Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law-Chapter 262: Eager

Melody continued to stare at the door, her hands clenched tightly in front of her as she reminded herself—again—not to ask. It was not her business. She had no reason to interfere. And yet, despite repeating that like a mantra, she couldn’t help the heat that had begun to rise in her chest. She was seething.

It had started with a simple, casual question. She had only asked Adir how his weekend had gone. An innocent question, really. One any teacher might ask a student.

But Adir, in all his cheerful honesty, had given her every detail—how it had been "so much fun," and how he had visited a farm where he got to feed goats, pet a donkey, and even ride a horse. His eyes had lit up as he’d explained how his aunt had taken him there because she was going on a holiday and had brought him along with her. He had laughed while talking about how the horse he rode was named Bubbles and how his aunt had promised to teach him properly next time.

At first, she had smiled and nodded along, happy to see him so animated. But the more he spoke, the more something had tugged at the back of her mind. A creeping realization had set in.

Adam hadn’t gone with him.

She had quietly, subtly, prodded—asked who else had been there. And when Adir had mentioned the aunt’s name, a name that was definitely not Melanie Collins, Melody had gone still.

Her breath had caught before she forced it back into rhythm.

That meant one thing—Adam had not spent the weekend with Adir. Which could only mean... Adam had spent the weekend with Melanie. Just the two of them.

At first, she had felt giddy at the thought that perhaps Adam and his wife were distant. That maybe things weren’t perfect between them.

But the moment she realized who the aunt was—that Adir had been far away with someone else—it hit her like a slap.

Adam and Melanie had probably been together. The entire weekend.

She was jealous. She could admit that much to herself, at least in the quiet corners of her mind. Bitterly, irrationally jealous. She knew she had no right to be. And yet the emotion simmered under her skin, tight and uncomfortable.

She was not angry at Adir. Not even at Adam, really. It was just... a wave of confusion she couldn’t push back. And she hated how petty it made her feel.

Still, she told herself she was only feeling this way because of her own unresolved feelings. That was all. That had to be it. If it had been any other family, she would have never batted an eyelid. She would have professionally pointed out that the child had only just moved into a new home, and needed time to adjust. That he should be given stability, not whisked off for long weekends with extended relatives or friends so soon.

She exhaled slowly and let her hands drop to her sides. This couldn’t go on- her feeling were simply too unhealthy.

She had to be honest, if not with them, then at least with herself. She was a professional, and no matter how attractive she found Adam Collins to be, she had a responsibility to keep things clear.

She would talk to Adam.

She wasn’t sure exactly what she would say, but she knew she needed to say something. Something calm and rational. She’d gently point out that Adir needed structure, consistency, especially so soon after such a big transition. She would mention how crucial it was for Adam to be involved and for Adir to not feel as if he was an intruder who needed to be shipped off.

Yes, she would definitely talk to him. And honestly, a small part of her was looking forward to it. That talk would definitely help her get over her shyness so that she could talk to him even later more easily.

But just as she turned back to her desk, she heard the sound of heels approaching and looked up instinctively with a smile on her face, only to freeze.

Melanie Collins had just walked into the classroom.

Of all the timing.

Melody blinked, startled, and tried not to let it show. "Oh," she said, voice a little higher than she intended. "I... wasn’t expecting you."

Melanie smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair from her cheek. "Hi. Sorry, I should’ve called ahead. I’m picking up Adir today."

Before Melody could reply, Adir had already come bounding toward her. "Miss Melody! Melanie’s here!" he announced excitedly, hugging her around the waist.

Melody managed a smile and bent down to return the hug. "I see that, sweetheart. Goodbye then. Take care. I’ll see you tomorrow."

She gently tousled his hair before standing again, her gaze drifting back to Melanie who was looking down at her phone.

Unable to stop herself, she asked, "Adam didn’t come today?" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Melanie didn’t look the least bit thrown by the question and simply shrugged in answer, "Not this week. He’s a little tied up with work, so I’ll be handling pick-ups for now."

"I see," Melody said slowly, unable to keep the disappointment from seeping into her voice but Melanie didn’t seem to notice which felt loke a relief to her. "Ready to go, Adir?"

"Yup!" he chirped, already slinging on his backpack.

As they turned to leave, Melody stood rooted to the spot. Melanie’s answer had been polite, clear, even warm-but somehow, that made it worse. The two of them looked like mirror images of each other. But with both, Adam and Adir, she could see the difference in the way they talked of Melanie and talked to her. Both were distant with her and close to Melanie. Why?

Melody took in a deep breath. Shi*! She was going crazy over this sudden liking. What the heck was wrong with her? She shook her head. This week... Once this week was at an end, she needed to go out and let her hair down...

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