger simmering beneath the surface. The front door opened, and there she was, hobbling toward me on crutches, a smile plastered across her face. The sight made my stomach churn. What a
charade.
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“Niklaus,” she called softly, her tone dripping with false affection. She reached out, attempting to hug me, but I stepped back, holding up a hand to stop her.
Her smile faltered. “What’s wrong?”
Before I could speak, Mrs. Woods appeared in the doorway, her expression unreadable. “I heard everything,” I said, my voice low but firm, each word weighted with betrayal.
Melanie froze. “Heard what?” she asked, her voice shaky.
“You know what,” I replied coldly. Her lips parted as if to deny it, but I silenced her with a glare. “Don’t waste your breath twisting the truth. I know about your huge lies, especially that of Rosalyn. You did such
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horrible things because you wanted us apart? How could you?”
Her shoulders slumped, and for a brief moment, I saw the mask slip. “You made me like this, Nikla,” she said suddenly, her voice trembling with desperation. “Back in high school, you had feelings for me. But that changed when Nia started attending.”
I shook my head. “No, Melanie. I never loved you. It wasn’t real. It was a passing infatuation.”
“That’s a lie!” she snapped, her face twisting with anger.
“It’s the truth,” I countered. “I only showed you care because our fathers were good friends, and your mother had just died.
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It was just a crush, nothing more.‘
“Fine!” she spat. “Then you started looking out for Nia, and after high school, you forgot about me completely. I battled with
depression an ‘eft the country. But when I came back two years ago, I vowed to make you mine.”
Her admission only deepened my disgust.
“You destroyed my relationship with Rosalyn,” I said, my voice hardening. “You put my father in the hospital. And for what? Your selfish obsession?”
I stepped back, sneering. “You deserve to be behind bars, Melanie. And I’m making sure of that now.” I started calling the police.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she fell to her
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knees, clasping her hands together. “Please, Niklaus. Don’t call the police. I did it all for
- us.
“There is no us,” I said sharply. “There never was.”
Mrs. Woods stepped forward, her expression pained. “Niklaus, you don’t have to forgive her, but please don’t call the police.”
“Why not?” I demanded, glaring at her.
She sighed. “Her father is still battling a heart condition. If he finds out what she‘ s
done, it would break him. You know how close he is to your father.”
I turned to Melanie, who was still kneeling, her tears falling freely now. I wanted to
despise her completely, but the thought of her
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father–my father’s best friend–softened
the edge of my fury.
“You‘ re lucky your father and mine have a connection,” I said finally, my tone ice–cold.
“I won’t break his heart.”
She rose shakily, reaching out toward me.
“Niklaus-”
“Never show up before me again, Melanie,” I interrupted. My words were final, brooking no argument. I turned to Mrs. Woods.
“Let’s go.”
I walked back to my car without another glance, my chest heaving with barely contained rage. As I opened the door, I heard her voice behind me, trembling and fake with concern. “Oh please, don’t hate me. I’ve
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changed for the better. I will apologize to Rosalyn and your father.”
I ignored her completely, starting the engine and pulling onto the street. Through the rearview mirro” I saw her running after the car, her crutches abandoned on the ground. She collapsed in the middle of the road, sobbing and calling my name. I tightened my grip on the wheel and sped up.
My heart was a storm of emotions–anger, betrayal, guilt. How had I been so blind? How had I let her manipulate me into pushing Rosalyn away?
As I drove, her words replayed in my mind, each one slicing deeper than the last. She had planned everything–used every ounce of my
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guilt and responsibility against me. My hands trembled as I gripped the wheel, my jaw clenched so tightly it ached.
I had trusted her. And she had shattered that
trust into a million pieces.
But this was the end of her. The end of her hold over me. And as much as it hurt, I knew one thing for certain–I would never let her back into my life. Not again.
