Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law

Chapter 331: What

"Mama. What are you doing here?" Melody asked in surprise, looking at the person walking into her hospital room. Today was the day she was finally getting discharged, and despite the lingering anxiety, she couldn’t wait to go home. Or rather, to Melanie’s home—which she still didn’t know much about, except for what Adir had briefly described. That part made her nervous.

But she had already come up with a plan. A simple, harmless plan that would save her from having to awkwardly wander around looking for Melanie’s room or acting too out of place. She was going to twist her ankle.

Yes. A little twist—nothing serious—but enough to win her exactly what she wanted. Because after being on the receiving end of Adam’s care these past few days, she knew very well how he reacted to even the smallest injury. If she so much as winced, Adam would be by her side. If she limped, he wouldn’t hesitate to carry her.

So if she "accidentally" twisted her ankle right before stepping out of the hospital, it was perfect. She’d get to avoid suspicion and end up in Adam’s arms again. A win-win.

But now, staring at the woman standing in the doorway, Melody felt thrown off. She hadn’t expected this. Why was her mother here?

Marianne Thomas walked toward her slowly, looking at her with a soft, unreadable expression before wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. "I’m so glad you called me ’Mom’ so easily," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I was worried you’d feel... uncomfortable. That it wouldn’t come naturally."

Melody almost froze at the words. Damn it. That was a slip. She was supposed to remember that Melanie didn’t call her mother Mom casually. In fact she had never called her Mom. There was distance between them. Formality. If she made such silly mistakes now, she’d give herself away before the day even ended.

Quickly, she tried to ease herself out of the embrace, not too abruptly, but fast enough to make it seem like she was just tired or overwhelmed. Just in case her mother was watching too closely. She couldn’t afford suspicion. Not now.

"So, what are you doing here?" Melody asked bluntly, reminding herself once again that Melanie would be like this.

Marianne gave her a smile and placed a small thermos on the table beside her, saying," I just wanted to spend some time with you. And I made you some chicken and mushroom broth."

Melody froze for a second.

Mushroom?

She was about to speak and blurt out that she was allergic, when Marianne continued in a soft and nostalgic tone, "Melody is allergic to mushroom. But you used to love them when you were a child. I haven’t made it in years. I thought... maybe you’d like to try it again. Maybe your tastes have come back? Or it might remind you of us."

Melody stared at her. Dam* it! She had not anticipated this. If she had claimed that she was allergic, her mother might not have thought much because her and Melanie were sisters, so it could be genetic. But if she used to have it as a child and now she refused...

She nodded, slowly, almost mechanically. Even if there was some problem or rashes, at least the docotre were here at this point of time. "Right. Sure," she said, her voice dry as she reached for the thermos with both hands to drink some of the broth. noveldrama

Her fingers curled around the lid. It was warm to the touch. She opened it, and the aroma hit her almost instantly, the smell of mushroom making her want to retch. But she had no choice now. She had to keep playing along.

Bringing the thermos to her mouth, she hesitated for just a second. Marianne’s eyes were fixed on her, almost eagerly, as if this small act meant everything. Melody tried to keep her hand steady, her heart thumping a little too fast.

But just as the broth reached her lips, her grip slipped just slightly. The lid gave way under her fingers, and in the next second, the hot liquid spilled down, splashing against her forearm and her thigh.

"Agh!" she cried, jerking back instantly. The sharp sting of the heat made her wince as she dropped the thermos as it clattered against the tray beside her and rolled to the floor.

Marianne was by her side in an instant.""Oh my God! Oh no! Melanie!" she gasped, panicked, already pressing the call button. "You burned yourself. I didn’t think. I thought it had cooled down!"

The door opened quickly as a nurse rushed in, followed closely by the doctor. "What happened?" the doctor asked, moving to Melody’s side as she clutched her arm, her face tight with pain.

"She spilled hot broth on herself," Marianne said quickly, stepping back but still hovering nearby.

The doctor took her arm gently and examined the reddening skin. "You’re lucky," he muttered as he examined the burn. "The broth was probably warm, not boiling. It could’ve been a lot worse if it had been scalding hot."

He gave instructions to the nurse, who brought over a small silver tray with ointment and gauze. "We’ll apply a topical cream for the burn," the doctor explained as he carefully smoothed the ointment across her arm. "You might feel a little sting, but this will help. Keep the area dry and avoid rubbing against it. I’ll prescribe something for the pain as well. But no blisters, so that’s a good sign."

Melody nodded stiffly, gritting her teeth as the cream touched her skin. She couldn’t even tell if it was the pain or the tension in the room that made her feel worse.

The doctor gave her one last reassuring look. "You’ll be fine. Just be careful next time, alright?" He turned to Marianne. "I’ll have the nurse bring the medication instructions."

"Thank you, Doctor," Marianne said, nodding.

As the door closed behind him, the room fell into a strange silence. The kind that didn’t feel natural. Melody shifted in the bed, flexing her hand slightly to test the soreness. At least she was saved from drinking the broth and breaking out with rashes, even though it might have caused her a scar.

But she had barely breathed a sigh of relief when she felt it- that prickle down her spine. That feeling of being watched. Closely.

She turned her head slowly. Marianne was standing still, her eyes fixed on her. There was something different in her gaze now. The softness from earlier was gone. Melody cursed and looked away, not meeting her sharp and penetrating gaze.

Melody tried to mask her discomfort and raised an eyebrow as she gathered her courage and met her eyes. "What?" she asked.

Marianne didn’t blink. Instead, she pulled out the stool nex to the bed and sat down on it. "Melody is allergic to mushrooms. But Melanie is allergic to mushrooms as well."

The words fell into the space between them like a stone.

Melody didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. Her mind froze for a split second too long. Long enough. And then Marianne said it. Direct. Unwavering.

"Why are you pretending to be Melanie, Melody?"