Get Out of the Cage

Melanie fell unexpectedly down the stairs, barely stopping at the landing. She was both shocked and terrified. Her entire body ached terribly.

When she saw the blood between her legs, her face turned pale in an instant.

"Save me and my baby!" Melanie, her phone broken, trembled as she pleaded with Jennifer for help.

Jennifer, however, slapped herself twice and sat on the floor.

"Ah! Melanie, stop hitting me!" she screamed shrilly. "Even if you hit me, I can't make Ken fall in love with you!"

Upon hearing the commotion, Ken rushed over. "Jen, are you okay?"

He anxiously picked Jennifer up and was ready to leave while completely ignoring Melanie below.

Melanie frantically pleaded with him for help. "Ken, save me!"

Ken noticed the blood on her, and his expression changed. Before he could do anything, Jennifer nestled in his arms and started crying.

"Ken, Melanie attacked me and threw herself down the stairs to frame me! Look, she even prepared fake blood! She must have planned this all along to make me look bad. I have no idea what I did to upset her!"

After hearing this, Ken looked at Melanie in disgust. "You make me sick!"

"I didn't, Ken! It was Jennifer! She…"

Melanie hadn't finished speaking but Ken was already walking away with Jennifer in his arms. She called out to him in fear, over and over, but he didn't even stop.

Watching him disappear around the corner, Melanie's shock turned to disappointment, sadness, and finally hatred. She never thought that despite their relationship of eight years, he would still believe Jennifer's lies so easily and leave her to fend for herself.

A stand-in was merely a stand-in. In his heart, she was worthless.

What happened to his promises of being a loving boyfriend and her hero?

Lies, all of them!

Ken was the worst scammer in the world!

Unable to stand, Melanie endured the pain and crawled her way up, trembling as she did so. Blood trailed behind her; the pain was unbearable, but she didn't dare pass out. She feared that if she died there, no one would ever know.

Her voice had gone hoarse from shouting. Finally, the hotel staff discovered her and quickly sent her to the hospital. She couldn't hold on anymore, and fainted upon arrival.

On the morning of the 26th, Melanie woke up. Apart from a mild concussion and extreme exhaustion, she had no other major injuries.

Yet… The baby was gone.

After undergoing a surgical evacuation of the womb, Melanie left the operating room in a daze.

There were only four days left before she would leave. Why did this have to happen now? She could feel that the tiny life inside her was gone forever.

"You're here anyway, so go apologize to Jen!"

Ken suddenly appeared, grabbing her from behind.

Melanie looked at him. Her heart filled with sorrow. "I didn't hurt her. She was the one who pushed me down the stairs and killed our baby!"

"Jen said you'd lie about having a miscarriage. I didn't believe her, but it turns out she was right," he said. His eyes filled with disappointment.

"I'm not lying! I was three months pregnant. You can ask the doctor. I…"

"Enough! Stop making excuses. Go apologize to Jen! Otherwise, I'll tell your parents all about the terrible things you've done!"

Melanie was used to seeing him treat others coldly. However, she never thought he'd be this cruel to her.

Her mother had breast cancer and underwent surgery several years ago. She needed to avoid stress. Her father had a heart disease, and couldn't handle such shocking news.

Thinking of them, Melanie felt her resolve crumble. Her voice hoarse, she said, "Fine, I'll apologize to her. Just don't get my parents involved."

"See? That wasn't so hard."

Melanie, physically unwell and unable to move fast, couldn't keep up.

However, Ken ignored this and impatiently dragged her to Jennifer's ward. "Apologize to Jen!"

"I'm sorry," Melanie said softly, clenching her fists.

Jennifer smirked. "I didn't hear that. Say it louder."

"I'm sorry!"

"That sounded insincere."

Melanie knew what Jennifer wanted—humiliation.

Thinking of her parents, Melanie took a deep breath and said hoarsely, "I was petty and despicable. I was envious of Mr. Lambert's love for Ms. Knowles, so I tried to harm Ms. Knowles. It was all my fault. I'm sorry."

"That barely sounded sincere, but I'll take it. Since you slapped me twice, just saying sorry doesn't make us even. I'm kindhearted and can't bring myself to hit you, so why don't you slap yourself twice?"

Jennifer snuggled into Ken's arms, blinking innocently.

Melanie couldn't understand how someone could be so shameless. Jennifer killed her child and still demanded that she, the victim, slap herself.

Melanie suppressed her overwhelming anger and instinctively looked to Ken.

However, he avoided her gaze and said coldly, "Do it. Once you're done, it'll all be settled."