Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law

As the two policemen dragged Melody away, Richard felt his world collapse around him. The older man's legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees, drained of every ounce of strength.

He had not wanted to believe the evidence in the USB drive Melanie had given him. Even when the files loaded on his screen-page after page, evidence after evidence- he had clung to the faint, stubborn hope that it couldn't be true. That it was all some cruel misunderstanding. But the truth had stared back at him in cold, merciless detail. The horrifying things Melody had done over the years. The careful lies, the calculated malice. And Marianne, his dear 'wife' covering for her at every turn and from what he coudl see probably encouraging her.

Even with all that damning proof before him, he had still held on. Held on to the foolish, desperate hope that his little girl was not the monster the evidence painted her to be. That somewhere inside, there was still the child he had raised, the one who would never cross such a line.

That fragile hope had shattered the moment Melody had walked into the house and into Melanie's room. Melanie had already warned him it would happen-that Marianne had deliberately planned the weekend away so that Melody would have her chance. He had not wanted to accept it. He had nearly convinced himself that Melanie must be driven by some hidden grudge, that this was all a setup for revenge.

But all his self-delusion had died the instant he saw Melody with his own eyes- saw her pick up that heavy antique and step quietly into Melanie's room. In that moment, he knew. Melanie's plan to catch her red-handed would work, because Melody's intent was clear as daylight.

Still, a part of him had tried. He had made noise on purpose, hoping to break through to her. Hoping that if she realized she was not alone, she might come to her senses. Hoping she wasn't so far gone that she would carry out cold-blooded murder.

He had even stepped into Melanie's room, where she lay pretending to sleep, and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her out before Melody could make her move, knowing that Melody could hear his voice, about him caring for his daughter.

But in the end, it hadn't changed what he'd seen. It hadn't spared him the crushing truth. He had still been forced to live through the nightmare of watching his younger daughter try to end his elder daughter's life.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Melanie's eyes and felt another wave of regret. If only he had been able to believe his mother-in-law back then. All his life, he had almost hated that woman-for taking his daughter away, for keeping her at a distance. Even when he thought Melanie had returned to him, he had hated her for making him feel like an outsider in his own child's life.

But in this moment, all that resentment seemed meaningless. He was grateful. Grateful that at least Melanie had stayed safe under her care, far from the poison that had seeped into his own home.

His throat tightened. As his gaze locked with Melanie's, that gratitude towards his mother in law soured. There was no warmth in her eyes. No love. Only pity. His daughter had turned out to be a good woman but she did not love him. It was pity. And it was all his own fault.

A bitter taste rose in his mouth. Yes, he was to blame for so much of what had gone wrong. His guilt over not loving Marianne, over marrying her only to please Melrose, had blinded him to everything else. He had ignored warning signs. Turned away from truths that had been staring at him for years.

His jaw tightened. His fingers curled slowly into fists. His shoulders trembled.

And yet, even with all that guilt pressing down on him, there was one person he hated more than himself. Marianne. What had he not done for that woman? What comfort had he deprived her of? Why did she have to do this to his children?

He narrowed his eyes, the muscles in his face pulling taut. She should be the one screaming like that, struggling in the grip of the police, dragged out into the night just like his little Mel had been. She should be the one facing a prison cell.

She was the one who had destroyed Melody's soul.

In that moment, he remembered one afternoon, years ago, when Melody had done something cruel to a younger child in the neighborhood—right there in front of him. He had stepped forward to scold her, but Marianne had slid smoothly between them, smiling as she told him not to be so harsh and that she would kindly explain. Later, Melody had come to him, teary and wide-eyed, promising she would never be unkind in front of him again.

Only now did he understand, after so many years, she had never promised not to be unkind. She had only promised he would not see it. And Marianne had made sure of it.

She was the one who had played her cruel games for years, planting seeds of anger, jealousy, and distrust in their daughter's heart until nothing good remained.

His teeth ground together. The ache in his fists was almost painful now.

And it was too late to undo any of it. But it was not too late to teach Marianne a lesson. He would kill her! Kill her so that he could avenge what she had done to him.

"You cannot do that, Mr Thomas." A voice spoke softly and he looked at Melanie with a frown. What was she saying?

But Melanie seemed to have read his mind as she said," I said you cannot touch Marianne yet. If you want her punished, we need more evidence. Something that she might have done which would prove that she was the one who planned this. Until now, we do not have that. She has planned this very carefully over the years."

Richard stilled. Yes. They did not have any proof against Marianne...