Chapter 113

This was a setup.
His mind, now sharp despite the pain, pieced it together in an instant. From making him chase Saira to Five Seasons to letting her up under Spencer’s name. Then Saira sitting there and letting him see her face before she ran away, making him chase her.
All this was meant to make him lash out. If he threw a punch now, it wouldn’t end with just one. These men were waiting for an excuse, a reason to drag him out, hit him so that he would barely be able to breathe and then probably make a scene and have him thrown into prison. After all, he had come up here under false pretenses.
His hands loosened at his sides and his posture relaxed just slightly, despite the throbbing pain.
He slowly turned his head back to the guard who had hit him, and gave him a smile, ignoring the pain in his jaw. At least he knew it was not dislocated or broken. “That punch supposed to scare me?”
The guards exchanged looks, as if debating their next move. One punch could explained away as warning him to not give chase. But if they beat him up now and if he went to the police, they would have nothing.
Adam took a deliberate step back and lifted his hands in mock surrender, making sure to keep in the view of the surveillance cameras. “Fine,” he muttered. “I get it. You don’t want me here. I’ll leave.”
But that didn’t mean he was giving up.
No, Saira wasn’t getting rid of him that easily now. He needed answers and he was going to get them.
Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away, ignoring the stiffness in his jaw. Adam drove back to the house in a foul mood. His first instinct was to call Max and tell him to have someone stationed outside the hotel to keep a look out for Saira. But… he’d left his phone in the restaurant.
Feeling guilty towards Melanie and angry at himself, he’d driven back to the restaurant, only to be told that Melanie had already gone away.
When he finally pulled into the driveway, the house loomed in darkness. He let out a slow breath and winced slightly as he stepped out of the car. He really really needed to get his head on straight! This was the second time when he’d ended up taking Melanie for granted.
He took in a deep breath, winced at the ache in his face and then decided that he really did need to explain everything to her. But… that would mean exposing parts of himself that he had kept hidden all along.
As he pushed the front door open, a quiet stillness greeted him. No lights. No sound and he could not help but worry. Did she not arrive back yet? She should have returned by now… unless something…
Before he could panic, he saw a figure standing alone in the end of the house, the moonlight making her silhouette seem longer.
Melanie.
She was by the window, her back to him, her posture still—too still. Something twisted in his chest. Guilt. He had left her without a word, forgotten her completely in his obsession to chase Saira down. And now… now he was back, bruised, frustrated, and without the answers he wanted.
He stepped inside, and as the door clicked shut behind him, the lights flickered on.
His breath hitched for a fraction of a second and his eyes widened as Melanie had now turned towards him, her fingers wrapped around the handle of a gleaming kitchen knife.
He raised an eyebrow as she walked closer, “Well, well, look who decided to come back. “You left me and abandoned me without a second thought in the middle of my own celebration…Adam Collins you better have a reasonable….
She trailed off and her eyes widened as she saw his brusied jaw.
The shift in her was instant. The knife clattered to the floor, her sinister smile vanished and with a concerned look, she hurried to him “What the hell happened to you?”
Without waiting for an answer, she walked back into the kitchen and soon returned with an ice pack in her hand. He extended his hand to take it from her, ready to thank her when she slapped at his wrist and without warning,pressed the ice pack against his bruised jaw— hard .
Adam sucked in a sharp breath, his body stiffening at the sudden cold and the jolt of pain. “Damn it, Melon—”
She didn’t even try to look apologetic. Instead, she smirked, tilted her head and examined his face. “Oh, did that hurt?” she asked sweetly, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Oops.”
His glare was half-hearted at best, but she ignored it, holding the ice pack firmly in place despite his obvious discomfort.”You know,” she mused, “I should be furious at whoever did this to you… but honestly? I’m kind of impressed.”
Adam’s brow furrowed and he glared at her. “Impressed?”
She nodded, her smirk deepening. “Someone out there avenged me. Looks like the universe really does have my back.”
Adam let out a low huff, part amusement, part exasperation. “Melon—”
She cut him off with a playful poke to his uninjured cheek. “This is what happens when you dare to abandon me, Adam Collins.”
He sighed and shook his head slightly, sending her a curious look. “You’re not angry?”
“Oh, I’m furious,” she assured him, pulled the ice pack away for a moment before pressing it back—thankfully, with less force this time. “Livid, even. The audacity of you leaving me like that? Dragging me for a celebration and then leaving me alone? It is totally unforgivable.”
Adam almost smiled—almost. It hurt like a bi*ch to smile so he tried not to. “And yet,” he murmured, eyeing her, “you’re here, tending to my wounds.”
Melanie rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it. Instead, in a quiet voice she told him, “I am angry. But I knew you must’ve had a reason.”
Adam blinked. She did not question him. Simply trusted him. And that trust did something to him so that he could only blink at her…