Chapter 312
“Why would she hate you?” Adam asked slowly, his gaze fixed on the older woman in front of him, whose tears continued to fall unchecked. This was the part that troubled him the most.
Melody had told him that her parents were worried-deeply worried- that Melanie would hate them. And that fear, it seemed, stemmed from something her grandmother might have said. But, according to Melanie, the lady had never even taken their names, let alone say something that might make her hate them. She had never once mentioned Melanie’s parents directly- not in anger, not in resentment. The only time her mother was referenced at all, it had been with pain. Regret, even.
So why this overwhelming fear?
He looked up again and watched as Richard and Marianne Thomas exchanged a long, silent glance. Something passed between them-an understanding, or perhaps a decision-before Marianne finally spoke.
“Does Melanie remember nothing at all?” she asked in a small voice. “Her grandmother never mentioned us? Not once?”
Adam shook his head gently. “No,” he replied. “Her grandmother never spoke of either of you-not to her, and not even in passing. That’s why Melanie grew up assuming her parents were dead. She believed it her entire life.”
He paused, giving them a moment to absorb that, then continued carefully, “From what I’ve been told, Melanie was taken by her maternal grandmother when she was just a child. The police report mentioned a dispute between you and yuor grandmother-something about how you were raising her. I’m trying to understand… what happened back then? Can you tell me more about the argument?”
Marianne opened her mouth to speak. Her lips trembled slightly, and she gave a small, shaky nod, clearly preparing to explain the moment that had fractured everything. But before she could begin, Richard cut in sharply. freewebno vel .c(o)m
“Why does it matter now?” he snapped almost rudely and with visible frustration. His voice was tight with restrained emotion. “What’s the point of digging into an argument that happened over two decades ago? The crux of the matter is simple- our daughter was taken from us. That’s the truth. And now… now we’re just waiting to see if she’ll come back.”
“The crux of the matter is-if a woman who was usually rational suddenly went to such extreme lengths as to kidnap her granddaughter and disappear without a trace… all after a so-called simple argument-that sounds a bit too convenient, doesn’t it?” Adam countered calmly not the least bit rattled by Richard Thomas’s earlier outburst. If anything, he became more focused, deliberately goading the man. Because the only reason anyone would be so defensive is if they had something to hids.
Richard’s jaw tightened. He looked ready to snap and retort, but Marianne reached out and and once again touched his arm, stopping him. She let out a slow breath, her eyes filled with something halfway between weariness and reluctant acceptance. freewe.bn(o)vel.c(o)m
“She wasn’t happy with me,” she admitted finally. “Melanie’s grandmother and I… we never truly got along. Not from the start. We had very different ways of thinking, and that only grew worse over time.”
She paused, as if choosing her next words carefully. “She had been a single mother for years and was fiercely independent-used to calling all the shots, making all the decisions on her own without ever needing to ask anyone for anything. That kind of mindset—it shaped how she saw the world.”
Marianne glanced at Richard, then looked down at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap. “But I… I was different. I wasn’t like her. I liked talking things through. I preferred to make decisions as a couple-with Richard. We consulted each other about everything, especially when it came to Melanie. That alone created tension between us from the very beginning. Added to that, she never liked Richard because she thought he was too controlling.”
She swallowed hard before continuing. “So, to her, it looked like I was weak or indecisive. But to me, it was just… partnership. Respect. I didn’t want to end up like her. And that difference in perspective was always there, simmering under the surface. The last time when we argued, it was actually my fault. I… I was too young and not too used to being… responsible. She was always telling me to grow up….”
“Melanie was just four,” she said slowly, eyes distant, as if watching the memory unfold in front of her. “We had gone shopping—a quick trip, nothing elaborate. I told her to wait with me, but I got distracted with my shopping, and she wandered off. I didn’t even notice right away and then, later, I forgot her… at the mall.
She drew in a trembling breath. Richard said nothing beside her, his face grim, but unmoving.
“What I did not know was that Melanie had gone into the elevator. It was one of those old ones in the mall. And then… it got stuck. Just like that. The power flickered, and the doors jammed. She was trapped inside for over an hour before the maintenance crew could pry it open. No light. No air circulation. Just that tiny box. Alone.”
“It was terrifying for her. And I didn’t even know… until mother asked me where Melanie was. We raced back to the mall and that is when we knew she was stuck. When they finally got her out, she was sobbing so hard she couldn’t even breathe. I tried to hold her, but she clung to her grandmother. Not to me. And after that…” Her voice cracked. “She wouldn’t even step into a lift again. For days she didn’t speak much, wouldn’t sleep alone, had nightmares every night and insisted on clinging to her grandmother.”
She looked up at Adam, and continued softly,”I was ashamed. I blamed myself entirely. I still do. But I didn’t know how to help her. I thought maybe with time, with us around her, she’d recover. I just needed a little space to think. I wanted to wait and talk to Richard before making any decisions. He’d been away on business and I was waiting for him to return.”
“And your mother didn’t agree?” Adam guessed quietly.
Marianne nodded. “No. She was furious. Said waiting even a day was irresponsible. She wanted to take Melanie to a counsellor immediately. She thought I was being careless, that I wasn’t taking the trauma seriously. But I… I wanted us to talk it through as a family. I didn’t want to rush. I wanted to do it right.”
Her voice dropped to a rasp. “That night, Richard returned and she urged me to talk to him about it. But I was scared and avoided the topic. So, we had another argument and she said she would not come back again. We thought it was just anger and since it was coming from a good heart, we thought we will talk to her once she’d calmed down.”
“But then, later that night… she took Melanie. Just like that. No warning, no discussion. And we never saw either of them again. It is why I always thought that Melanie would probably always hate me. After all, what sort of a mother would forget her child in a mall and not even remember about her until hours later?