Chapter 54

“What do you mean by that?” Christopher said angrily, still seething. “She promised me she wouldn’t hurt you again. She even pretended to be so high and mighty by refusing the necklace, only to hide an even bigger scheme! I’ve completely redefined my understanding of her. She’s utterly vicious!”

Cynthia, her head lowered, slightly curled her lips before quickly erasing any trace of emotion, hewing to his furious outburst.

He had taken the whole day off, but he was back at work by noon. Cynthia was still in the hospital. Although she had regained consciousness, she was still quite dizzy. Christopher was relieved knowing she was in good care. Because of everything that had happened, he radiated an oppressive, low energy.

Melody, driven by jealousy of Cynthia, had orchestrated the gas leak, putting everyone’s lives at risk, including his own. It was an extreme act of terror.

Sheldon noticed Christopher’s foul mood. By the afternoon, Christopher had exploded in anger three times in a single hour. Feeling the tension, Sheldon hesitantly asked Christopher to collect some documents.

Though subordinates weren’t supposed to pry into their superiors’ personal matters, he felt he needed to understand the situation to better navigate Christopher’s moods and avoid triggering any sensitive issues. He had no intention of speaking, but since Melody and Sheldon had a good relationship, he eventually confided in him.

“Can you see it? She’s a malicious woman! People like her are antisocial and should be locked up in a mental institution!” Christopher spat out, grinding his teeth in frustration. Sheldon was momentarily stunned, but he instinctively asked, “Are you saying that Mrs. Fuller caused Ms. York’s gas poisoning too? But you said Ms. York is fine, and you also seemed unaffected.”

“I was in the room. The door helped block some of the gas, and I left in time,” Christopher replied emotionlessly.

“Why is Ms. York fine then? She even walked out to seek your help,” Sheldon asked.

“She slept in the living room.” Christopher paused, the words hanging in the air, then froze. Cynthia slept in the living room. Shouldn’t she have inhaled more gas than Melody? Why was she relatively unharmed?

“It was purposeful. She deliberately inhaled the gas from the kitchen, opened the window, and turned off the stove to cover her tracks,” Christopher said through clenched teeth. “Melody did it on purpose.”

There was no other explanation. After all, Melody had burned her own foot before. What else was she capable of? She had fainted at the door. If something had really happened, why was she found so conveniently at the door? She would have passed out inside if it were truly an accident. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense, and he became even angrier. Sensing his growing frustration, Sheldon considered saying something but sighed and remained silent.

It seemed Christopher had misunderstood Melody. From Sheldon’s perspective, Melody was kind-hearted, and he couldn’t believe she would intentionally do something like this. After work that evening, Christopher brought oatmeal to the hospital to visit Cynthia. He stayed to eat and chat with her but never visited Melody’s ward. He paid the hospital and medical fees, feeling it was enough, considering that the malicious Melody had tried to kill both him and Cynthia.

Melody woke up the following day. When the nurse came to check on her, she found out it was already the next day.

“Your husband came to the hospital, but he didn’t visit you. That woman downstairs was discharged yesterday, but she’s still staying here claiming she feels dizzy,” the nurse said, unable to hold back her comments, feeling pity for Melody. She had heard that Melody was the legitimate wife, but Christopher only loved Cynthia and had left Melody at home, almost letting her die.

Lying in bed, Melody’s face was emotionless, her mood unchanged. She knew who “that woman” was. She had been harmed to this extent, yet they were still in love. She was only sent to the hospital because the neighbors had called 911. How ironic. She hadn’t died. So, were they disappointed?