Chapter 346
Do The Same
Dr. Jung smiled. Of course, no sane person would believe what he had just said. Not right away. Especially not when it was being said by someone like him- a friend of their kidnapper. That label alone was enough to make every word sound like a manipulation.
But Dr. Jung had dealt with enough trauma victims to know how to get through to them. And just with this little incident, he had discovered a way to get to Melanie Collins.
So he softened his voice just enough to force her to listen. “And what if I were to tell you that she will do the same thing to your husband as well? That she might already have started to?”
He saw it immediately- the shift in her posture. Her breathing faltered for a fraction of a second. That caught her attention, exactly like he had expected. He did not wait for her to respond.
“She replaced you quite smoothly, didn’t she? Don’t you find that odd? I mean you were kidnapped and boom, she was Melanie. Do you really think that is a coincidence?”
Just when he would have continued, however, Melanie did something that he had expected. She was holding the shard’s pointed edge to his neck as she threatened, ” Talk directly or else..”
Finding himself on the edge of the same piece of glass he had warned her about, Dr Jung could only grimace. But he didn’t flinch. Instead, he raied an eyebrow and said,” I will. But you need to understand how she works.”
He took a breath before continuing, his eyes never leaving hers as he started in exact detail of what he had studied Melody’s behaviour.
She’s got different persoanlities. The first is the innocent and frail type which she usually wears and raises a man’s protective instincts. Melanie frowned. That was the impression that she’d had of Melody, actually. It was only later when she realized that Melody might be attracred to Adam that she found the entire scene believable.
Dr Jung continued, “But there is another way that she knows and uses quite well. To attract a man’s attention, the first step is to ignore him. Not openly, but deliberately. Once you act as if he doesn’t exist, curiosity takes over. He begins to notice. He wonders why she’s different. Why she isn’t trying. For Cadence, her first approach worked but for your husband, she might use the second one, because the first one seems to have failed.”
Melanie frowned and that is when Dr Jung handed her a phone, “See for yourself.”
Dr. Jung handed her the phone, and Melanie grabbed it immediately, not bothering to thank him. What did he mean that her first style had failed? Her fingers flew over the screen, and the video started playing.
It was outside the hospital. The ground was wet, and it looked like it had been raining. It didn’t take her much time to realise what she was seeing. This was just before Adam picked Melody up in his arms probably.
In the video, Melody was walking ahead of Adam. A moment later, she twisted her ankle and stumbled forward. Melanie leaned in, watching closely and then widened her eyes at what happened next. Instead of catching her or moving to help, Adam simply stood there. His arms remained by his sides. He watched her fall. And when she hit the ground, he didn’t move. In fact, he took a step away and disappeared from the frame.
Melanie blinked at the screen, uncertain for a second whether her eyes had played a trick on her. But the scene repeated as she replayed it. Adam had seen Melody fall. He had been close enough to stop it. And still, he had chosen not to. A hundred memories surged in her mind how quick he had always been with her, how instinctively protective. She remembered once tripping on the stairs, and he had caught her before she even registered the misstep. For him to stand still now… it wasn’t oversight. It was decision.
Melanie’s heart skipped a beat.
This was just before the video she had already seen- the one where Adam had lifted Melody into his arms. But here, he had let her fall. He had chosen not to catch her. Something he never would have done if it was her. It wasn’t as if something had happened accidentally and he did not have the time. No, with his instincts, he could have easily caught Melody without letting hurt at all.
Suddenly, the pressure in her chest seemed to ease as Melanie came to a shocking realisation…Adam knew. Or at least… he suspected Melody of not being her. So, was he pretending? Was he already looking for her?
She held the phone tightly in her hand and then, before Dr Jung could take it back or know what she was upto, she changed the screen and she dialled Adam’s number and pressed call. But the screen remained blank with only his number there. No ringing. No connection.
She pressed harder at the green icon again. Still nothing.
Before she could try again, Dr. Jung reached out and took the phone back from her hand. “I brought a phone without any SIM card.”
Melanie stared at him in disbelief but the doctor continued, “I might sympathize with you,” he said, pocketing the phone, “but I have no intention of helping you betray my friend.”
Her lips parted, ready to snap back, but no words came. Only frustration. “Why show me that, then?” she asked finally.
Dr. Jung looked at her for a moment. “Because you needed to see it so that we can move forward. I’ll come tomorrow to change the dressing for your wounds and then we will discuss this further. Until then, don’t let your bandages get wet. And I hope you will be in a better frame of mind to discuss what I want in exchange for your freedom.”
Then he turned and left, leaving her with more questions than answers.